STEP TWO
Modern technology and structure allow for a reinterpretation of the traditional ideas and layouts. New styles emphasize clean lines, open spaces, and simplicity.
New Traditional
Quality builds in this style offer reinterpretations of timeless architectural elements with updated materials, layouts, and functionality while capturing both the charm of traditional homes and the clean lines and simplicity of modern design.
Fig. New Traditional Style House
| Era | 2000-current |
|---|---|
| Form | Symmetrical or subtly asymmetrical layouts, often rectangular or L-shaped with clean, elegant proportions. |
| Storeys | 1.5-2 |
| Façade | Classic materials like brick, stone, and wood, combined with contemporary finishes like stucco or metal accents. Symmetrical facades with large, well-proportioned windows and doors. Modest ornamentation, such as shutters, moldings, or pediments, paired with clean, understated details. |
| Roof | Gable or hip roofs with moderate pitch. Sometimes, a mix of traditional and flat rooflines. |
| Windows | Large windows, often multi-pane or grid-style, to evoke traditional aesthetics. Picture windows or oversized openings paired with transoms or sidelights for a modern touch. |
| Details | Entry doors often framed by simple porticos or recessed into covered porches. |
Modern Minimal
Sleek, clean designs with an emphasis on geometric forms. These styles use the most modern building technologies and structural concepts to create impossibly open layouts with vast, glazed wall elevations allowing for integration with the surroundings in new and interesting ways.
Fig. Modern Minimal Style House
| Era | 2000-current |
|---|---|
| Form | Rectilinear, geometric forms with a strong emphasis on simplicity and balance. |
| Storeys | 1-2 |
| Façade | Unadorned surfaces featuring materials like concrete, steel, glass, or smooth stucco. Large, uninterrupted walls paired with expansive windows or glass doors. Asymmetrical facades that emphasize the design’s minimalist nature. |
| Roof | Flat or low-pitched roofs with clean, unbroken lines. Rooflines often incorporate overhangs for shade or rain protection without disrupting the minimalist aesthetic. |
| Windows | Floor-to-ceiling windows, sliding glass walls, or clerestory windows to maximize natural light. Frameless or minimal-frame designs to maintain sleekness. |
| Details | Doors are often flush with the facade and feature clean, geometric handles or no visible hardware. Integrated outdoor spaces, such as patios or courtyards, with a seamless transition from interior to exterior. |
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-This guide provides a brief, highly graphical overview of Canada's architectural heritage, highlighting the defining characteristics of various building styles and types across different historical periods. We love older Parks Canada publications.
Parks Canada. Buildings of Canada: A Guide to Styles and Types. 1980, https://www.historicplaces.ca/media/7173/buildingsofcanada.pdf.
-This guide, commissioned by an East coast municipality, is quite comprehensive. It provides more detailed information on the architectural styles that are common in Canada.
Town of Sackville. Heritage Architecture Style Guide. 10 Mar. 2014, https://sackville.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Heritage_Architecture_Style_Guide_Final_10March2014.pdf.
-This book provides a comprehensive overview of major architectural styles and building terminology in Ontario from the late 18th century to relatively modern times.
Blumenson, John J.-G. Ontario Architecture: A Guide to Styles and Building Terms, 1784 to the Present. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1990.
-A concise introduction to considering the architectural character of your home is provided in the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Cultural Resources - Preservation Guides. The National Park Service preservation guides are a great resource in general and well worth exploring.
-This book outlines what to look for, what to do and what not to do when working on important building details.
Cusato, Marianne, and Ben Pentreath. Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid. Sterling, 2007.
-This book provides an excellent detailed guide to American residential architecture (basically the same as Canadian architecture).
McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture. Knopf, 2015.
-This book provides detailed information on building elements.
Benjamin, Asher. The American Builder's Companion. Illustrated ed., Feb. 26, 2009, Dover Publications.
-This book provides detailed information on building elements indicating scale and proportion.
Radford, William A., Bernard L. Johnson, and Charles P. Rawson. Radford's Portfolio of Details of Building Construction: A Remarkable and Unique Collection of Full-Page Plates, Accurately Drawn and Reproduced to Exact Scale. Complete Details for Every Style of Interior Trim, Including Special Built-In Features. Illustrated ed., Dover Publications, Aug. 31, 2012.
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