River’s Edge House
Alloy Homes Incorporated and Croma Design created the look of this new modern home to embrace the natural rhythms of its environment and neighborhood in Calgary, Canada.
We designed and built this brand new family home to feel like it’s been a part of the neighborhood for years. A modern home with a sophisticated palette, it’s wrapped in low maintenance natural materials designed to weather gently and enhance its character as time passes. This is a home that wholeheartedly embraces the natural rhythms of its environment.
This was a custom design/build project for an active, urban family with two kids. The owners have a passion for art and architecture.
We used lots of high-performance glass and opening walls to create physical and visual connections between house and site. Designed the house around the movement of the sun. Placed windows, terraces, and sitting areas strategically so the family can “follow the sun” throughout the day. Created a modern home with a sophisticated palette, wrapped in low maintenance natural materials designed to weather gently and enhance its character as time passes. Respected the rhythms of the adjacent river, which floods periodically. The main floor is raised above the flood line and there’s no mechanical equipment in the basement. A prefab foundation wall system allows for easy cleanup and rehab should another flood ever occur.
The sustainability features: Prefabricated foundation walls were used because the house is in a flood zone. Rather than building a layered basement wall assembly, these prefab panels incorporate structure, insulation and mounting points for drywall in one seamless assembly. Should the basement flood again, it’s easy to strip the drywall and spray down the interior wall surfaces. There are no hidden spaces for silt to accumulate. Mech room on main was a space planning challenge. We created a service zone on the interior side yard so the rest of the floor plan could be open.
There’s simply no other house like this in Calgary. Our clients asked us to push the limits and together we have created a home that has already become iconic. It’s become a magnet for location scouts looking to use the home as a movie set.
Design: Alloy Homes Incorporated, Croma Design
Photography: Joel Klassen
