Weiss Architecture + Urbanism’s light-filled Shudell House imaginatively addresses aging-in-place design issues while negotiating the “bowling alley” dimensions of typical residential lots in older parts of Toronto.

The traditional diamond patterning on the front facade’s top storey (known as “diapering”) gives the residence a distinctive identity, and buff and dark-brown brick is a tribute to its east-end neighbourhood heritage.

Situated on a street of older houses with main entries via a raised porch, this house meets aging-in-place criteria with an entrance through a sheltered patio, with relatively tall plants close to the street edge to mitigate the “fishbowl” effect of an at-grade living room.

It has an elevator, a roll-in shower, and a kitchen designed for easy conversion to universal accessibility dimensions.

Light wells, skylights, and a double-height, ground-floor dining area with a second-floor overlook bring natural light into the home.