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JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.
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Flexible Living That Evolves with Changing Needs
Living Room
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Front Elevation at Night
Back Elevation
Fireplace Detail
Entry Detail
Loft Living
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We conceived our dwelling as a flexible environment that evolves with our changing needs. Its spaces can be perceived as a play of volumetric contrasts experienced through multiple paths.
The living quarters are located above a tall light-filled garage volume. Entered through a shaded garden and a compressed foyer, the living space soars to culminate in north-facing clerestories that provide even light and passive cooling throughout the day. Tucked against the hill, the kitchen-dining space extends laterally to patios and views.
A central open stair organizes public spaces into living and service functions, and links a study to the private spaces above.
Around the exterior, a living terrace on the garage roof bridges to a ground-level dining patio, from which one may ascend to the upper garden and re-enter the house through a common room.
The design presents an ambiguity of ground plane and a circularity of movement that pleasantly challenge our perception of what we stand on and of where a path begins and ends.
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We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.
provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.
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