Project Description

The client is a couple moving into Downtown Whitehorse, wanting a home to start their future family and a place to start an in-house bakery. Along with selling baked goods and beverages, the bakery will also offer baking classes for anyone to attend. The location is anchored to the heart of the community, with the Yukon riverfront becoming a high-traffic lively place with shopping, arts, culture, entertainment, and business. The clients are also very active and enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking and hiking. The design focuses on the quality and the relationship between both interior and exterior spaces and maximizing daylighting. It features two pitched roof volumes connected by a transparent circulation core flanked by two exterior courtyards. Each volume is oriented to receive views of the river and mountains, while the courtyards allow for constant connection to views and greenery when navigating the building. The height and setbacks do not exceed the neighbours to respect the surrounding site and streetscape of the town. The kitchen is the main hinge point between the home’s residents and the community. The large ground-floor kitchen serves as both the residents’ personal kitchen and the bakery kitchen, where they make the baked goods and host the baking classes. This semi-public space allows the residents to further connect with their customers. Since the riverfront is subject to more foot traffic than the street itself, paths leading to the back allow easy access for customers. Another path leads from the kayak storage in the basement to the back of the site for the owners to easily bring their kayaks to the river. The materiality serves as another point of connection to the community. Wood siding serves as a connection to the heritage Log Skyscrapers in downtown Whitehorse, which were municipally designated for their historical and architectural significance. The warm material palette of the building gives comfort to the guests, encouraging them to stay longer.