Canadian architecture firm StudioAC has completed an innovative residential project called Junction Semi, a duplex designed specifically for a multi-generational family of seven in Toronto's West End. The building features distinctive pale wooden cladding, a central courtyard, and a double-gable roof that creates a unique living environment for three generations under one structure.
The project sits on an arterial street and was designed to accommodate a couple, their three children, and a set of grandparents. The name "Junction Semi" reflects Toronto's local terminology where "semi" refers to duplex-type buildings. The structure consists of two side-by-side, two-story units that remain separate while sharing common spaces, including a central courtyard that serves as the heart of the design.
"Rather than massing buildings and leaving behind outdoor space, the first assignment was to carve away outdoor space from the existing building," explained StudioAC. "The courtyard situates itself so that it helps to bring light into the deeper parts of the building that would prove dark without." This approach demonstrates the firm's commitment to prioritizing natural light and outdoor connectivity in urban residential design.
The duplex was constructed on the site of a former religious building, with the architects preserving key elements like the original foundation and certain walls while adding a second floor and strategically carving away areas on the ground level. This sustainable approach to construction allowed the team to maintain some historical continuity while creating an entirely new living experience.
Beyond the central courtyard, the two families share several common areas including a front foyer, a rear garage, and a rooftop garden. Each unit features its own skylit stairwell, and wide stairs lead down to the main level, which sits below grade. The architects explained that "as the main level is sunken below grade, the massing of the building is actually lower than its neighboring properties, allowing the project to reference the existing scale of the streetscape."
The interior layout of each unit is thoughtfully divided by the courtyard, with the front portion containing an open-plan living room, kitchen, and dining area, while the back section houses a bedroom and provides access to the shared garage. The upper level contains additional bedrooms, terraces, and access to the shared rooftop garden, creating multiple levels of private and communal living spaces.
Natural light served as a primary design feature throughout the project, leading the team to select a material palette "that celebrates texture over color." The architects noted that "the spaces are finished using a monochromatic color scheme that is muted to act as a canvas for the changing light." The exterior facades are clad in pale wooden siding from Maibec, topped with the distinctive double-gable roof.
One of the most personalized design elements appears on the street-facing elevation, where the team carved out an opening on the upper level to create a terrace featuring a Japanese maple tree. This terrace connects to a primary bathroom with a soaking tub, a design inspired by the client's fond memories of drawing a bath in their former home while listening to wind passing through trees. What began as a casual conversation became what the architects describe as a "major spatial gesture" in the new home.
StudioAC was founded in 2015 by Jennifer Kudlats and Andrew Hill, and the firm has built a reputation for innovative residential and commercial projects. Their portfolio includes a country home along Lake Ontario inspired by agrarian architecture and a luxury cannabis dispensary in Toronto featuring zig-zagging walls made of industrial grating. The Junction Semi project photography was completed by Felix Michaud, showcasing the interplay of light, texture, and space that defines this multi-generational living solution.
