Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wp-graphql domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/awards.azuremagazine.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/awards.azuremagazine.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114

Notice: Constant WP_MEMORY_LIMIT already defined in /var/www/awards.azuremagazine.com/wp-config.php on line 108
OG House - AZ Awards | AZ Awards
Search AZ Awards ...
Awards By Category
AZ Awards 2022 Winner & People's Choice: OG House by Omar Gandhi Architect

Omar Gandhi has created his own dream home while paying homage to the city around it. Embracing a skinny but deep 242-square-metre lot, he has inserted his house into the fabric of North Halifax, the common-bond brick pattern of its podium a reference to older buildings in the area, its upper cedar veil already patinated by the elements.

AZ Awards 2022 Winner & People's Choice: OG House by Omar Gandhi Architect

The entrance to both the home and Gandhi’s studio (he practises in Halifax and Toronto) is through the rear, where buff brick paves a courtyard bookended by a garage. Down a set of full-width stairs, one descends into the sunken office, a pill-shaped storage wall separating it from the residential zone. Up a flight of stairs, one enters the linear kitchen and dining area, which are entirely swathed in white oak panelling; whitewashed millwork stretches the length of the space to incorporate a fireplace and copious storage. Most transcendent is the light well that vertically carves out the opposite end of the home; from his third-storey bedroom, Gandhi’s son can see all the way down into the living area. The skylights in the upper bathrooms, meanwhile, capture and disperse the phenomena of the East Coast climate — the pinging of rain and shifting light patterns — throughout the interior.

“There are great moments and details in this coherent whole.”
Siamak Hariri, AZ Awards 2022 Juror
AZ Awards 2022 Winner & People's Choice: OG House by Omar Gandhi Architect

In the beginning, Gandhi set out to conjure up an inviting residence that would double as an anchor for his firm. But as his practice grew, picking up such high-profile commissions as the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (as part of a team that also includes KPMB) and Peggy’s Cove, it outgrew the in-home atelier. So Gandhi has decided to re-focus the place on works for the local community, such as a homeless shelter. In more ways than one, then, this is a home that exalts its surroundings, bringing the fabric of the city into the soul of the house.

AZ Awards 2022 Winner & People's Choice: OG House by Omar Gandhi Architect

Team Omar Gandhi with Jordan Rice (Omar Gandhi Architect); Andrea Doncaster (Andrea Doncaster Engineering); Devin Harper (Hewn + Barter); Mike Burns (MRB Contracting)

Winner: Single-Family Houses
People’s Choice: Single-Family Houses
OG House

In more ways than one, OG House exalts its surroundings, bringing the fabric of the city into the soul of the house.

Explore more Award Winners

2014
People’s ChoiceSingle-Family Houses
Location
São Paulo, Brazil
Firm
StudioMK27, São Paulo
Team
Marcio Kogan and Samanta Cafardo with Suzana Glogowski, Beatriz Meyer, Oswaldo Pessano and Mariana Ruzante
2017
Award of MeritSingle-Family Houses
Location
Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka
Firm
Palinda Kannangara Architects, Sri Lanka
2019
Award of MeritSingle-Family Houses
Location
Mexico City, Mexico
Firms
MANADA Architectural Boundaries (Mexico) and Ludens (Mexico)