Pearl Block Building / D'Arcy Jones Architects

Pearl Block is a compact cluster of six rowhouses. Staggered in response to the unusual triangular site, the building’s form modifies a common housing type to provide each resident with a generous outlook of the street. This neighbourly gesture preserves the privacy of the surrounding homes and enhances the privacy afforded to each Pearl Block unit. The project brief was to create 4–6 new rowhouses for young families who appreciate the qualities of single-family homes, but are also interested in living more compactly and sustainably. These desires, along with the ever-increasing cost of real estate, provide an incentive to explore an architectural type in search of an ideal scale for family homes in the city.