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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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A 12' Tall Public Perimeter
Facade from the Street
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Rear Outdoor Living Space
Patio Space
Pool
View to Yard from Kitchen
Kitchen
View from the Dining Room
View to Dining Room from Kitchen
Living Room
Cor-ten Clad Fireplace
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The building, originally a contractor's shop, was converted into a 2000 square foot single-family residence in 2002. The existing shell had the potential for great natural light on three sides, in addition to an interior height of 12 feet floor to ceiling.
The house is organized to allow for full height 'public' rooms around the perimeter and a raised podium on the interior where the private rooms (Master Bedroom, Ensuite Bathroom and Guest Room) are arranged. The existing steel beams are exposed and then sandblasted and sealed.
The polished concrete floor has radiant floor heating embedded in the slab on grade. In the Living and Dining Rooms light streams in through oversized french doors opening onto the garden. The fireplace, clad in cor-ten steel and oak, separates the Living Room from the Master Bedroom beyond with the fireplace hearth at floor level in the bedroom, and at seating height below.
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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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