Strolling by the empty triangle lot with my 3 year old, week after week. I’m at home raising a child while my friends and classmates are becoming architects in the city. When I meet them I wonder if I’m capable of adult or even relevant architectural conversation. I was one of them once, but something happened. After graduating in architecture from Waterloo University, I worked as a construction labourer, a carpenter, a lumber sales clerk and freelanced for various architects but could not settle in one place.

I remember two key anecdotes which coincided with this point in my life and architectural journey which helped me begin to understand where I might began to imagine which one of the millions of things I could do with this 1000 square foot triangle of land that nobody wanted in the heart of downtown Toronto.

The first anecdote was from aboriginal spirituality that said within a few ‘moments’ of where you live is the land’s capacity to nurture and sustain ones own health [physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health]. The other anecdote comes from the movie Cotton Club. Lawrence Fishburne plays a small successful Black Gangster in early 1900’s New York. His response to a question asking him to account for his success despite his race and history in the New York underworld was to turn the question around and ask of the inquisitor, “Where do you dance?”

The answer to my design discontent lay in a change of perspective as to where and what ‘successful’ architecture / design was. In other words, even as a stay-at-home dad, even though I did not come from privilege, nor was I a member or soon to be member of the design intelligencia, I did have opportunity and worthiness around me to produce good design, I just needed to adjust my way of ‘seeing’. That is to say, to adjust my place of ‘dance’; that is the ‘where’ of good architecture; and to adjust the way I ‘danced’; that is the process of making good architecture, in order to find my own expression in it.

1292 College Street is, arguably, the smallest triangular building lot in the city of Toronto. Over the next few weeks I’ll be ‘retro-journaling’ as I leaf through my many tiny sketch books of that period. It is a period spent designing from the margins of time, of knowledge and of circumstance (read no money). I Designed from children’s centres, from swimming pools, ‘activity gyms’, nap times, from late nights in order to discover and manifest a small house I referred to as “simple dignity”, which of course refers to my own search for dignity and worth in an architectural culture driven by the status quo.

1. I often drove past the empty lot and wondered about how it might be used. Rohan’s solution, the triangle house, is one of my urban landmarks in the city. Talk about thinking outside of the box.

   Posted by jeff  on  09/06  at  11:04 AM

2. I had the privilege to see the triangle house in and out. It is an example of marvelous and sophisticated use of space. Rohan not only builds a house with incredible interior work and functionality on an odd and relatively small landscape, he also masterfully meets a client’s need for a large garden that can be used for any social event.

   Posted by  on  09/06  at  06:52 PM

3. I remember the “Triangle Site” from when it was a billboard. It was a pleasant surprise to see someone actually take the site and make a building. Not just a cookie cutter structure but also a building with character.
   Later, when Rohan had a drop in for his Coxwell Ave House, I was excited to see how he had taken a very difficult site and made another unique building. For those who are not already Rohan fans, check out the website http://www.spacesbyrohan.com and see how innovative a small house can be.
   My wife and I asked Rohan to produce a design for rennovating our tiny frame house. Although we sold that property before we could go ahead with his plan we still regret we could not see it completed but next time…

   Posted by  on  09/07  at  01:18 PM
5. I remember the days before and during the construction of 1292 College. I was one of the other stay at home dads and what I recall - at the drop-in centre, play gym and pool - with the kids voices and playing and laughing - were conversations. With Rohan - with other parents, mostly moms. With the kids. And lots of fun. And occaisionally discussions about materials and space. In fact the first time Rohan and I talked it was about the materials being utilized in the drop-in centre our kids were playing in. Strange how fast this thing called time moves. Buildings move from ideas to reality. Kids grow up incredibly fast. Look forward to seeing the next building. Disclosure: I’m a friend and fan having worked for and with Rohan on many occaisions. And my finances and god/the creator/mother nature/whatever willing, Rohan will be working with me on the property I’ve recently purchased in Hamilton. The goal is to make it into another landmark building… this time marrying 1940’s block style with something uniquely forward looking. - Bob
   
   Posted by Bob Allisat  on  {comment_date format=’%m/%d’}  at  {comment_date format=’%h:%i %A’}
Posted by Bob Allisat  on  09/08  at  01:05 PM

6. Good for you Rohan! For thinking outside all the constrictive boxes that we put up for you, and also for shoving it so far up those architectual uppercrust asses that they can do nothing but praise the creation and the “outlet”. One love! Dondrub

   Posted by Dondrub Wangchuk  on  09/09  at  05:03 PM

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