HC: What’s your background in this area?
Mark: I originally studied architecture in Halifax, and the buildings in that city made me really interested in heritage buildings – their story, how they were constructed, and how building methods have evolved over the decades.
HC: What inspired you to do this work?
Mark: I was excited to work on a heritage house, and in turn this project has helped to define our practice at Studio North. We were able to give new life to a heritage home, and also create a laneway house that lives out our vision of what that can be in a city like Calgary.
HC: Why is sharing stories about heritage important to you?
Mark: Heritage houses are so interesting and important because they have been built through time. The walls have different chapters. By peeling back the layers, we get to see how our building trades and styles have evolved over the years, and you’re always able to learn something new.
Discovering heritage allows us to look back so we can reflect on our future; it provides us a foundation we can rely on to make good design decisions.
We can also learn about craftsmanship and how things were built in the past and compare them to how we build today. The layers of a heritage home show a lineage of design evolution.