Omar Gandhi designs a "light-filled wood cathedral" for Toronto restaurant

Canadian studio Omar Gandhi Architect has created a vaulted-wood interior inside a non-descript brick building for chef Matty Matheson's restaurant in Toronto.

Prime Seafood Palace is located in West Queen West and was a collaborative effort between Omar Gandhi Architect (OGA) and the restaurant's chef, Matheson, who has developed an internet following.

OGA designed a restaurant in the West Queen West neighbourhood of Toronto

The space was imagined as "a light-filled wood cathedral, lining an otherwise inconspicuous existing brick-clad building that blends into the city’s urban fabric," the studio said.

"I think that all of us brought different ideas to the table, but for our design team we wanted the space to be a surprise inside of a fairly unassuming new urban building on a very busy street," Omar Gandhi, principal of OGA, told Dezeen.

The restaurant has vaulted wooden ceilings

The primary entrance to the restaurant is separated from the street by a courtyard next to the adjacent building. The facade of the building – an earlier brick building, similar to many others in that area of Toronto – was painted white.

OGA placed a vaulted wood structure within the brick envelope so that the main dining room of the restaurant nests within. In order to achieve this, the architects suspended the wooden vault from the ceiling.

Natural leather was used for the upholstery

The principal goal was to create a "timeless space, free of trends, with local, natural materials that develop a patina and continue to enrich the restaurant over time," said OGA.

"Designing with wood and light was the starting point for the design," the studio added.

Brass detailing was used throughout the main dining room

The vaulted room hosts the main dining room, where the white maple louvres that make up the ceiling extend over the windows.

Here, OGA upholstered the booths that line the space with natural leather, based on ones used in Matheson's grandfather's restaurant on Prince Edward Island, the Blue Goose.

Above the space, a "wood-clad cloud" runs the length of the peak of the vault and filters natural light from a skylight in the roof of the exterior envelope.

The bar is covered by a wooden canopy

Near the servers' station is an accessible restroom with concrete walls, which has a double-height volume that allows the space to be lit by a skylight above.

In this restroom, a custom concrete sink by Brandon Gore was cast in the shape of Canada's Lake Erie, with a brass marker indicating the location of Matheson's Ontario farm.

The wood extends into the open kitchen

More louvres form the railing that separates the different sections of the main dining room, which feature brass detailing and lamps.

A full bar covered by a cantilevered wood canopy stretches the length of the space, while a passage next to the bar leads into a private dining room.

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At the end of the bar is the elevated slope that leads to an open concept kitchen.

The restaurant also has a secondary dining space in the backroom, which has slightly different detailing – such as a wood-burning stove and wooden walls – that makes it "reminiscent of Ontario's cabin country," according to the designers.

The backroom opens up onto the courtyard

This dining area also has glass doors on one side that lead out into the courtyard.

Throughout the restaurant, OGA worked with Coolican & Company to conceive custom furniture both for the kitchen and the dining space. A standout feature was the inclusion of drawers in the booths that hold the restaurant's custom knife sets.

The custom tables have drawers for steak knives

Omar Gandhi Architects is based in Novia Scotia. Other projects include a home near Lake Ontario with a winding wood staircase as well as a cedar-clad home in Halifax.

The photography is byAdrian Ozimek and Doublespace.

Project credits:

Design team: Omar Gandhi, Stephanie Hosein, Jeff Walker, John Gray Thompson, Chad Jamieson, Lauren
McCrimmon, Kris MacDonald, Liam Thornewell
Restaurant team : Matty Matheson, Gary Quinto, Coulson Armstrong, and Our House Hospitality Company
Physical model: Mary Ma
Structural: Diomis Engineering
Mechanical & electrical: Spline Group
Code : LMDG Building Code Consultants Ltd.
Lighting controls & dimming: OneLX
Custom furniture: Coolican & Company
Millworker (primary) : Canara Woodworking Inc.
Additional millwork: CNC Cung Inc.
Custom concrete sinks: Brandon Gore (Hard Goods)
Custom booth pendants: Concord Custom Lighting
Custom signage: Filo Timo
Art: Darby Milbraith
Specialty paint finish: Handsome Painters
Uniforms: Rosa Rugosa
Contractor: Mazenga Building Group (primary), Bootstrap Design/Build
Manufacturers/Suppliers: Moncer (engineered hardwood flooring), Baro Klaus (selected furniture & specialty lighting), Stone Tile (tile), KOL (fiber cement cladding), Vaughan Electrical Supply (lighting), Nella (equipment), Stovemaster (brick hearth), MBH (Steel/glass doors), Sørensen Leather

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OG House by Omar Gandhi Architect features cedar cladding and oak interiors

The founder of Canadian studio Omar Gandhi Architect has built a brick and cedar-clad home for himself and his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with interiors lined in white oak.

The house for Omar Gandhi, his partner and their son is located in the historic North End of the city, and was built on a disused lot.

OG House was built on a disused lot in Halifax's North End

The building's lower floor was also intended to serve as a studio space for the architecture firm, but it grew too quickly, so is now used as a centre for community projects.

Its form comprises a two-storey, eastern white cedar-clad box atop a ground floor constructed from brickwork. The brick structure is continued as a thin vertical element on the side close to a neighbouring dwelling.

The house comprises a cedar-clad box atop a brick ground floor

Facing the street, slats of cedar are arranged to form a screen across the large windows, to protect the occupants' privacy.

A rounded corner guides visitors to the main entrance at the rear, via a driveway, then a courtyard and stairway paved in the same brick as used for the walls.

A raw steel pill-shaped closet divides the entryway from a community studio space

"The brick podium is composed of one of two natural clay brick tones used in the region – buff, which is predominantly used for ordinary building stock including multi-unit housing in the North End," said the firm.

Inside, a pill-shaped closet clad in raw steel provides a buffer between the studio space and the corridor to the residence upstairs.

White oak panels cover the majority of surfaces on the first-floor living level

Up the first flight, more raw steel forms a nine-foot-tall door that hides a brick and wood-lined powder room.

On this level is the open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, where white oak panels cover the walls and ceiling, and planks form the flooring.

White millwork stretches from the kitchen at the front to the living room at the back

The kitchen is located at the front of the house, partially concealed from view by the cedar slats.

White millwork forms cabinetry and conceals appliances along one wall, and continues into the living space to create additional storage.

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A wooden kitchen island and large dining table each have one rounded end, echoing the pill-shaped feature in the entry, and together span 30 feet (nine metres) in length.

In the living area towards the back, a marble-clad fireplace stack interrupts the white millwork.

Marble surrounds a wood-burning fireplace in the living room

The ceiling here angles gently upwards, before turning almost vertical at the end of the building to create a double-height slither below a skylight.

"Intensive lighting studies and parametric modelling were used to form find the lightwell shape to ensure optimal natural lighting conditions throughout the length of the living space," the studio said.

The living room is lit from above by a double-height lightwell

This lightwell is overlooked by one of two bedrooms on the upper floor, which also contains two bathrooms with full-length skylights and contrasting monochrome colour schemes.

There's also a roof space, which includes a small sitting area and garden on the street side of the house.

A bedroom on the second floor overlooks the lightwell void

Stairwells linking these storeys are lined with more white oak panels, and include custom-designed bronze brackets that support the handrails.

Altogether, the materials used both inside and out of the OG House create a cohesive palette that feels minimal, yet warm and inviting.

Bathrooms feature contrasting monochrome colour schemes

"Upon reaching the end of construction, the cedar-clad facade had already lost much of its vibrancy and faded gently to resemble much of the weathered wood textures of the neighborhood, all while maintaining much of its curious spirit," said the firm.

Omar Gandhi Architect and is well-known for designing private residences across Nova Scotia, although many are in much more rural locations.

The home's cedar cladding has already begun to silver over time

They include a low-lying home on the rugged coastline, a cabin atop a remote bluff, and a hilltop house overlooking Halifax.

The studio, which has offices in Halifax and Toronto, also recently completed an accessible viewpoint at Peggy's Cove lighthouse.

The photography is byEma Peter.

Project credits:

Architect team: Omar Gandhi, Jordan Rice, Jeff Shaw, Jeff Walker, Kelly Cameron, Lauren McCrimmon, John Gray Thomson, Kristi MacDonald, Chad Jamieson, Liam Thornewell, Stephanie Hosein
Contractor: Hewn + Barter, MRB Contracting
Structural: Andrea Doncaster Engineering
Physical model: Chad Jamieson, Omar Gandhi
Natural lighting optimisation study: Lacunae (Roly Hudson)
Specialty steel and stone fabrication: Filo Timo, Urban Handcrafts, Aaline, Nova Tile & Marble
Masonry: Maritime Masonry, Brunswick Stone
Specialty millwork: Brodye Chappell

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Omar Gandhi creates accessible viewpoint at Peggy's Cove lighthouse

Visitors to a lighthouse in Nova Scotia can appreciate the historic structure from a new vantage point designed by Canadian studio Omar Gandhi Architect to be fully accessible.

The firm was asked to improve the infrastructure for tourists that visit Peggy's Cove, a small coastal community on the eastern shore of St Margaret's Bay near Halifax.

Omar Gandhi Architect has improved the infrastructure for visitors to Peggy's Cove

Also known as Peggy's Point, the lighthouse is one of the most photographed in Canada, according to the Nova Scotia tourism board.

Since the landmark is surrounded by barren, rocky coastline, getting within close proximity was difficult for many.

A new viewpoint is elevated above the rocky coastline

This led local developer Develop Nova Scotia to commission Omar Gandhi Architect to upgrade the site's accessibility and facilities, allowing all to enjoy the scenic spot.

"The viewing platform presents an opportunity for everyone to experience the lighthouse and the unique topography from an elevated and protected zone, opening the use of the site up to a much broader audience," the studio said.

Materials for the project were chosen to respect the local vernacular

The result is an elevated platform that extends from the rocky terrain towards the lighthouse, connected to paths that provide an even surface from the parking lot and drop-off area.

"Ramps, tactile indicators and handrails help to make navigating the site less of a challenge," said the studio, adding that seating is provided for those who need to take a break.

Netted guardrails were installed to prevent obstructing views

The wooden viewpoint is carefully positioned to protect visitors from the strong waves that batter the coastline and to take into account the sea-level rise predicted for this region.

It is embedded into the landscape for minimal visual interruption from the village.

Netted guardrails were also chosen to prevent obstructing the best vistas, while solid sections of the perimeter form shields from strong winds.

Lighting helps to guide visitors on gloomy days or when the light fades in the evenings.

The new restroom building has larger corridors and stalls than required by code

A building housing restrooms was designed with larger hallways and stalls than prescribed by building codes, and an adult changing table is included to provide "dignity and respect to all users".

Materials for the project were chosen to respect the local vernacular of quaint fishing shacks. Planks of Eastern white cedar form the decking and wrap around its sides, offering a consistent neutral tone that blends with the surroundings.

The paths provide an even surface of gentle ramps and are equipped with handrails

Omar Gandhi Architect has studios in Toronto and Halifax and is best known for its serene private houses across the province of Nova Scotia.

We rounded up five of the best, which include a tall cabin on Cape Breton and a home organised around boulders at Purcell's Cove.

The photography is byMaxime Brouillet.

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#publicandleisure #all #architecture #canada #viewpoints #omargandhi #novascotia