_{Photograph courtesy of Dave Rempel}

Designed by architect Rohan Walters, the Coxwell house is located at 157 Coxwell Avenue, Toronto. The house is affectionately coined The Lego House due to its resemblance to Lego building block toys.

Being four stories high, 800 square feet in size and with measurements of around 16 x 16 feet, this multi-colored dwelling seems very small in comparison to surrounding properties.

Regardless, it offers the basic necessities of a modern home with a stylish point of view.

_{Photograph Courtesy Of Dave Rempel}

The residence stands on four steel posts, which not only provide structural stability but creates a covered parking spot underneath the floor.

There’s also a 32-foot long bridge which serves as access from the street.

How brilliant is that?

_{Photograph Courtesy Of Dave Rempel}

The interior consists of one bedroom, a 4-piece washroom, and an open concept entertainment space combining the kitchen, dining and living zones.

The washroom and living space have large windows that look into the treetops near the house.

And there’s a rooftop terrace, which would be a great spot to enjoy the urban vista.

_{Photograph Courtesy of Dave Rempel}

The Lego House is an excellent example of affordable eco-friendly architecture, which is unique to this urban locale.

Passive cooling and heating are incorporated into the structure to minimize utility expenses. Radiant heating in the concrete floors is used for winter months and the dwelling’s ‘stack effect’ draws air in at the bottom, pulling it through the building and venting it out through the rooftop to keep airflow constant.

As for the bold exterior colours resemble Lego blocks, Rohan Walters was inspired by the Group of Seven paintings. “In this particular neighbourhood, the confluence of culture and economics gave me the opportunity to be unique. I wanted to introduce into Toronto the notion of colour,” he says. “In our Ontario native landscape, we have colours that were overlooked by many of the European heritage builders. I wanted to reintroduce them on a larger palate, to see if it worked. Somehow it does. When you visit [the house] in sunrise and sunset, and the leaves are changing and falling, it works.”

While the residence’s connection to nature isn’t obvious to most, Walters’ intentions are refreshing. How often do we get to see so many colours on Toronto dwellings? The Coxwell house gives this neighborhood a pop of colour and something interesting to look at.

_{Photograph Courtesy Of Dave Rempel}

With just one bedroom, this house is not family-friendly, but it presents an affordable stylish point of view lacking in urban infill development.

And while not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’, it certainly shakes the tree of creativity, which I applaud.

Check out more by architect Rohan Walters HERE.

See more of Dave Rempel’s photographs by clicking HERE.

Researched and Written by Ulama Hassan, undergraduate student at OCAD University in the Environmental Design program.