Bloc_10 is a multi-family housing project that strives to re-imagine and re-invent the market-driven condominium. Situated on the site of a former gas station, the developer wanted a modestly priced building designed and constructed within 12 months. The resulting three-storey, 10-unit condominium is modeled after a ‘white-box’ concept: each buyer purchases an unfinished unit with basic plumbing, heating and electrical systems. Buyers can then decide which rooms they would like distributed on each level and finish them to their own taste and budget.

All of the units rise over three levels and most have two balconies. As the apartments ascend, they cross from one side of the building to the other, resulting in ten unique, interlocking layouts. This arrangement provides views to the north and the south, and eight of the apartments have views in three directions. To take advantage of the maximum allowable mass for the development, cantilevered projections expand rooms, create balconies and provide support for the screen of vertical wood slats that wraps the building’s exterior.

The screen provides each homeowner with privacy and shade, filtering surrounding views and creating a buffer against traffic noise. The screen’s sheer texture unifies the façade and gives Bloc_10 a distinctive identity within the neighbourhood.