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= Studio North = Studio North is an interdisciplinary design-build practice in Calgary, Alberta. Founded by Matthew Kennedy and Mark Erickson, the small-scale studio dedicates their work to the craft of building community and is becoming increasingly well-known for their projects in Laneway Housing. Their design philosophy focuses on the concept of creating unique spaces to foster meaningful interactions and experiences to enrich life, while also emphasizing the surrounding landscape to re-connect the user to their sense of place.

History
Founding Principals Matthew Kennedy and Mark Erickson both grew up in Calgary, Alberta and met for the first time in an art class at the University of Calgary. There, they began to work on small-scale projects together. After finishing up their degrees, they both went to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia to pursue a Masters degree in Architecture. For their first project together while in their second year, they designed Camp at Cabot Beach, in Cabot Beach, Prince Edward Island with the help of a few friends. This brought recognition to the students and encouraged them to further their practice. Following architecture school, they began working in Kennedy’s mother’s garage until they made their way into a studio. Later in 2013, they were officially founded as Studio North. The firm’s unique name originates from the concept of understanding orientation and place in relation to the dwelling which one would call home. While un-licensed, the firm continues to work under the direction of a design-build practice, allowing a larger range of involvement in the project from start to finish.

People
The practice has five primary employees, including the two principals. This small-scale firm holds both Matthew Kennedy and Mark Erickson, Creative Director Damon Hayes Couture, Bookeeper and Office Manager Andrea Collins and Construction Manager Fraser MacIver.

Laneway Housing
A Laneway House or Suite is a secondary dwelling, typically residing on the same lot as another traditional street-facing household. These houses develop a versatile, sustainable and accessible alternative to common housing strategies and allow for the use of under-utilized space in dense neighbourhoods. Studio North is one of the pioneering firms of the Laneway Housing movement in Calgary with a multitude of projects being focused around this concept. The inspiration for their work originates from Erickson's time spent in Gambia, West Africa in 2011. While teaching architectural technology at the local university, he learnt of multi-generational dwellings that were common in the community and that were used to bring families closer together in their aging process. Kennedy's architectural thesis on laneway housing in Calgary, completed in 2012, focused on how compact living was a convenient solution for people that cannot afford the rent prices of city centre living. The diversification and densification of urban neighbourhoods through laneway homes or suites allow for a socially rich environment and tends to the concept of the "Missing Middle".

Selected Projects
Since the beginning of Studio North, the Canadian architecture firm has completed a variety of different scaled projects, including furniture, art installations, residential projects in laneway housing and mountainside hotels.


 * Camp at Cabot Beach. Malpeque, Prince Edward Island. Completed 2009.
 * Attic. Ramsey, Calgary. Completed 2013.
 * Homeaway. Albert Park, Calgary. Completed 2015.
 * Garden Loft. Ramsay, Calgary. Completed 2015.


 * Withrow Heritage House. Calgary, Alberta. Completed 2016.

Hillhurst Laneway House. Hillhurst, Calgary. Completed 2016.


 * Withrow Laneway House. Calgary, Alberta. Completed 2017.
 * Bowling Laneway House. Crescent Heights, Calgary. Completed 2017.
 * Bird Hut. Windermere, British Columbia. Completed 2017.
 * YZ House. Kensington, Calgary. Completed 2019.
 * Parlour House. Hillhurst, Calgary. Completed 2019.
 * Townhouses. Calgary, Alberta. Completed 2019.
 * Sidewalk Citizen. Central Memorial Park, Calgary, Alberta. Completed 2019.
 * Monochrom House. Dalhousie, Calgary. Completed 2020.
 * Sawtooth Studio. Calgary, Alberta. Completed unknown.
 * Valley Cabin. Columbia Valley, British Columbia. In progress.
 * Double Gable. Hillhurst, Calgary. In progress.

Camp at Cabot Beach in Malpeque, Prince Edward Island. [2009]
Camp at Cabot Beach was Kennedy and Erickson's first large-scale project together. This project was designed to host children and families affected by chronic illnesses and disabilities while also attending to their needs. Using passive strategies such as daylighting, passive ventilation and simple form, the building creates a comfortable space for its users. This comfort is further ensured with the use of insulation in the southern wall in order to reduce sound transmission from the active rural community and reduce the effects of the summer sun. The linear plan acts as an axis for the campers, orienting and emerging them in the context of the camp once they pass the building.

Withrow Heritage House in Calgary, Alberta. [2016]
Once the two principals began working as a firm, they purchased the Withrow Heritage House. The project was originally built in 1911 and had undergone a multitude of renovations since. Due to the archaeological properties of the building and the fact that it is one of a small number of houses that represent the major economic and development boom at the time, it is considered a community historic resource in Parkdale. The Craftsman style bungalow was renewed in order to showcase its historic qualities while also holding contrast with the contemporary elements added within the design.

Withrow Laneway House in Calgary, Alberta. [2017]
The Withrow Laneway House was the continuation of the two-phased development to the Withrow Heritage House. The landscaping of the site was used in order to emphasize the bridging from the innovation of a new building typology with the laneway house to the renewal of a heritage residence. The new addition was used as a showcase home for future projects and as an example of how  multi-generational living could function in North America. It demonstrates the flexibility and adaptation that is needed with the people's changing needs, in incorporating smaller homes to create dense and diverse neighbourhoods which allow proximity and efficiency. During construction, the design was adapted in order to incorporate repurposed building materials in order to further lessen the footprint of the laneway home.

Awards
Studio North has won a number of regional, national and international awards for excellence in design.


 * Art Directors Club of New York Young Guns 12 winners 2014.
 * Western Living Magazine Designer of the Year Finalist 2016: Arthur Erickson Memorial Award for an Emerging Architect. 2016
 * CHBA - Alberta Awards of Excellence in Housing - Finalist 2016
 * Western Living Magazine Designer of the Year Finalist 2017: Arthur Erickson Memorial Award for an Emerging Architect.
 * TOP 40 UNDER 40 Award Recipients. Avenue Magazine. Nov 2017.
 * Peoples Choice Award Recipient. 2017 Emerging Designer Competition.
 * Archdaily: Best Architecture Drawings of 2017.
 * Mayor's Urban Design Awards 2017. Honourable Mention, Mawson Urban Design Award for The Withrow Laneway House.
 * Western Living Magazine Designer of the Year Finalist 2018: Furniture.
 * Western Living Magazine Designer of the Year Finalist 2018: Arthur Erickson Memorial Award for an Emerging Architect.
 * Edmonton Missing Middle Infill Design Competition winner. The City of Edmonton. 2019.
 * Clapson, Dan. The Ten Best New Restaurants on the Prairies in 2019. The Globe and Mail. December 2019.
 * Western Living Magazine Designer of the Year Winner: Arthur Erickson Memorial Award. Western Living Magazine. Pp 48-52, August, 2019.
 * 'Missing middle' competition winner to mix housing for seniors and children. Edmonton Journal. May, 2019