Selected Project

The Living Core: Designing for Resiliency at Home

Top row, left to right: Frances Martin-DiGiuseppe | Architect, OAA | Q4 Architects Inc. (Q4A), David DiGiuseppe | Architect, OAA, Cameron McKay | Junior Designer, Melissa Favas | Junior Designer, Peter Frost | Communications and Marketing Manager
Bottom row:  Jason Sampson | Associate and Project Manager,  Jessica Luk | Intern Architect, Maite Peris | Communications and Marketing Specialist,  Marcelo Graca | Director of Mid and High-Rise Architecture, Paulo Geronimo | Designer, Rendering Specialist

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Project Summary

A simple, radical change. At its heart, our research is rooted in a re-imagination of the traditional built-form of Ontario homes. In its most basic iteration, we wanted to design a residence that offers protection, safety, and resiliency from a tornado or similar climate-related natural disaster. Our project creates a “Living Core”–a fortified boundary within the structure and a safer house.

“The Living Core: Designing for Resiliency at Home,” addresses the urgent need for respectful, future-proof housing in the face of economic and environmental changes. By focusing on small-town Ontario, specifically a case study of Goderich, we reimagine single–and multi-family housing ensuring communities can rebuild rather than relocate.

This core is unobtrusive under normal living conditions but acts as a secure refuge when needed. The rest of the home, the “shell,” provides additional living space that can be easily and more affordably replaced. Essential areas, including high-cost spaces like the kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, and mechanical services, are housed within the core, ensuring vital functions can operate independently of the shell. This duality in design reduces rebuilding costs, helps insurability, prioritizes safety, and creates flexible, livable spaces that adapt to unpredictable situations.

Our project emphasizes social responsibility, protecting the economic and cultural fabric of towns. With resilient housing, we help prevent the abandonment and decline that often follows natural disasters. “The Living Core” is replicable and designed to blend seamlessly into various architectural styles, making it a viable solution for established and cherished communities.