integral house by brigitte shim & howard sutcliffe of shim sutcliffe rosedale, toronto, canada.
math professor dr. james stewart, who is also a former violinist, has made millions writing calculus textbooks. when he decided to spend most of his fortune on a residence, he chose the then relatively unknown architects brigitte shim & howard sutcliffe to create his residence.
stewart wanted not only a residence but also a private concert hall and lots of curves. other than that, he gave the architects unprecedented freedom - no schedule & no design restrictions.
$24 million dollars and a decade later, the 18,000 square foot integral house was completed. the house includes a 150 seat concert hall (where dr. stewart now gives concerts) as well as a fantastic staircase created in collaboration with glass artist mimi gellman & structural engineer david bowick. it is constructed of hand-blown blue glass rectangles that are supported by cast bronze clips & stainless steel cables.