One Family Looks to the Stars Every Night

Architect Janna Levitt devised a creative emellishment for a residence in Canada. Photo by: Philip Cheung

Project Don River House Architect LGA Architectural Partners

For one Toronto family, when the sun goes down, the stars come out twice: in the sky and also on their garage door. A perforated pattern depicting the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpio is the masterstroke on an addition by LGA Architectural Partners. The focus was on the outdoors, says firm principal Janna Levitt, who worked with landscape architect Scott Torrance to create a series of garden rooms. Levitt laser-cut the astral pattern into panels of Eternit fiber-cement board; she then installed LED lights behind the surface in a four-inch-deep cavity. The design—a nod to Le Corbusier’s depiction of Orion at the Saint-Pierre de Firminy church in France—acts as a moment of cosmic contemplation for the residents. While lounging in the garden, which is planted with native species, they can glance at the glowing composition and be reminded of the great mysteries of the universe.

Unassuming by day, the exterior glimmers in the evening thanks to punctures that mimic the night sky. Photo by: Philip Cheung