Sometimes called “the city within a park,” Toronto is known for its ravine system–natural river valleys that create urban oases. At the edge of one of these forested pits, Toronto-based Shim-Sutcliffe Architects used an intimate understanding of the terrain to design a single-family residence of Wrightean pavilions clad in weathered steel and green, powder-coated-aluminum panels. “The house and the pool house are part of a journey from the city to this natural area,” says architect Brigitte Shim.

After visitors arrive in the driveway, a long weathered-steel wall to the left and narrow koi pond to the right guide them to the covered entrance canopy. The canopy is partially clad in geometric green panels that screen a bedroom window. (The material palette is one the architects like–they used it on an assisted-living facility for a congregation of nuns, which recently opened in Toronto.)