Conceived as a small annex to the main residence, this "pocket house" designed by Weiss A+U in Toronto primarily responds to the need to preserve a large maple tree located in the southeast corner of the property and its root system.
Thus the entire apartment, already minimal in the space configuration, is elevated above the ground level and supported by a red-painted steel system consisting of a single V-shaped column on which rests a massive beam the length of the entire living volume.

The latter is cladded in shiny corrugated galvalume, creating a strong contrast with the cedar planks that characterize the small loggia carved out on the second floor, as well as the lower part of the volume that acts as a roof for the parking space.
The presence of the small staircase leading to the apartment is immediately revealed by the design of the exterior form of the house, which almost seems to want to reproduce the image of a tree house, despite the fact that the designers claim to have been inspired by the lunar modules of the Apollo era.

The interiors are also designed with great essentiality, with the few notes of color of the green of the front door, and the blue of the bedroom, dialoguing with the red of the beam and pillar outside.
The cutouts of the windows frame horizontal and vertical glimpses of the landscape outside, showing the perennial and almost looming presence of the adjacent maple tree.

Already pragmatic in appearance, the Pocket Laneway House also exceeds the required energy efficiency criteria, and the parking space configuration also provides the opportunity and space to recharge an electric car.