Built on a modest infill lot in downtown Thunder Bay, this house makes a simple comment on its context.  The iconic gabled form mimics its neighbours in silhouette.  Its dark palette is a counterpart to the inevitable snow.  Within the small footprint of the house, the stair is used as a device by which to vary the small space, providing perspectives through the house, and a grandeur of verticality unexpected in a building of this size.  Limited space, here, is an asset.