A bespoke, ultra-modern home for a client with discerning tastes and very specific requirements, this home is built on a reverse walkout lot in an established community with downtown views.
We imagined the home as a two storey building with a more diminutive third floor “loft” that’s set back from the primary façade. The extensive use of natural materials softens the home’s modern lines. A dramatic three-storey vaulted foyer integrates the lower level entrance with primary living spaces above. It’s anchored by a custom panelled tower that conceals a powder room with 16’ ceilings.
As dedicated minimalists, our clients wished to stay away from walls of art, instead using the surrounding landscape as interior adornment. Primary living spaces are therefore surrounded by expanses of glass. The elevated main floor offers street and skyline views while maintaining privacy. Open concept spaces are separated by a central fireplace and elevator core.
The home is built to the highest environmental performance standards, with closed-cell foam insulation and triple-glazed windows throughout. High efficiency HVAC, plumbing and solar-ready electrical systems work with a very tight envelope to minimize operating energy inputs. A back yard yoga studio overlooks a xeriscaped yard that requires no supplementary watering.
What was the brief?
Design a minimalist modern home that took full advantage of skyline views while ensuring privacy for the owners via carefully considered sight lines. Use landscape as art. Facilitate indoor/outdoor living.
What were the key challenges?
- Front walkout means entry is at basement level, dissociated from the balance of the living spaces
- To take advantage of views, the windows must also open up to the street and sidewalk, creating privacy issues.
What were the solutions?
Reverse walkouts present unique architectural challenges. Viewed from the street, a walkout adds a potentially overpowering third storey. On the inside, it’s critical to avoid the feeling that you’re entering the home via the basement. Our solution was to design the front of the home so it feels like a two storey building with a smaller “loft” recessed from the primary façade. Natural materials soften the modern lines.
Our clients wanted a minimalist interior. Rather than wall space for art, they wished to use the surrounding landscape as interior adornment. To achieve this, we wrapped all of the main living spaces with expanses of glass. The main floor is open-concept, with spaces separated by a central fireplace and elevator core. The elevated main floor offers street and skyline views while maintaining privacy. Top quality fixtures and finishes are used throughout. The kitchen features an integrated Top Brewer cappuccino maker. Fully automated and operable by iPhone, it’s the only such unit in residential use in western Canada.
A three-storey foyer at the walkout level draws visitors up into the home. It’s anchored by a full-height panelled tower that encases a coat closet and hidden powder room with 16’ ceilings and full height art glass window. An adjacent elevator provides access to all three floors.
A walkaround fireplace and elevator tower separate living from kitchen spaces in the open concept main floor plan. A lounge overlooks the foyer, featuring a hidden rollway bar cart.
We’ve admitted light and views in creative ways. View corridors are designed to admit framed skyline views, and skylights wash the home in daylight.
The home is built to the highest environmental performance standards, with closed-cell foam insulation and triple-glazed windows throughout. High efficiency HVAC, plumbing and solar-ready electrical systems work with a very tight envelope to minimize energy inputs. A back yard yoga studio overlooks a xeriscaped yard.
Our client wanted a home that was very private but would also be sheathed in large expanses of glass. We used CAD modeling of sight lines to achieve both objectives.
