Re-Folded House: Where Timber Takes Centerstage

Growing from the client’s brief to reimagine her parents’ home, which was already under construction, Re-Folded House challenges residential design conventions to produce a fresh and thoughtful reading of place. Located in Vancouver, the house was designed by McLeod Bovell Modern Houses.

An almost cinematic vision of space

By consistently reflecting the home’s exterior in its interior, this is architecture that challenges conventional proportions and spatial relationships. Folded walls and hovering floor plates set apart from the walls create flexible thresholds and angled prosceniums that favor a seamless flow between spaces.

This design approach generates an almost cinematic sense of movement, with every corner offering panoramic views, dramatic light effects, and open areas that forgo traditional elements like doors and corridors in favor of continuous spatial interaction between different zones.

Minimalist and sculptural furnishings reveal the design team’s aim to privilege form and spatial perception over conventional decorative elements. This approach both enhances the architectural qualities and offers multiple ways of occupying the rooms, making the house a place in which the experience of space is constantly being redefined.

Landscape as an extension of the home

The choice of materials is deeply linked to the context. Situated on a floodplain in the Fraser River delta, the site is subject to periodic flooding. For this reason, the architects used materials suited to these conditions throughout, including Accoya, a naturally treated timber that resists humidity and continuous water exposure. Its aesthetic and functional qualities are enhanced by letting the wood age naturally so that it develops gray tones, reminiscent of the hemlock trees on the site, and forges a visual link between the house and its surroundings.

This relationship between the built and natural environments extends to the surrounding green spaces, conceived as an organic extension of the nearby wetlands. The design is articulated in folded layers. The first represents the river’s sediment deposits, transformed into paths and functional surfaces. The second is the marsh vegetation and indigenous plants, which integrate into the natural context and reinforce the connection between the wetlands and elevated areas. Finally, the third layer introduces constructed elements, such as boardwalks and benches, that appear to float above the other layers, creating a dialogue between nature and the built environment.

>>> Discover BlackCliff House, another residence designed by McLeod Bovell