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The clients came to us at a pivotal stage in their lives as soon-to-be empty nesters. The evolving needs of a family became the impetus for how we imagined a house that could embody the state of transition at a conceptual and experiential level. We chose the word ‘liminal’ to encapsulate ideas that have informed the design process: namely the feeling of inhabiting a transitory place; orchestrating movement through space; and dwelling in the moments between ‘from’ and ‘to’…
The project site straddles the interstice between a suburban neighbourhood and West Vancouver’s stony seashore. Positioned on an expanded border between land and sea, the building form references the creatures that occupy this interstitial territory, whose physiology has adapted to such challenging conditions. In the same spirit, the house establishes itself in concrete, stained Accoya wood, and aluminum plate—enduring materials that can resist the battering effect of a shore environment. The house embraces a scenographic approach where the house can be understood after having moved through and around it. The language of courtyards, cantilevered volumes, and extension of landscaped surfaces onto floor areas below dismantle boundaries between the house and the natural environment.
A tight suburban context, waterfront location, and length of the site create (potentially) competing demands for openness to nature and privacy. By drawing from life found at the seashore, the house resolves these agendas through a strategy which is both hard/tough and soft/open. The use of concrete walls and the positioning of program not only form a protective shell from the environment, but also create a private refuge for the inhabitants. The placement of courtyards facilities the penetration of light into the deepest parts of the house (which are partially buried within the sloping site), mixing and merging the house and natural environment. This leads to an arrangement without a centre, where the normal reading of interior space is collapsed, transforming the house into an unfolding spatial journey and creating a benign disorientation of the eye and body.
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McLeod Bovell is a collaborative design partnership specializing in complete residential design. Since 2008, our firm has grown to include a group of 17 designers with diverse backgrounds. Our work embraces embedded social, spatial and environmental opportunities as generators for invention.
We work to understand the substantive elements of our client's nature and desires. Sometimes this is articulated, but often what is not said is most important. Through this continuous dialog we establish a framework for design decision-making. Ideas evolve from this investigation rather than out of pre-conceived, prescriptive solutions. Spatial experiences and idiosyncrasies are prioritized. Through this process we hope to create work that conveys feeling, specific character, and is receptive to influences beyond our region.
