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Openspace Architecture designed a 7,000-square-foot, three-story home on a century-old West Vancouver site above the oceanfront. Its horizontal forms, extensive glass and natural materials connect the house to the trees, while the design had to address seismic requirements and the Canadian climate.
A 7,000-square-foot home in West Vancouver, designed by Openspace Architecture, uses cantilevered floors, extensive glazing and a restrained palette of wood and concrete to sit among trees on a site with a history dating to the 1920s. A Design Milk report describes the three-story residence as appearing to float in its wooded setting, while noting that its compact structural assemblies had to meet seismic requirements and the demands of Canada’s climate.
The clients, described as empty nesters planning a long-term home, wanted a modern, minimalist design that would engage with its surroundings while remaining visually distinct from them. The house is arranged in long horizontal forms across the property. Its main floor has an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area framed by floor-to-ceiling glass; sliding doors open onto a pool terrace and outdoor dining area.
The primary bedroom suite occupies a lower level with garden access. A manufactured stream runs past the suite, adding water sounds when the sliding doors are open, according to the report. Four other bedrooms sit on the upper level, which projects outward above the main floor. The project’s combination of slender forms and large expanses of glass presented technical challenges, Design Milk reports, including reconciling thin structural assemblies with seismic requirements and a high-performance building envelope.
Material choices carry through the interior and exterior. Board-formed concrete walls preserve impressions of the wooden planks used to make their forms; the report says they incorporate rigid-foam thermal breaks. CNC-milled ribbed hemlock ceilings, engineered fumed-oak flooring and custom-stained cedar siding and louvers add wood tones selected in relation to the property’s trees and changing light. The report credits photography to Ema Peter.
Designing for a Wooded Coastal Site
The project shows how a contemporary residence can frame a landscape without copying it. Floor-to-ceiling glass and views through the house keep the trees and natural light present indoors, while long horizontal forms and stained cedar respond to the setting. The result is an architectural approach that makes the surrounding property part of the experience of the home, rather than treating it only as a backdrop.
The reported structural and envelope constraints also show the practical work behind the visual effect. Thin assemblies, broad glazing and projecting upper floors had to be coordinated with seismic and climate-performance demands. Those requirements can shape the structure and detailing as much as a client’s aesthetic preferences do. The account does not provide engineering specifications or performance figures, but it identifies the coordination required to bring the design together.
large panoramic glass sliding doors
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A New House on Old Ground
The property has a history extending back roughly a century. According to Design Milk, it belonged in the 1920s to one of West Vancouver’s original land barons and included a small farmhouse. The farmhouse had deteriorated too far to preserve, so the new residence takes a contemporary direction rather than reproducing the earlier building.
Openspace Architecture’s response, as described in the report, centers on transparency, natural materials and framed views. The firm’s senior associate Eric Pettit said the clients wanted modern minimalism that could embrace the environment while contrasting with it. The house’s cedar tones were mixed for the site, with combinations varied for expected light and shadow.
““They were dedicated to a modern minimalist aesthetic that could embrace its environment while standing in stark contrast to it.””
— Eric Pettit, senior associate at Openspace Architecture, as quoted by Design Milk
Project Details Not Reported
The Design Milk account does not give the home’s exact address, completion date, construction cost or measured energy performance. It also does not identify the project’s engineers or provide details of the seismic design, permits or specific envelope testing. The description of the home as appearing to float among the trees is an architectural impression, not a technical claim about its structure.
The report says the former farmhouse was too deteriorated to preserve, but provides no further account of its condition or the site’s ownership history. It also does not give information about the pool, the manufactured stream’s water source or how the property is maintained. Those details cannot be established from the source material.
No Further Milestone Reported
The available source is a design feature, not an announcement of a future construction or planning milestone. It does not state whether the home is still under construction, has recently been completed or will be open to the public. No next project event is identified; further details would depend on information from Openspace Architecture, the owners or local authorities.
For now, the reported development is the publication of a detailed account of the residence’s design, materials and site. Readers seeking confirmation of its construction timeline, technical performance or current status would need additional reporting or direct information from the project team.
Key Questions
Where is the house?
It is described as being in West Vancouver, above the oceanfront. The Design Milk report does not provide an exact address.
Who designed the residence?
Openspace Architecture designed the home. Eric Pettit, a senior associate at the firm, discussed the clients’ goals and the project’s coordination in the report.
What makes the home appear to float among the trees?
The report points to its long horizontal forms, projecting upper level, extensive glazing and wooded setting. “Float” describes the visual impression, not a claim that the house is physically suspended.
What is known about the site’s history?
Design Milk says the property belonged to one of West Vancouver’s original land barons in the 1920s and had a small farmhouse. The farmhouse was too deteriorated to preserve, according to the report.
When was the house completed, and what did it cost?
The source material gives no completion date or construction cost. It also does not report measured energy performance or detailed engineering specifications.
Source: rss
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