Liminal House
2022
West Vanouver
10,940 ft2
West Vanouver
10,940 ft2
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 residential neighbourhood and West Vancouver’s natural 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.
Drawing from our experience negotiating complex topography and tight proximity with neighbours, we have learned to abandon the reading of the project as a series of flat “elevations” which exists from an imaginary or inaccessible viewpoint. Instead, we embrace 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.
The changing outdoor atmosphere at the shore not only animates the house, but is in turn animated by the house: views are framed between solid walls and walls of glass; their images duplicated by a dark pool at the edge of the property and by the glazing of internal courtyards. Reflections and refractions of the outdoors evoke a feeling of being neither here nor there, but somewhere in between.
The project site straddles the interstice between a suburban residential neighbourhood and West Vancouver’s natural 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.
Drawing from our experience negotiating complex topography and tight proximity with neighbours, we have learned to abandon the reading of the project as a series of flat “elevations” which exists from an imaginary or inaccessible viewpoint. Instead, we embrace 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.
The changing outdoor atmosphere at the shore not only animates the house, but is in turn animated by the house: views are framed between solid walls and walls of glass; their images duplicated by a dark pool at the edge of the property and by the glazing of internal courtyards. Reflections and refractions of the outdoors evoke a feeling of being neither here nor there, but somewhere in between.
PROJECT TEAM — Matt Mcleod, Lisa Bovell, Daan Murray, Pooya Sanjari & Daniel Ching
BUILDER — Hart Tipton Construction
PHOTOGRAPHY — Hufton + Crow
BUILDER — Hart Tipton Construction
PHOTOGRAPHY — Hufton + Crow
BASEMENT
01 — Car Storage
02 — Office
03 — Rec Room
04 — Laundry Room
05 — Spa Bathroom / Sauna
06 — Guest Room
07 — Lightwell to Basement
08 — Covered Terrace
09 — Pool Storage
10 — Spa
11 — Beach Stairs
12 — Lower Garden
13 — Pool Stairs
02 — Office
03 — Rec Room
04 — Laundry Room
05 — Spa Bathroom / Sauna
06 — Guest Room
07 — Lightwell to Basement
08 — Covered Terrace
09 — Pool Storage
10 — Spa
11 — Beach Stairs
12 — Lower Garden
13 — Pool Stairs
MAIN FLOOR
01 — Autocourt
02 — Garage
03 — Mudroom
04 — Washroom / Laundry
05 — Courtyard Garden
06 — Entry
07 — Lightwell to Basement
08 — Desk
09 — Kitchen / Dining
10 — Living Room
11 — Powder Room
12 — Covered Terrace
13 — Pool
02 — Garage
03 — Mudroom
04 — Washroom / Laundry
05 — Courtyard Garden
06 — Entry
07 — Lightwell to Basement
08 — Desk
09 — Kitchen / Dining
10 — Living Room
11 — Powder Room
12 — Covered Terrace
13 — Pool
UPPER FLOOR
01 — Upper Garden
02 — Guest Suite Terrace
03 — Lightwell to Autocourt
04 — Guest Suite
05 — Child’s bedroom with Ensuite
06 — Child’s bedroom with Ensuite
07 — Lightwell to Basement
08 — Primary Bedroom
09 — Primary Ensuite
10 — Walk In Closet
02 — Guest Suite Terrace
03 — Lightwell to Autocourt
04 — Guest Suite
05 — Child’s bedroom with Ensuite
06 — Child’s bedroom with Ensuite
07 — Lightwell to Basement
08 — Primary Bedroom
09 — Primary Ensuite
10 — Walk In Closet
SECTION
FACING WEST
FACING WEST
01 — Primary Bedroom
02 — Child’s bedroom
03 — Child’s bedroom
04 — Ensuite
05 — Upper Level Entry
06 — Terrace
07 — Dining Area
08 — Staircase
09 — Entry Courtyard
10 — Autocourt
11 — Garage
12 — Game Area
13 — Laundry
02 — Child’s bedroom
03 — Child’s bedroom
04 — Ensuite
05 — Upper Level Entry
06 — Terrace
07 — Dining Area
08 — Staircase
09 — Entry Courtyard
10 — Autocourt
11 — Garage
12 — Game Area
13 — Laundry
SECTION
FACING SOUTH
FACING SOUTH
01 — Child’s Bedroom
02 — Vegetated Roof
03 — Lightwell
04 — Entry Courtyard
05 — Hallway
02 — Vegetated Roof
03 — Lightwell
04 — Entry Courtyard
05 — Hallway