Eppich I House (Arthur Erickson Architect, 1972)
Photo: Sama Jim Canzian, 2015.

Eppich I House

Arthur Erickson, 1972

Renovations by BattersbyHowat Architects, 2015

Arthur Erickson’s Eppich I House rendered a West Coast post and beam aesthetic in concrete and is one of his most significant residential designs. Forward-thinking clients bought the property to preserve this architectural masterpiece and its surrounding landscape. The home’s enduring relevance and qualitative value is testament to the central notion of sustainability being rooted in good design.

Merrick House (Paul Merrick, 1972).
Photo: Jesse Laver, 2021.

Merrick House

Paul Merrick Architect, 1972
Renovations in the early 1980s, 2011

Built by Paul Merrick as his family home in 1972, the Merrick House sits on a wooded hillside, concealed with forestation. An open-floor plan was cast aside in favour of a complex network of intimate spaces, connected by short flights of stairs. This “Carpenter Gothic” home is the amalgamation of varying influences: Japanese minimalism, medieval architecture, and the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Focal points in the cathedral-like space are a 40-foot stone fireplace and a stained glass window in-situ directly underneath a bed gallery that hovers over the main space. More nuanced details include hand-carved beams inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and floorboards milled from logs on Vancouver Island.

Sturdy/Wardle House (Peter Cardew Architects 1998).
Photo: Jesse Laver, 2021.

Sturdy/Wardle House

Peter Cardew Architects, 1998

Artist Martha Sturdy and her partner, David Wardle, enlisted the help of architect Peter Cardew to design their ocean-side home. The low-profile front conceals a dramatic house in the rear, set at the top of a gently rolling slope that ends with a rocky outcrop that juts into the sea. A synthesis of indoor/outdoor space, the home overlooks the Georgia Straight and Gulf Islands, visible through an 18-by-100-foot section of south-facing windows and sliding doors. Purposely practical and minimalist, this house is made from concrete, steel, and glass, with many industrial features, including its kitchen. The mature garden, full of rhododendrons, azalea, camellia and gunnera, is a study in textures of green.

Burgers House (Robert and Cedric Burgers, Burgers Architecture, Inc., 2017).
Photo: Jesse Laver, 2021.

Burgers House

Robert and Cedric Burgers, Burgers Architecture, Inc., 2017

Architect Robert Burgers and his wife, designer Marieke Burgers, created the Burgers House in collaboration with their son, architect Cedric Burgers. It is the last home they lived in before Robert’s passing in January 2017, and the culmination of the couple’s ideas for living, established over the course of their long careers. The finishes are spare and simple: white drywall, concrete, black anodized window frames and dark floors. The health aspects of modern architecture were overriding concerns for Robert, who believed that the restorative effects of air, light and space on the body and soul were more important than any overt architectural forms.

Eaves House (McLeod Bovell Modern Houses, 2021)
Photo: Ema Peter, 2021.

Eaves House

McLeod Bovell Modern Houses, 2021

The Eaves House exists at the interface between a residential neighbourhood below and an undeveloped forested ravine above. The home is formally comprised of a hovering concrete plinth at the main floor, which sits underneath two broad eaves. The plinth forms a new “ground” in the air, which obscures the garage, road, and adjacent houses below. The two extruded roof masses above similarly serve to edit out the suburban foreground while framing and focusing long-distance water and horizon views. The resulting effect of the structure is serene, private, and at times, cinematic with its floating planes and expansive views.

Bonetti II House (Battersby Howat Architects, 2021)
Rendering courtesy of BattersbyHowat Architects.

Bonetti II House

BattersbyHowat Architects, 2021

Finally, we are pleased to feature briefly the Bonetti II House, designed by BattersbyHowat Architects, which will be included on next year’s in-person tour. Set above a ravine in an established area of West Vancouver, this residence is designed to perch at the very edge of the hillside site, taking advantage of sweeping views and sunset viewing from an intimate covered deck space for lounging and outdoor dining. Once inside, the inverted wood-clad roof form becomes a defining architectural gesture over the modern open plan concept. A hidden and unexpected private courtyard is only accessible through dramatically tall motorized and glazed sliders which also ensures that the main living spaces are bathed in southeast sunlight.