The Edge House in Vancouver, BC home design, Canadian residential building images

The Edge House in Vancouver

Contemporary Property on North Shore Mountains, BC design by Vallely Architecture, Canada

Design: Vallely Architecture

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Edge House, North Shore Mountains

Photos: Ema Peter

7 Jan 2019

The Edge House Vancouver

Situated on the south facing slopes of Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, the Edge House pays homage to the tenets of modern architecture while incorporating distinctly regional elements of exposed wood and timber to create a clean, contemporary West Coast esthetic.

The two-level home displays a modest footprint to the surrounding neighborhood and is laid out on a simple open plan principle with the key day-to-day activity areas of kitchen, living and dining nestled around a dynamic open stair that uses wood verticals to carry the eye upwards to the second floor.

The ceiling of the main floor living room is composed of exposed 5″x12″ stained Douglas Fir glulam beams that extend outward to create a covered patio deck. Large panes of floor-to-ceiling glass to the south allow for a seamless integration between the interior and exterior space.

A large single sloped metal roof extends across half of the upper floor and returns vertically downwards to create a distinctive edge that was the inspiration for the name of the home. A large window runs the full width of the stair on the second level and allows light to enter deep into the center of the home.

All millwork and floors use oak as a finish and have been stained with a clear finish to best capture the beauty of the wood. Exterior siding of the home uses clear stained cedar channel siding and creates a warm expression indicative of a west coast contemporary look.

Because of the high water table in the neighbourhood the Edge House forgoes a basement level. The main floor is 1,823 sf in area with an additional 510sf double garage. The second floor level is 1,098 sf and faces out onto a 396 sf roof deck

The Edge House represents a regional adaptation to a modern esthetic that allows it to straddle the seemingly incongruous worlds of a big city metropolis and rugged mountain landscape.