1995-1997

Galiano Island, British Columbia
Canada

This House was designed and built for Todd's parents. The house was set back into the hillside to reduce its mass in the landscape and connect the upper and lower levels of the site. Open living spaces are defined between the enclosed volumes of private rooms and structural elements. The structure, apparent in elevation and section, is made up of filled, reinforced and plastered concrete block shear walls, a hearth of local granite, wood posts, laminated wood beams and rough sawn douglas fir joists and rafters. Wood that we salvaged from an old cabin on the site was used to make wardrobe cabinets for the guest rooms, interior doors and a bridge to the guest bedrooms. The west coast is dark and wet in winter and being a full time residence it was important that the house be bright and airy. Winter's gray light enters from above and from the sides through a lattice of wood and glass. Bouncing off the blond wood surfaces of maple and douglas fir the reflected light has a warm yellow glow giving the impression that the sun is about to break

Layered glass and paper model