Completed in 2013 by Splyce Design, East Van House is a residential project located on an atypical 50′ x 75′ lot with no lane access that backs onto a schoolyard in Vancouver. It is a modern house with 2300 ft2 in size, sits in an eclectic and colorful neighborhood with streetscapes. Dynamic plays of light and shadow come from the simple interior palette of materials and white walls inside the house.
Design
The streetscapes of the neighborhood can reflect community diversity and also its inhabitants. This modern house is designed with a dominant asymmetrical geometry, complying with the area’s prescriptive zoning requirements and providing space for the tall, main stair volume. This volume rises 26 feet from floor to the ceiling.
Structure
Skylights are located in order to avoid views to either neighbor, allowing warm natural light to come into the house northern part. On this side facing the street, windows are small to ensure privacy. At the widened main floor stair landing, a low window is calibrated one in the library can have awesome views out.
Rooms
This house includes room to grow on the upper floor where there is an open office that planned for easy conversion to a third bedroom and roughed-in for a bathroom. The main floor of the house is bisected to west from east with a fireplace and a continuous line of steps, separating the dining and kitchen from the living area.
A wall of sliding glass doors extends the space onto the garden and deck to the south, removing any division between exterior and interior. In the master bathroom, the sliding glass doors extend the tub space and shower onto a private, cedar-screened deck to enhance the spa-like experience.
Interior
Inside the house, dynamic plays of light and shadow are allowed thanks to the simple interior palette of materials and white walls. These plays throughout the day, becoming continual sources of inspiration and comfort for the client of the project.
East Van House Gallery
Photographer: Ivan Hunter