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upcoming tour : west vancouver modern home tour 2017

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12th Annual West Coast Modern Home Tour

Saturday July 8, 2017

The West Vancouver Museum’s 12th annual home tour takes place on July 8 from 12 to 4 p.m., followed by a reception at Eagle Harbour Yacht Club from 4 to 6 p.m. The five selected tour homes exhibit architectural features that define the best of West Coast Modernism.

The 1939 Thornton Residence
Situated near picturesque Caulfeild Cove, the Thornton Residence was one of the first modernist houses built in Western Canada. Working with Frank Gardiner, Peter Thornton, who was exposed to British modernism and the work of Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius, designed a simple, unornamented International Style home for his family. With its flat roof, geometric lines, and functional layout, this now-classic two-storey, post-and-beam structure was once considered radical for its time.

The 1950 Neoteric Residence
Neoteric houses by Fred Hollingsworth were designed in the late 1940s and 50s to promote modern living on a variety of sites in newly developed North Shore residential neighbourhoods. This classic post-and-beam Neoteric house displays Hollingsworth’s key design features: an open plan layout under a flat roof with wide eaves, the strategic use of natural lighting, and a large centralized brick fireplace and clerestory windows, which punctuate the roofline.

The 1964 Madrona Residence
This post-and-beam home on a bluff overlooking Howe Sound was designed by the original owner, Philip Collings d’Auvergne, a provincial court judge. The current owner designed and completed extensive renovations in 2011 drawing from his experience working with Carol Moukheiber and Christos Marcopoulos from Studio (n-1) Architects. Alterations included completely reconfiguring the space to open up the house, adding poured concrete floors and new horizontal cedar siding and windows, and incorporating innovative walnut cabinetry and a beautifully restrained palette of modern finishes.

The 1965 Beaton Residence
Surrounded by towering cedars and native foliage, the Beaton Residence sits high atop a steep cliff with views of the ocean below. Designed by Arthur Műdry and immaculately maintained over 50 years, the house Marion and Malcolm Beaton built for their family remains delightfully open and transparent. The interplay of wood, glass, structural lines and surrounding nature embody the ultimate expression of West Coast Modern architecture.

The 2016 Urban Farm
From Gleneagles to Ambleside, architect Robert Burgers and interior designer Marieke Burgers designed and built twelve houses in West Vancouver, each distinctive to its particular site. The Urban Farm, created in collaboration with their son, architect Cedric Burgers, 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.

TICKETING DETAILS
A limited number of tickets are available. To register, please choose one of the following three options and register online at westvancouverrec.ca or by phone at 604-925-7270.
Option 1: visit tour homes by bus and attend the reception (only a few tickets left)
# 31257 │$136.50
Option 2: visit tour homes by driving your own car and attend the reception
# 31260 │$126
Option 3: visit tour homes by driving your own car (reception is not included)
# 31261 │$105
The ticket price includes GST.

west vancouver modern home tour 2016

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another fantastic set of houses was featured at this year’s tour. all were modern yet with lots of history as they all had been renovated throughout their life.


HOUSE DESCRIPTIONS
The 1956 Switzer/Hermanville Residence was built by Henry A. Switzer, who would later gain local fame with his second pink-exterior house on Mathers Street at Taylor Way. Before building that four-wing cantilevered house in the Googie architectural style, Switzer designed a classic 1950s house with some unique features on Sentinel Hill. Original elements of the home include curving, wood-paneled walls, open living spaces and a gourmet kitchen boasting scenic mountain views.

 

The 1958 Dawson/Purdie Residence is by renowned architect Ron Thom, who designed the house to feature traditional wood framing, stud walls and a low pitched roof. Inside the house are distinctly angular forms arranged by a hexagonal grid. The main living area is set high above a rocky knoll to take advantage of stunning ocean views. Renovations by Russell Hollingsworth simplified the divisions of space and introduced a skylight that brightens and animates the interior. Barry Downs designed an entry garden, walls and gateway, making the approach to the house a pleasant experience.

 

Set into sloping bedrock, the three-level 1961 Ray Residence by Daniel White is a fine example of West Coast modern architecture influenced by a Japanese aesthetic. After fifty years, the house had badly deteriorated and needed a great deal of work. Jim Ferguson and Jan Pidhirny, whose previous renovations include Ron Thom’s 1957 Carmichael Residence, took up the challenge over a year ago and have completely transformed the house into a stunning contemporary West Coast modern home.

 

The 1966 Dick/Smith Residence, designed by Barry Downs while he was a partner at Hollingsworth and Downs, embodies sensitive West Coast modern design principles. The house is approached through a mature stand of Douglas firs and has terraced gardens covering the sloped site. Living spaces feel seamlessly connected to the lush landscape and views of nature are carried indoors through strip windows with mitered-glass projections. Cedar woodwork throughout the house adds warmth and texture.

 

One of fourteen waterfront units comprising seven duplexes designed by Russell Hollingsworth in 1988, our fifth home on the tour was recently renovated to showcase the best of West Coast modern style. Featuring expansive views of Burrard Inlet to the south and the mountains to the north, this three-storey home features wood framing, high ceilings and miles of windows to bring the outside in.

From its understated entrance through a leafy-green courtyard, to its elegant, open plan interiors featuring newly-installed custom cabinetry, fixtures, furnishings, and flooring inspired by the textures and colours of the beach nearby, the home’s renovations embody the architect’s original vision for the complex as a perfect confluence of building and site, materials and style.

the houses weren’t as photogenic as other years so I will leave it to the experts this time:

check out hadani ditmar’s wallpaper article here.

check out western living’s article on the dick/smith residence here.

check out western living’s article on the russell hollingsworth duplex here.

west vancouver museum’s facebook photo page has oodles of images from the tour here.

upcoming tour : west vancouver modern house tour 2016

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11th Annual West Coast Modern Home Tour

Saturday July 9, 2016

11tour

it’s bound to be another great tour of modern homes in west vancouver.

check out the details at west vancouver museum webpage.

Option 1: Bus + Reception: $130. Code #1051272
Option 2: Own Car + Reception: $120. Code #1051273
Option 3: Own Car (No Reception):  $ 100. Code #1051274
Register online: westvancouverrec.ca

west vancouver modern home tour 2015

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the 10th annual west coast modern home tour took place this weekend. the feature of this year’s tour was “inside outside living”. the weather did not cooperate but the houses were great to visit nonetheless.

HOUSE DESCRIPTIONS
The 1967 Staples Residence, designed by Bruno Freschi of Erickson Massey Architects, offers both linear and functional design on its steeply sloping site, enhanced by the expressive interplay of wood and glass. Recent renovations by Freschi with Nick Milkovich Architects added 80 square metres of space to the original footprint, along with upgraded interior finishes and landscaping.
The 2014 Hugo Eppich Studio, designed by Nick Milkovich Architects, echoes the forms of the main house, an architectural wonder in its own right (Arthur Erickson, 1988), as well as the surrounding landscape, which includes a majestic natural reflecting pond. The studio’s landscaped roof, dark-coloured glazed frames, and stainless steel cladding contrast the white steel structure of the main house, making it a beautiful addition and a peaceful spot for contemplation. The main floor of Erickson’s Eppich Residence is also open to visit.
The Savics Residence was designed and built by Russell Hollingsworth on the foundation of a home designed and built in the 1950s by his father, Fred Hollingsworth. Renovations took over four years to complete and substantially altered the original structure to accommodate an expansive art collection. A large double-height atrium space connects to outdoor terraces for special functions, and features a monumental totem pole and custom glass staircase designed by internationally renowned glass artist Joel Berman.
The 1953 Barnes Residence, designed by architect CBK Van Norman, is typical of his many ranch houses, as they were then termed, and underwent substantial renovation from 1974-1980 by Michael Barnes. This included the addition of a second floor loft space that has the feel of a tree house, with winter views to the sea.
The 1962 Creek Residence, sited on the forest edge, is a post-and-beam house perched over Cypress Creek, affording floor-to-ceiling views of this ever-changing force of nature. Significant landscape features include a pond, extensive plantings of iris and moss, and a Japanese-style stream that captures the natural spring emanating from the forest above, creating an altogether spectacular site.
BONUS FEATURE
The 1961 Ray Residence by Daniel Evan White is a tri-level, Japanese-inspired house built atop a rugged landscape of stepped and sloping bedrock, with exposed beams and thin soffits that give the impression that the top level of the house is floating above ground. The Ray House is significant for its sensitive and thoughtful integration with the natural environment, a hallmark of West Coast modern style. The house is currently under restoration by its new owners, Jan Pidhirny and Jim Ferguson, whose previous work includes restoration of the Carmichael Residence by Ron Thom.

 

upcoming tour : west vancouver modern home tour 2015

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west vancouver modern home tour 2015

west vancouver museum is hosting their annual tour of west coast modern houses.

the tour takes place july 11th 2015 and will feature five spectacular mid-century and contemporary west coast modern style homes perched on the rocky slopes of west vancouver!

go to : west vancouver museum to read more about this year’s tour.

jump straight to webreg to get your tickets! (as of this writing there were only 63 left for the tour bus+reception option)

this is a tour not to be missed!