Waterfront homes. Olympic legacy. ›› p4
October 15, 2009
Making the most of the coast West Coast style
architecture
Architecture brings out the beauty of B.C. with design MAGGIE CALLOWAY What do we think of when we say West Coast Style? I think of heavy timbers to represent our abundance of trees, stone to represent our rocky shores and glass, lots of glass, to take advantage of our glorious views. There are many perceptions about just what is our own unique architecture; some call it contemporary and some modern. Let’s agree on West Coast Modernism, but whatever you call it, we all know it when we see it. The modernist movement started on the whole of the West Coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver but, because of the different environments, the development of this “West Coast style in Vancouver had more in common with style fits San Francisco, Portinto the land and Seattle. The environment; abundance of natural materials in these citit does not ies, as opposed to L.A, take away.” created a variation in application. What is it that inspired architects in cities up and down the West Coast, from the middle of the last century to the present day, to design homes in this distinctive style? Was it a rebellion against the design repetitions of the new suburbs or was it inspired by our dramatic geography? A major breakthrough was the development of the post-and-beam construction method. This new method, using weightbearing heavy timbers, allowed architects to design open-plan living areas, plus they were able to incorporate large expanses of glass to take advantage of views. Suddenly amazing possibilities opened up. Building sites that were considered impossible to build on because of the slope or CONTINUED ON P.2
A snowboarder flies through the air on the Cypress Mountain half-pipe at the FIS Snowboard World Cup. Courtesy of VANOC
Own the ultimate 2010 souvenir Millennium Water: Olympic Village and new homes in one TRICIA LESLIE
Award-winning architect and designer Raymond Letkeman at the entrance to Polygon’s Branches in North Vancouver. Letkeman grew up in Vancouver and loves using the West Coast architectural style to enhance new homes with the area’s natural beauty. Rob Newell photo
Bring up the Winter Olympics, and several images usually come to mind: daring snowboarders and ski jumpers flying through the air; fearless luge, skeleton and bobsleigh athletes zooming along icy tracks at breakneck speeds; hockey players facing off on freshly Zambonied ice. And, in the case of the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, new homes come to mind. New homes and the Olympics? That’s the idea at Millennium Water in Vancouver’s southeast False Creek, a new development on the last remaining tract of undeveloped waterfront land near downtown Vancouver. Millennium Water will be home to the Olympic Village during the 2010 Games. Afterward, homebuyers can live, work and play in the master-planned community. CONTINUED ON P.4