Canada: Modern Architectures in History - West Coast Modern League

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Canada: Modern Architectures in History

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Hugging the side of this coastal bluff, the Narod

Hugging the side of this coastal bluff, the Narod House steps back with the undulating shoreline. With stunning, unimpeded views of the inlet to take advantage of, Ron Thom set back the walls of the main living area to create an oceanside balcony along the full length of the house. Hovering above the water's edge, one becomes fully immersed in the coastal environment as they walk out to the edge. ⁠
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Narod House, 1974⁠
Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed by Ron Thom⁠
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Link in bio for "PLACES," the League's ongoing survey of significant modern west coast buildings + projects⁠
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#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernhouse #coastmodern #coastmodernarchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturyarchitecture #midcenturyhouse #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #artarchitecture #archilovers #architecturelovers #cantilevered #cantilever #beachhouse #woodhouse #iconichouses #ronthom #ronthomarchitect #vancouver #burrardinlet #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlplaces #wcmlvan

The Narod House perches itself at the edge of a st

The Narod House perches itself at the edge of a steep drop off, hovering over a rocky beach below. The main living areas on the uppermost floor are set at the top of the bank, to meet the street level, opening up to panoramic views of Burrard Inlet, Downtown Vancouver, and the Coastal Mountains. ⁠Ron Thom then stepped the more private areas of the home down the embankment by placing lower floors between large structural knee braces, anchoring the house back to the earth. ⁠
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Narod House, 1974⁠
Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed by Ron Thom⁠
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Link in bio for "PLACES," the League's ongoing survey of significant modern west coast buildings + projects⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernhouse #coastmodern #coastmodernarchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturyarchitecture #midcenturyhouse #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #artarchitecture #archilovers #architecturelovers #cantilevered #cantilever #beachhouse #woodhouse #iconichouses #ronthom #ronthomarchitect #vancouver #burrardinlet #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlplaces #wcmlvan

How do you fit a house onto a sliver of unbuildabl

How do you fit a house onto a sliver of unbuildable land between a steep cliff and the ocean? Make it hover! This is the Narod House, completed in 1974, designed by Ron Thom for close friends. ⁠
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According to Thom, "each house is developed on its own geometrical figure. This is as elementary in architecture as it is in music, and it serves to keep the grammar clear. But this does not explain why the form of each is as it is. ⁠
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Form can only result from one's own idea of the relationship between everything involved. An architect, no less than an artist, should be willing to fly in the face of what is established, and to create not what is acceptable but what will become accepted." [1]⁠
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[1] "Ron Thom Houses in Vancouver," Canadian Architect, vol. 17, March 1962, pp. 39-47. ⁠
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Narod House, 1974⁠
Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed by Ron Thom⁠
⁠
Link in bio for "PLACES," the League's ongoing survey of significant modern west coast buildings + projects⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernhouse #coastmodern #coastmodernarchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturyarchitecture #midcenturyhouse #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #artarchitecture #archilovers #architecturelovers #cantilevered #cantilever #beachhouse #woodhouse #iconichouses #ronthom #ronthomarchitect #vancouver #burrardinlet #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlplaces #wcmlvan

🚨 DEMOLITION ALERT: The McDowell House is nestl

🚨 DEMOLITION ALERT: The McDowell House is nestled into a lush, natural landscape and appears to have been well-maintained in original condition. Lewis post-and-beam homes, like houses of the West Coast Modernist idiom, are designed for living with an intimate connection to nature.⁠
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West Vancouver was among the first municipalities to see houses built in this post-and-beam construction method, an image synonymous with midcentury architecture on the steep, rocky slopes of the North Shore. The flexibility of this structural system also lent itself well to building on what had previously been considered treacherous, unbuildable terrain. As such, this construction method quickly became, and continues to be, part of the lexicon of West Coast Modernism, used in thousands of building across British Columbia to this day. ⁠
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McDowell House, Date Unknown⁠
West Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed and built by Lewis Construction Company⁠
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Support Building, West Vancouver Survey of Significant Architecture⁠
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#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmoderndesign #westcoastmodernhouse #coastmodern #woodhouses #midcenturyarchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturymodernhouse #modernism #modernarchitecture #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #heritagehome #postandbeam #architecture #design #artarchitecture #iconichouses #architecturelovers #archilovers #lewispostandbeam #westvancouver #britishcolumbia #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

🚨 DEMOLITION ALERT: The District of West Vancou

🚨 DEMOLITION ALERT: The District of West Vancouver has received an application for demolition of the McDowell House, a midcentury home designed and built by the Lewis Construction Company. On March 29th, West Vancouver Council approved a 60-day Temporary Protection Order to provide District Staff with time to discuss alternative development options with the owner in exchange for legal protection of the heritage house.⁠
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The McDowell House is an early example of the midcentury post-and-beam construction method. What was, at the time, a simple and inexpensive way to build, this system utilized heavy timber post-and-beam structures, well-suited for the installation of expansive glazing and typically finished with readily available natural materials throughout, to create economical modernist residences that were more accessible to a broader range of homebuilders. The Lewis Construction Company, headed by Bob Lewis, was one of the most prolific midcentury design-build practices on the south coast of British Columbia, and widely celebrated for excellence in modern post-and-beam homes.⁠
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Link in bio for more details⁠
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McDowell House, Date Unknown⁠
West Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed and built by Lewis Construction Company⁠
⁠
Support Building, West Vancouver Survey of Significant Architecture⁠
.⁠
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.⁠
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.⁠
#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmoderndesign #westcoastmodernhouse #coastmodern #woodhouses #midcenturyarchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturymodernhouse #modernism #modernarchitecture #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #heritagehome #postandbeam #architecture #design #artarchitecture #iconichouses #architecturelovers #archilovers #lewispostandbeam #westvancouver #britishcolumbia #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

Like so many homes on the steep slopes of the Grea

Like so many homes on the steep slopes of the Greater Vancouver region, the Gerson House is accessed from the top side of the site. You process down garden steps to the main entry where you enter the home on the main living area with the most prominent views of the city, mountains, and ocean. The most private of spaces are then placed on the lowest level, where Wolfgang Gerson intended to create an intimate connection to nature, particularly for the young children in the household. ⁠
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Gerson House, 1958⁠
West Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed by Wolfgang Gerson⁠
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Link in bio for "PLACES," the League's ongoing survey of significant modern west coast buildings + projects⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #coastmodern #coastmodernism #coastmodernarchitecture #pnwarchitecture #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #architecturelovers #archilovers #woodhouses #westcoastmodernhouses #modernhouses #iconichouses #architecture #design #moderndesign #barrelvaults #artarchitecture #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #wolfganggersonarchitect #westvancouver #britishcolumbia #wcmlplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan⁠

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