The clients came to us at a pivotal stage in their lives as soon-to-be empty nesters. The evolving needs of a family became the impetus for how we imagined a house that could embody the state of transition at a conceptual and experiential level. We chose the word ‘liminal’ to encapsulate ideas that have informed the design process: namely the feeling of inhabiting a transitory place; orchestrating movement through space; and dwelling in the moments between ‘from’ and ‘to’...
The project site straddles the interstice between a suburban neighbourhood and West Vancouver’s stony seashore. Positioned on an expanded border between land and sea, the building form references the creatures that occupy this interstitial territory, whose physiology has adapted to such challenging conditions. In the same spirit, the house establishes itself in concrete, stained Accoya wood, and aluminum plate—enduring materials that can resist the battering effect of a shore environment.
Drawing from our experience negotiating complex topography and tight proximity with neighbours, we have learned to abandon the reading of the project as a series of flat “elevations” which exists from an imaginary or inaccessible viewpoint. Instead, we embrace a scenographic approach where the house can be understood after having moved through and around it. The language of courtyards, cantilevered volumes, and extension of landscaped surfaces onto floor areas below dismantle boundaries between the house and the natural environment.
The changing outdoor atmosphere at the shore not only animates the house, but is in turn animated by the house. Views are framed between solid walls and walls of glass—their images duplicated by a dark pool at the edge of the property and by the glazing of internal courtyards. Reflections and refractions of the outdoors evoke a feeling of being neither here nor there, but somewhere in between.
Liminal House
McLeod Bovell
Silver
Bronze

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Nikita Morell
Founder
at Architects WordShop
Beautiful project that perfectly em...
8
7
8
7
7.5

Andrea Sensoli
Founder and Principal Architect
at Superfuturedesign*
with a great help from the location...
4
9
10
6
7.25

Christian Kirschenmann
Studio Director Workplace
at Ippolito Fleitz Group
I could see myself sitting there an...
6
10
9
5
7.5

Ye Zhang
Founder and Chief Architect
at LZA
7
8.5
8
6
7.38

Nazanin Naeini
Exhibition Designer
at Guggenheim Museum
Such a thoughtful approach to this...
8
8.5
9.5
6
8

Elvira Munoz
Director of Interiors and EMEA Interior Design Practice Leader of Buildings + Places
at Aecom
The distribution, the views, the an...
7.84
8.15
8.23
8.54
8.19

Johan Lingner
Head of Store Design
at H&M
8
8
9
8
8.25

Orlando Marques
Founder and Director
at OMstudio Lighting
6
7
7
7
6.75

Monica Dalla Riva
Senior Vice President design and Customer Experience
at Deutsche Telekom
8
7
8
7
7.5

Maarten Jamin
Founder
at bs;bp
7
9
8
4
7

Jannis Reger
Managing Director
at CECON Buildings
An architecture to fall in love wit...
7
8
9.5
1
6.38

Qiang Yu
Founder
at YuQiang & Partners
7
7
8
7
7.25

Nikita Morell
Founder
at Architects WordShop
6
7
7
7
6.75

Andrea Sensoli
Founder and Principal Architect
at Superfuturedesign*
4
7
6
5
5.5

Christian Kirschenmann
Studio Director Workplace
at Ippolito Fleitz Group
I could see myself sitting there an...
5
8
7
4
6

Jeff Xiong
Retail Space Design Director
at ANTA Sports Products
7
7.8
7.5
7
7.33

Nazanin Naeini
Exhibition Designer
at Guggenheim Museum
Thoughtful use of materials, combin...
7
8
8
6
7.25

Elvira Munoz
Director of Interiors and EMEA Interior Design Practice Leader of Buildings + Places
at Aecom
The choice of materials is simple,...
7.38
7.77
6.84
7.31
7.33

Johan Lingner
Head of Store Design
at H&M
5
8
6
8
6.75

Orlando Marques
Founder and Director
at OMstudio Lighting
6
7
7
7
6.75

Monica Dalla Riva
Senior Vice President design and Customer Experience
at Deutsche Telekom
5
7
7
6
6.25

Maarten Jamin
Founder
at bs;bp
6
8
9
6
7.25

Ye Zhang
Founder and Chief Architect
at LZA
6
7
7
5.5
6.38

Jannis Reger
Managing Director
at CECON Buildings
5
7
8
5
6.25

Qiang Yu
Founder
at YuQiang & Partners
7
8
6
7
7
Location
Designer
Floor area
1016 ㎡
Completion
2022
Finishes
sintered stone
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