West Coast Modern
This West Coast Modern design is my own home that we designed and built in 2004. It was the first time I really started to explore less conventional building materials.
I alway liked the look that more industrial materials, like galvanised metal had when united with wood. Our home is on a wooded lot in a rural community on Pender Island, so I didn’t want it to stand out too much, but at the same time I wanted something original. I think of it as west coast modern though the shape is rather conventional. I added the arched portico to break up the sharp angles to and add an unexpected element. West Coast Modern is a bit subjective and has evolved over the years. In fact, “modern” is not really the correct term when discussing current design, depending on who you ask. The term “Modern” is more correctly applied to a style that began in the 1800’s with the German Bauhaus movement and is referred to as classic modern.
Lots of wood give the exterior warmth against the metal and glass and help it to blend in with the forest and rock outcrops. Most of the wood you see was milled by myself from local trees which was a great experience, but a lot of work. The house is ideally sited with a due south orientation with filtered sun. We get the benefits of passive solar gains in the winter while the trees prevent overheating in the summer.
