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Design Milk has reported on a 7,000-square-foot West Vancouver home by Openspace Architecture, designed for two empty nesters on a site with roots dating to the 1920s. The three-storey residence uses long horizontal forms, extensive glazing and natural materials to frame the surrounding trees and oceanfront setting; technical details include seismic and climate-performance requirements.
Design Milk has reported on a 7,000-square-foot home by Openspace Architecture on a historic site above the West Vancouver oceanfront, describing a three-storey residence whose glass, wood and concrete forms appear to sit among the trees. The report outlines the design and construction choices behind the house, including the effort to meet seismic and Canadian climate-performance demands while keeping its structural assemblies visually slim.
The clients were two empty nesters seeking what the report calls their “forever home.” Eric Pettit, a senior associate at Openspace Architecture, said they wanted a minimalist modern design that engaged with its surroundings while also contrasting with them. The result is arranged in long, horizontal forms across the sloping site, with large expanses of glass framing views and connecting interior spaces to the landscape.
The main floor contains the open-plan living, dining and kitchen areas, with sliding doors opening onto a pool terrace and outdoor dining area. A lower-level primary suite has garden access and sits beside a manufactured stream. The upper floor, which extends out over the main level, contains the other four bedrooms, according to Design Milk.
The report describes board-formed concrete walls, ribbed hemlock ceilings, fumed oak flooring and custom-stained cedar siding and louvers. The concrete’s wood-grain impressions come from plank forms used during pouring. Design Milk says the walls also include rigid-foam thermal breaks; the design team faced the challenge of balancing compact assemblies with seismic requirements and the demands of a high-performance envelope in Canada’s climate.
Design Balances Views and Performance
The project illustrates a practical tension in contemporary residential architecture: large areas of glass and slim structural forms can support a close visual connection to a site, but they must still satisfy structural and energy-performance demands. Pettit told Design Milk that coordinating the design required close work among the architecture team, consultants and trades. The report does not provide engineering results or energy-use figures, so the home’s performance cannot be quantified from the available material.
For readers, the story is also a look at how a new home can respond to a site with an existing history and mature vegetation. Rather than reproducing the farmhouse that once stood there, the architects used transparency, natural materials and framed views to keep the landscape prominent in daily life. The approach is specific to this residence; the report does not establish broader effects on the neighbourhood or make claims about the project’s environmental impact.
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A Century-Old West Vancouver Site
According to Design Milk, the property’s history reaches back to the 1920s, when it belonged to one of West Vancouver’s original land barons. A small farmhouse stood on the site, but the report says it had deteriorated too extensively to preserve. The new residence therefore takes a markedly contemporary form while remaining oriented toward the existing landscape.
The home’s material choices were developed with the site in mind. Pettit said the team drew inspiration for its wood tones from the trees and bark, and varied the custom cedar stain according to expected patterns of light and shadow. The article also describes detailed coordination in the interior: the deep walnut ceiling stain took 35 samples to refine, while ceiling ribs were aligned with features such as lights, speakers and sprinklers.
““It took meticulous coordination and a concentrated effort across our dedicated team of consultants and trades to make sure this all fit programmatically.””
— Eric Pettit, senior associate at Openspace Architecture, as quoted by Design Milk
Project Details Not Yet Reported
The Design Milk account gives no project address, completion date, construction cost or permitting details. It also does not name the engineers or provide technical documentation showing how the house meets seismic standards or the stated climate-performance goals. Those requirements are described as design challenges, but the report does not include measured energy performance or other post-occupancy data.
The article presents the residence through the architects’ design account and photographs credited to Ema Peter. It does not include comments from neighbours, local officials or independent technical reviewers. The source also does not say whether any further reporting, awards or public project documentation are forthcoming.
No Further Milestone Announced
No upcoming project milestone is identified in the source material. Design Milk’s report is a published architecture feature rather than an announcement of a new construction phase or municipal decision. Further clarity on completion timing, costs and technical performance would require additional information from Openspace Architecture, the owners or relevant local records.
For now, the confirmed account is limited to the design and site history described in the report: a three-storey home for two empty nesters, shaped around views and outdoor connections, with materials selected to echo the property’s trees. The project’s longer-term energy use and any effects on the surrounding area remain unreported.
Key Questions
Where is the home?
It is on a historic site above the West Vancouver oceanfront. The Design Milk report does not provide a street address.
Who designed the residence?
Openspace Architecture designed the home. Eric Pettit, a senior associate at the firm, discussed the design with Design Milk.
What makes the house appear to float among the trees?
The report points to its long horizontal forms, extensive glazing and cantilevered upper floor, which frame the trees and surrounding landscape. “Float” is a description of the visual effect, not a claim that the house is physically suspended.
What is known about the former farmhouse?
Design Milk says a small farmhouse stood on the site, which dates to the 1920s, but was too deteriorated to preserve. The report gives no further details about its age or condition.
Has the home’s energy performance been published?
No measured energy-use data appears in the source. The report describes thermal breaks and high-performance envelope demands but does not provide test results or operating figures.
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