SHALKAI HOUSE
Gulf Islands, B.C. : 2006
2500 square feet
Shalkai is designed as a retreat and meditation environment for its owners. The plan is like a path on a level contour across the hillside, moving dynamically from social rooms to private ones as the rafters rise and fall to create the gentle undulating form of the roof. The site is a beautiful and peaceful south facing oak meadow high above the Harbour.

RIDGE HOUSE
Gulf Islands, BC : 2007
3200 square feet
Balanced on the spine of a rocky ridge, the linear house threads through a grove of arbutus. As you move through the house, the exposed rafters gradually invert into a butterfly roof opening to bring light and views into the main social areas.

A new house under construction in the Eagle Harbour neighbourhood of West Vancouver, BC. This one is going to be stunning when it’s finished. It’s already amazing to see the post and beam work and large windows that overlook the ocean.

Designed by Helliwell & Smith Architects
Helliwell and Smith are the inheritors of the organic tradition of modernism. They have been deeply involved with the ecology and topography of southern British Columbia and its interweave of sea, forest, and rock. At the same time, they have always been open …