WINNER OF A 2015 CANADIAN ARCHITECT AWARD OF MERIT
The family?s sheep are free to wander underneath the raised house for shelter.
ARCHITECT D?Arcy Jones Architecture
LOCATION Agassiz, British Columbia
This low-slung house is located on a 14-acre farm in British Columbia?s Fraser River Valley. The region is not protected with dikes, so bylaws require any new structure?s first floor to be six feet above the existing ground. In addition, an active railway runs parallel to the site. The area is further battered from above, as storms with fierce winds funnel through the valley.
Despite these challenges, the site is naturally stunning, with panoramic views of a hazelnut orchard, Mount Baker, Mount Cheam and hills that cradle thermal hot springs. In fact, the hurdles of the site are transformed into assets in this home for an extended family that runs an organic sheep husbandry. Depending on how one approaches it, the building?s massing is either muscularly hovering above or heavily embedded into the ground, articulating the duality of the temporary and the permanent that characterizes farming in a harsh landscape. Similar to traditional family farm compounds, three generations live under one roof in two adjoining houses. One family member uses a wheelchair, so the creation of a single stair-free plane allows her full access to the house.
Berms cover the north side of the house, sheltering the residents and sheep from the noise of the adjacent railway.
The requirement to build the...