Canadian design firm McLeod Bovell has created a two-storey dwelling for a sloped site with sea views, with a bright red facade and a rear volume that cantilevers over a swimming pool.
Located in West Vancouver, the Container House was designed for a couple who have three grown children and are eyeing retirement. For the spatial composition, the clients requested a compact and simplified living arrangement.

"They sought spaces that offered the ease of an apartment with the addition of inviting and sizeable covered outdoor areas," said Vancouver-based McLeod Bovell in a project description.
The clients formerly lived in a family home situated on a flat, forested property. For their new dwelling, they chose a steep site that provided the opportunity for a "bright and open house" with views of the city and the Burrard Inlet.
Planning guidelines would have allowed for a three-storey residence. The team decided, however, that two levels were preferable, as they enabled "more generous interior volumes and greater architectural possibility". Two levels also minimised the vertical travel required within the home.

For the relatively slender site, the team conceived a 312-square-metre home consisting of rectilinear volumes, with exterior walls wrapped in grey cement-composite panels in a custom pattern. On the street-facing facade, a wall wrapped in red-painted aluminium gives the home a vibrant presence.

An elevated pathway leads to the front door, ...