ALL PHOTOS BY JO-ANN RICHARDS, WORKS PHOTOGRAPHYThe Associated Press
In a city better known for grand old houses that make for perfect bed and breakfasts, there is a growing appreciation for modernist housing.
"It's surprising that people don't understand that there was a very strong modernist movement in Victoria," says heritage consultant Donald Luxton, who has been documenting Victoria's modernist houses since 2006. "There is lots of it."
Because of the city's long-standing efforts at heritage preservation, Victoria has some of the best examples of modernist housing in North America, says Mr. Luxton.
And the style has made enough of a comeback that new examples of modernist houses are emerging in neighbourhoods better known for arts and crafts mansions.
"Modernist stuff is coming back in a big way, it's the hottest thing," says Mr. Luxton. "As with anything, if it hangs on long enough, people will like the style again."
Architects Peter de Hoog and Charles Kierulf most often work on commercial projects, such as the upcoming redevelopment of the Royal B.C. Museum. But the partners have recently been taking advantage of the new demand in Victoria for modernist homes.
"Essentially there aren't many people in Victoria doing nice modernist houses, so that's a niche we have been able to fill," says Mr. de Hoog. "It's not that it hasn't happened in the past. Around the city there are some incredible Moderne or Art deco style houses."
De Hoog & Kierulf's latest homage to the style is what they call the Gonzales Beach House, a major project that took two years to build on the side of a sloping property overlooking the popular beach. With its flat roof, natural materials and generous use of glass and light, the house exemplifies the modernist movement, but with more contemporary textures.
Although the neighbours might not have appreciated the lengthy time it took for construction, at least one neighbour was grateful for the design.
"When the neighbour across the street realized it was going to be a flat roofed house, he said 'thank you, thank you,' because he was able to maintain his view over the house to the water," says Mr. Kierulf. "Had it been a big peaked roof arts and crafts house, he would have lost that view."
Victoria's love of modernist housing goes back 60 years. The movement took hold after World War II, when there was a population boom that resulted in the building of new subdivisions. The new younger residents were more open to the contemporary architecture of the time, and there was an emerging new crop of architects ready to supply it. What has become known as the West Coast Style developed in the 50s and 60s, identified by modular post-and-beam structures with sloped or flat roofs, lots of windows and light, and exposed materials like stone, wood and slate. The look borrowed from the style of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and showed up in the work of B.C. architects such as Arthur Erickson, Ron Thom, John Di Castri, John Wade, and Sharp & Thompson, Berwick, Pratt.
Although threatened by new development, many of the stellar examples of modernist houses and commercial buildings have survived and are being appreciated again.
"A lot of those 50s and early 60s houses are being maintained or renovated. Not all renovations are sympathetic to the originals. But they are generally being kept up," says Mr. Kierulf.
The 4,267 sq. ft. Gonzales Beach House is all glass, concrete and cedar, built into a hill on a narrow lot. Because of the lot's narrow width, the garage had to be built facing the street. As a result, the master bedroom is above the garage, and the whole structure is as much of a feature as the rest of the house, with a roof that appears to float because of the band of glass that runs under it.
"Access to the house is off to the side as opposed to the street, so you get a glimpse of the view as you go into the entrance, and then you get a very dramatic exposure to water and mountains. It's a very nice element of unfolding view and surprise," says Mr. de Hoog.
They say that while the style of the house is similar to something by legendary architect Erickson, theirs differs slightly because of its more polished texture.
"There was more rough wood use than the finely finished wood we use today," says Mr. de Hoog. "Conceptually, it's not that much different, but the finish level is different."
The homeowners, who prefer to remain anonymous, chose a modern style that would combine the indoor with the outdoor, and use natural local materials such as marble from a local quarry and wood from Vancouver Island.
The architects weren't at liberty to reveal the budget to build the house, but Mr. de Hoog said it cost "in the millions."
Today's custom built modern houses are big budget because of their uniqueness and the quality of construction and materials.
"There's no money in cookie cutter," says Mr. de Hoog. "You may as well go hang out on a beach. You could never charge what it takes to do those kinds of houses. The house has to get to a certain scale in terms of its value. Otherwise, we can't compete.
"For us, if a house isn't about $1 million in construction costs, it's hard to look at it. It takes a lot of work. If someone wants a $350,000 house, that's a developer house. We can't compete with the guys who are cranking those things out."