Perched on top of a cliff, 140 feet above the water is estate home we nicknamed the “Float Plane House”. The design inspiration was from the legendary story of Angel Falls where a daring pilot parked his plane atop of a Tupui….can you design a house at the edge of a cliff and then get 14 foot decks as well? The idea of the BC iconic floatplane with its struts led to my idea to create structurally thin decks supported by diagonal braces back to the cliff for support – the decks would be like wings!
The next part of the idea was to take a plane of water from the bay and lift it up to the top of the cliff…this became the infinity pool – a psychological transposition of the reflective surface of the sea but arguably more convenient and certainly warmer!
When you enter the courtyard of the house you are unaware of the majesty of the view, the space is contained by the massing of the building (main house, bedroom wing, garage and guesthouse), but as you approach the front door the sound of falling water turns your head and you get a glimpse through the glass bridge to the landscape beyond.
One enters the home you step across the water under an elegant portico and through an oversized door. The interior space is cool and light filled. The geometry of the spaces means that the house and views reveal themselves in stages as you move through – changing aspect and direction.
A glass elevator runs from this level down 2 more floors; a floating structural stair wraps around it as you descend down through the house.
The second level opens up onto a gym and master bedroom suite. The lowest level has a large family room with bar, fireplace and eclipse folding doors that flank onto the pool – pour yourself an icetea and sit with your legs hanging into the water.
The wine cellar at this level is minimally a sheet of glass with bottles attached to the granite face behind.
