Project: Yield House
Architects: Splyce Design
Design: Nigel Parish, Tomas Machnikowski, Nick Macleod, Ewing Choi
Build: Adisa Homes
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Completed: 2021
Area: 5700 ft2
Photo Credits: Ema Peter Photography
Text by Splyce Design
Located in Vancouver’s westside on an east-west oriented site, the Yield House was designed for a family and their desire for hosting multiple family guests throughout the year.
A concrete wall, with a cantilevered stair, is the first in a series of built layers in the landscape that define the pedestrian sequence from the road to the main entry.
Separated by 17 feet in height, the Yield house is perched high above the sidewalk below, removed from awkward street level sight-lines that compromise privacy. A continuous dark band of cementitious panel defines the silhouette of the front elevation, while large glazing panels emphasize a sense of light and levitation of the home. Concealed window frames and reductive detailing allow interior spaces to dissolve into the adjacent landscape and views beyond.
On the main floor, a north-south axis punctuated by windows on either end, marks a subtle rotation in the plan towards the panoramic city, mountain and ocean view, and defines an informal boundary between the spaces. A timber ceiling further articulates this division and brings warmth and texture to the balance of the white palette. Large siding glass doors open to a deck on grade at the rear of the house, enlarging the space and integrating the inside with the out. The main staircase is bathed in a continuous yet ever-changing quality of light from the skylight/roof deck access above and the tall window to the west, framing views of the cedar and fir trees in the distance.
The interior is kept deliberately quiet in its materiality and formal layout. The main social spaces are grouped together as one – kitchen, dining and living, while other supporting spaces are discreet, yet connected – a prep kitchen is accessed by a door disguised as part the kitchen millwork, while the mudroom is tucked conveniently behind the main kitchen. Other informal spaces are intended for retreat and solitude, but not as a total departure from the overall. A home office hides behind the main living room wall, and a library with seating nook, consumes the upper floor stair landing.
