Set on a forested waterfront property along the Saanich Inlet on Vancouver Island, Openspace Architecture articulates a contemporary West Coast modernism deeply informed by Japanese architectural and landscape principles.
Seven years in the making, the project demonstrates how architecture and landscape can be shaped not as objects imposed on a site, but as systems that bend, adapt, and settle into place over time.
Photography above by Ema Peter.
To minimize disturbance to the existing woodland, the house follows the natural contours of the land, gently curving to preserve mature trees and maintain the site’s inherent character.
“This constraint ultimately shaped both the form and placement of the house,” says Don Gurney, principal of Openspace Architecture.
“From there, the most demanding aspect became the execution—achieving a minimalist, finely detailed design that also met the highest standards of performance in the Pacific Northwest climate.”
The home’s material palette is grounded in western red cedar, Café Canal sandstone, and oversized limestone slabs, selected for their durability and ability to weather gracefully over time.
Together, these materials reinforce a sense of continuity between architecture and landscape.
Walls of glass dissolve the boundary between inside and out, allowing patios, terraces, and covered outdoor rooms to function as true extensions of the interior.
Deep eaves and low-pitched roofs provide shelter from the Pacific Northwest climate while reinforcing a horizontal relationship with the land.
Landscape architecture by Paul Sangha Creative plays a central role in shaping the experience of the site.
Meandering paths, framed forest views, and carefully positioned apertures guide movement between buildings while maintaining visual connections to the coastline beyond.
Planting zones transition from woodland species along the driveway to more formal, sculptural gardens near the residence, before softening again toward the coastal edge with locally adapted wildflower mixes.
This graduated approach allows the cultivated garden to dissolve naturally into the surrounding ecology.
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Japanese garden principles are subtly woven throughout the landscape, particularly through borrowed views, restrained material palettes, and moments of pause and discovery.
A bespoke koi pond anchors one of these moments.
Designed with precise technical requirements for habitat, planting, and water quality, the pond functions as both an ecological feature and a contemplative focal point.
Bridges, decks, and frameless glass guards allow close engagement without interrupting visual continuity, reinforcing the project’s ethos of quiet immersion.
Plants used: Olearia, Ramapo rhododendrons, and Pittosporum
Operating through restraint and long-term thinking, architecture and landscape remain closely aligned, informed by the site’s ecology, topography, and patterns of use.
Rather than asserting a singular reading, the home continues to reveal itself through everyday movement, changing light, and seasonal transformation.
Architecture by: Openspace Architecture (@openspacearchitecture)
Landscape Architecture by: Paul Sangha Creative (@paulsanghacreative)
Builder: M Knight Construction (@mknightconstruction)
Interior Design by: Kristen Totah from Studio K Kitchens
Photography by: Ema Peter (@emaphotographi)
