Kerchum Residence by Frits de Vries Architect
- By Ina
- Architecture
Frits de Vries Architect Ltd. designed the Kerchum Residence that is located in the Dunbar neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It received the LEED Platinum home certified by LEED for Homes and 2011 RAIC Award of Excellence for Green Building.
The house was designed for a single, growing family that asked for a flexible plan with large inside and outside entertaining spaces that will still keep the sense of domestic intimacy for the young couple. The whole site is in a cohesive relation, the interior is bounded with the exterior through multiple outdoor patios and gardens.
A central stair lit from above by skylight connects the two parts of the house, the two and the three stories one. In the living and dining room on south the windows have horizontal wood fins and define the private realm from the street. Along the length of the main living there is a narrow skylight that provides soft light. The connection with the patio and the garden is made on the north side by the large glass sliding doors.
The house is oriented as it can use maximum solar energy in the winter and in the same time it is easy to control it in the summer. The heating / cooling system includes air to water heat pump, heat recovery, and in-floor radiant heat. The garden on the roof is a binder element between the house and the outside space and it also reduce heat reflectance and rainwater runoff.
