Gianluca

Clients are a couple, around 50 years old. They work in Vancouver and seek a holiday cabin in Tofino. They want a modest space, in contact with nature, close to the beach and the town. Both are active and enjoy outdoor sports, like cycling and kayaking. They need a good and accessible storage space. They don`t desire a second bedroom to host people, but are interested in a good-sized living space to guest and entertain other friends that have cabins in the area. A small office space would be ideal too. They desire a minimal aesthetic, modern and spartan. In terms of sustainability, they want to be off the grid As much as possible and seek something durable and with minimal maintenance.

The Waterfalls is a mixed used complex in North false creek, Vancouver. The main philosophy behind the project is that a building must be seen as an integral part of the matrix of the city and needs to present functional features to promote and better the community and the environment. An artificial system of waterfalls and rivers beds promotes the purification of the polluted False Creek, whilst green walls purify the air pollution generated by the Georgia viaducts. Solar panels are used to pump the waterfalls, which in turn power hydro turbines to regain some of the used energy: a closed self sufficient ecosystem. The riverbeds, made of glass panels, allow natural light to enter the mall below, creating a magical atmosphere for the users. On the creek itself, an elevated island is a focal entertainment point for the residents, with amenities like an Olympic pool, a clubhouse, tennis courts and a marina. Two office towers and three residential, one of which dedicated to social housing; a miniature self sustaining city.

A couple of art gallerists with a single child seeks a `blank slate` to live in with their collections. They want ample space to host and organize private viewings, while maintaining privacy and independence for themselves and their son. With the idea in mind of extreme versatility in terms of the possibility of showcasing different art pieces, the overall house needs to be neutral, both in colors and materials. Sustainable solutions in terms of water recycling and temperature control are another staple the couple desires.

Close to one of the main arteries of the city, the complex houses a 33-storey residential tower, the Droplet, a 15-storey office tower, the Wave, and a mall space. All is enclosed in an undulated glass canopy, a transparent ripple that allows the areas below to receive ample natural light. A mixed use segment of the city, where public spaces and private ones harmoniously coexist, providing an important architectural landmark that greets who reaches downtown from the Burrard Bridge

A desert retreat for a couple of artists (a pianist and a painter) and their 2 children, El Pueblito appears dug from the mountainside it resides on. Three floors high, it is defined by a series of angled stucco walls and green roofs, with patio spaces carving their space around. The desire to have all commodities possible but maintaining a low profile and having the building disappear in the surroundings. Circular windows with leaf shutters, like the shutter of a photo camera, allow light to enter the rooms directly from above, creating light beams that remind of a cavernous space. A greenhouse situated right at the center of the property permits to escape the dryness of the desert and immerse oneself in lush vegetation.

A glass building, ephemerous and light, surrounded by the ruins of a past civilization, a new start that respects and enhances the past. The diagonal slanted walls, created by cutting the outer envelope to respect the neighboring exiting buildings, provide dynamic tension that, with the glass surfaces, render this 8-story mixed use building almost imperceptible, alas confined in the modular archways that create a portico on the sidewalks of the site. The creation of a smaller triangular tower, connected to the main building with a glass corridor, allows the creation of a courtyard and an opening for natural light to reach the street, creating a game of shadows with the arched façade that creates a rhythm along the streets, maintaining interest and variety in the cityscape.