Vancouver Island-based architecture firm dHKa announced a new ownership team this week after more than a two-decade tenure as a top Island firm. Architects Rob Whetter and Glenn Hill have joined Charles Kierulf as partners as former principal and co-founder Peter de Hoog steps away from an ownership role.
Read MoreThe City's community planning and development committee supported a rezoning application to allow for a 24-storey, 109-unit residential condo project at 65 and 77 Chapel St. at a meeting last week.
Read MoreOne of our recent custom homes was featured in the summer 2018 edition of Boulevard Magazine, with some great quotes from architect Glenn Hill. Below is an exert from the article as well as a link to the full piece:
The house itself is truly a work of art with oversize doors, lofty ceiling and views that could definitely ease the strains of daily living. The entire design was centred around the great room, aiming to capture views of the Georgia Straight and the mainland mountains.
Entering the house, you're immediately struck by its openness as light streams in from all directions. The great room has a 14-foot ceiling, while the ceilings in the rest of the house are ten feet.
"The owner wanted a lofty living space," said Glen Hill, of de Hoog and Kierfulf Architects. "We achieved that with the high ceilings and a band of windows, which we placed at the top of the walls, just under the roof line. The windows have minimal transition between the roof plane and the actual glass, and the windows themselves have very little detail. The result is lots of natural light and a unique feeling of the roof floating above the walls."
In total there are 32 lineal feet of eight-foot-high glass windows with three sliding glass doors that run across the dining/living area and den. Beyond the glass are stunning views of the ocean and coastal mountain range. The home is a prime example of client, architecture and builder collaboration.
"It showcases the positive nature of a good team effort and everyone pulling in the same direction," said architect Hill.
The project is designed to provide a “home-like environment” for seniors with complex-care needs and those with dementia, said Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins, vice-chairwoman of the Capital Region Hospital District.
“This new, purpose-built residential facility will become home for residents and their families from across the capital region,” she said at the ceremony. “Not only will the building provide living accommodation for 320 residents, but it will also include daycare programs for seniors who are still able to live at home but need access to other programs to keep them active both mentally and physically.”
Read MoreLyra Residences’ location on Rainbow Hill Lane, just below the crest of Christmas Hill in Saanich, is reminiscent of an address from a storybook. But the eight-storey development is very real, with building already underway and completion scheduled for 2018.
“You might call Christmas Hill the geographic centre of Greater Victoria. It’s equally distant from most of the areas on the peninsula, so it’s a very central location,” says project architect Peter de Hoog, principal at de Hoog & Kierulf Architects.
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