Cairn House

The Cairn House site posed a complex set of challenges: a steep north–south slope layered with a secondary east–west grade, strict zoning envelopes, and an exposed street frontage. The clients sought expansive southern views but also privacy from the road. The house is conceived as a composition of offset plates, each shifting in relation to slope and setback. The name Cairn House reflects this stacked strategy — like stones balanced in sequence, each floor plate settles into place as both marker and response to terrain and regulation.

Privacy is supported by a large second-floor deck that projects outward, softening street views while opening the interiors to light and outlook. Wing walls on either side protect from neighboring sightlines. At the rear, a patio carved into the slope extends the main floor into a secluded retreat, distinct from the openness of the front deck. A central skylight slices through the upper plate, carrying daylight into circulation and tying the stacked volumes together. Expansive south glazing captures long views to downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park, balancing privacy with outlook in a suburban context.

The program is organized as a vertical sequence, each plate carrying a distinct role. Service and secondary functions are absorbed into the base, allowing the living level above to remain open and continuous, while bedrooms are lifted for privacy and view. Movement between them is anchored by a central stair and skylight, a lightwell that gives order and orientation as the house ascends. In this way, the stacked volumes establish a vertical order, with everyday life centered at the main level and quieter spaces rising above. The result is a house where stacked plates transform a constrained site into a clear and livable order.