Although the mid-20th century marked the heyday of West Coast Modern, the architectural style continues to evolve today.

“The architectural profession is still addressing similar values and principles that characterize West Coast Modern,” architect John Patkau said.

“Maybe not so much in large condos in downtown Vancouver and surrounding areas, but certainly in smaller scale, low-rise buildings and houses. I think the West Coast Modern values are very informative. There are certain ideas of integration with nature, with the use of natural materials, with certain kinds of spatial organizations that are characteristic of work today that is directly related to work from the period that would be recognized as the strict time frame for West Coast Modern.”

West Coast Modern homes and buildings are marked by sensitivity to the natural surroundings, indoor/outdoor flow, clean lines, the use of natural materials, and expansive windows and skylights. Aficionados of the style and the architecturally curious can get a crash course in West Coast Modernism during West Coast Modern Week .

Presented by West Vancouver Art Museum, the annual celebration is in its 19th year. The week includes opening and closing parties, a talk, a screening/lecture, and tours of architecturally significant homes.

Material Operations, the title of Patkau’s talk at the Polygon Gallery July 9, is based on research into what the Vancouver-based architect calls “unusual applications of materials that are conventionally used in architectural construction. It’s an attempt to find new ways to use these materials to achieve unexpected spatial and formal characteristics. “

He and his firm, Patkau Architects, have been exploring these applications for the last 15 years. As co-founder of Patkau Architects with his wife Patricia Patkau, he has designed the Audain Art Museum, The Polygon Gallery, and Arbour House in Victoria.

In addition to Patkau’s talk, West Coast Modern Week presents the Annual Barry Downs Lecture Series. At Kay Meek Arts Centre July 10, the lecture includes a screening of Beauty Between the Lines, a 2024 documentary about Arthur Erickson. Erickson’s iconic West Coast Modern buildings include the Provincial Law Courts and Museum of Anthropology.

Dr. Jeff Derksen will annotate the screening with a lecture called Architecture of Encounter. The lecture looks at how Erickson “sought to bring together architectural elements from many cultures and to structure his building as spaces of encounter,” according to the West Vancouver Art Museum website.

The highlights of any West Coast Modern Week are the tours, which generally take place in West Vancouver. One of the highest concentrations of the style in the world is found in the district, where the natural surroundings posed unique challenges and opportunities that helped shape local architectural response.

There are walking tours on July 9, 10 and 13. Co-presented with North Shore Heritage, the tours “will discuss the elements and features of the Mid-Century Modern style and examine how the hallmarks of this iconic period were uniquely incorporated into both the interiors and exteriors of our local Mid-Century Modern architecture.”

The 19th Annual West Coast Modern Home Tour on July 12 will offer ticket-holders the chance to visit several homes. These include Taylor Residence, designed by Danial Evan White, 1983; Rayer Residence, designed by Barry Downs and Fred Hollingsworth, 1964; Forrest-Baker Residence, designed by Ron Thom and Dick Mann, 1962; Montiverdi Estates, designed by Arthur Erickson Architects, 1979-1982; and Eastwood-Seth Residence, designed by CBK Van Norman, 1954.

“West Coast Modernism initiated an integration of dwelling and nature that is as meaningful today, and perhaps even more meaningful today, than during its peak,” Patkau said. “It is the epitome of larger values that have developed around sustainability and the interest in the natural environment.”

Visit westvancouverartmuseum.ca for more information.

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Another round of layoffs among Vancouver developers is a sign of the seriousness of the troubles facing residential construction and more layoffs are likely, industry leaders say.

Wesgroup Properties LP said this week that it had to lay off 12 per cent of its workforce across all departments in the face of what CEO Beau Jarvis called “a cost of delivery crisis.”

This round of layoffs comes six weeks after the marketing firm Rennie Group reduced its head office by 31 employees — a quarter of its staff.

These are just the most visible examples of cuts that have been building for months, according to Wendy McNeil, CEO of the Homebuilders Association of Vancouver.

“What we’ve been seeing here is the condo market, the multi-family segment of the industry is in dire straits,” McNeil said.

“For many of the condo builders, sales are not happening and I think Beau has done a really good job of kind of voicing those concerns over the last almost year and a half, being the canary in the coal mine to talk about how this industry is suffering,” McNeil added.

Anne McMullin, CEO of the Urban Development Institute, said Wesgroup has been among the most open, but has been far from alone.

“It’s hard to name names because I don’t want to, you know, undermine individual companies, but we’ve seen layoffs in some of the big companies already,” McMullin said.

McMullin added that the strains at Wesgroup are those hitting the entire industry.

No numbers were included in Jarvis’ announcement, but Wesgroup’s LinkedIn profile indicates the firm employs between 201 and 500 people. Jarvis, in a LinkedIn post, called the layoffs “an absolute last resort.”

“We exhausted every possible avenue to avoid this outcome, including creating efficiencies in our systems and processes, engaging in aggressive cost-reduction measures,” Jarvis wrote.

He said the company even sold significant assets to cover overhead costs.

“This was all in hopes of preserving as many jobs as possible. But despite these efforts, the economic realities left us no choice.”

Wesgroup, whose portfolio includes the huge River District neighbourhood in south Vancouver, said in a statement that it remains fiscally sound, but acknowledged the company has had to delay several projects because the economics “no longer support” them.

Jarvis said projects across the country are being cancelled or put off.

“We are delivering housing at a cost that people cannot afford to purchase.”

McMullin said that reality is evident in rising inventories of finished and unsold condos on the market and a near collapse of presales.

Over the past 12 months, the Urban Development Institute has recorded just 3,400 presales in projects representing 10,700 units in the Lower Mainland. That’s just 35 per cent in a business where developers aim for 80 per cent pre sales within 18 months of launching a project.

“We don’t have any buildings right now hitting 80 per cent, so they’re not going to get their financing,” McMullin said. “So then what? It’s only going to get worse.”

McNeil said layoffs haven’t been visible on the construction side because crews are building the projects that were already under construction when the downturn started. McMullin added that some have likely also transferred to public-sector projects or moved out of province.

Statistics Canada’s latest unemployment report, which showed that B.C. created 13,000 jobs in May, masks what is happening.

B.C.’s unemployment rate remained stable at 6.4 per cent in May. However, the numbers showed some 1,100 job losses in the finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing sector from April to May. Year over year, Statistics Canada counted 2,100 fewer jobs in that category.

“The trades might be busy right now because they’re bringing a lot of the projects that were approved years ago online,” McNeil said. “But once those are done, they will be looking for work. And again, once there’s not enough work to feed this engine, there will be more layoffs happening.”

McMullin said it might take a couple of years for conditions to ease, and renewed her organization’s plea to governments to reconsider costs that have been added to new housing.

“Fees, charges, taxes, requirements, building codes, green initiative policies, setbacks, art fees, the list just goes on and on,” McMullin said. “We’ve got to get costs out of the system.”

depenner@postmedia.com

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“We were standing on the balcony overlooking the existing pool, and told them we felt like this could be in the Mediterranean,” says Joy Chao of an early site visit to her client’s property in White Rock.

JHA Architecture’s husband-and-wife duo, lead architect John Henshaw and lead interior designer Chao, had just returned from a holiday in Italy, and the property’s oceanward slope and shimmery water views felt familiar.

On hearing this, the homeowner lit up. She’d spent some time in the south of France herself and loved the seed of inspiration for her home’s outdoor-space renovation. “The landscape really dictated how we ended up designing this outdoor space,” adds Chao.

The overhaul would be major. The three-acre property backs onto the White Rock waterfront, with edge-to-edge views of Pacific Ocean. But its original pool and landscaping — drab beige, 1990s-timestamped and enclosed-feeling — didn’t live up to the setting.

The homeowner’s prime motivation to renovate was the home’s aging and leaking pool, which she dreamed of enjoying with her family and grandchildren. She knew what she wanted to do with it, too: she told Chao and Henshaw about the infinity-edge pools she’d dipped in at hotels around the world, determined to build something similar here. “She was very inspired by travel,” says Chao.

With that agreed, they embarked on planning, confident they could finish up within six to eight months, in time for summer. But then COVID hit, stalling work and deliveries, and stranding the homeowner overseas, with communication limited mostly to email.

A few months later, they ran into permit issues. What was expected to be a straightforward building permit ballooned into a full development application. “By then, we had already pre-ordered most of the material in anticipation that the permit would only take a few months,” says Chao. Site assessments turned up issues with drainage and soil stability, due to the design age of the property.

The project would ultimately stretch to four-and-a-half years total — an admittedly frustrating timeline, made bearable only by the stunning final result.

Consulting on plant selection with Yong Xu Yu of Point Landscape Studio, JHA nailed the Mediterranean brief. Garden beds carved into manicured lawns feature dense stands of lavender, punctuated by red maples and tight-leafed shrubs. Apple, cherry, pear and other fruit trees dot the landscape, though their harvest mainly feeds wildlife. It’s a welcome trade-off for the proximity to nature, says Chao. Eagles nest in the surrounding evergreens and even drop down to bathe occasionally in the pool. “The view is phenomenal and different almost every day. In the spring, when it’s cool, you see mist coming off the water. [The homeowners] enjoy it tremendously,” she says.

On the west side of the property, a water fountain circled by rockwork patters away softly in front of a hedge-lined cutting garden, planted with seasonally cycling crops of blooms.

Surrounding the new infinity pool and hot tub, tiered concrete patios follow the natural slope of the lands, forming built-in seating zones, while rows of statuesque planters break up the visual expanse.

An alfresco dining pavilion under a glass-topped cedar pergola creates weather-flexible space to entertain, with an outdoor kitchen, barbecue, fireplace and a long dining table positioned to catch the sunset, under soft pendant lighting.

Turquoise Paola Lenti dining chairs add a spot of Mediterranean colour and character, special-ordered by Vancouver luxury furniture retailer Livingspace at the height of COVID shipping delays. “She waited quite a bit to get that beautiful, colourful furniture that she really wanted, taking inspiration from the ocean and water,” says Chao.

Poolside, a row of sculptural Paola Lenti loungers and ceramic side tables carry the modern Mediterranean theme, in front of an outdoor living area with more pops of bright turquoise.

Although she wasn’t ready to undertake a full home renovation at the time, the homeowner decided to include one element of the house as part of this project: the back windows, where seals had started to fail, letting in drafts and moisture. Recent advancements in glass technology allowed for replacement of multiple narrow panes with storey-high seamless curved glass panels — custom-manufactured in Belgium; sourced and installed locally via Summit Glazing — to improve the home’s energy efficiency and widen views.

It was a fitting cap-off for the project, connecting the outdoor design and bringing the view indoors. But Chao’s high point was the spirit of trust and collaboration they fostered. We don’t just design something, hand it over and walk away. It’s always a very collaborative relationship between the designers, the architect, the contractor and the homeowner,” she says.

The approach clearly paid off — the project recently earned a 2025 HAVAN award for Best Outdoor Space, in the $1 million-plus category. And they’re still fine-tuning, working with the homeowner, says Chao: “I think the biggest takeaway is that it’s an ongoing conversation.”

Project design: JHA Architecture

Construction: Teragon Developments & Construction Inc.

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Weekly roundup of three properties that recently sold in Metro Vancouver.

46 West 13th Ave., Vancouver

Type: Two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse

Size: 1,176 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,259,000

Listed for: $1,349,999

Sold for: $1,360,000

Sold on: April 28

Days on market in this listing: Seven

Listing agent: Dimitri Psihas PREC at Stilhavn Real Estate Services

Buyers agent: Leslee Cooper at ReMax Select Properties

The big sell: This two-bedroom townhouse forms part of a four-unit strata in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. Built in 1989, the self-managed complex has upgraded the deck membranes and plumbing, and installed a new roof and chimney. The home has a two-level interior with exposure on three sides of the property ensuring light-filled rooms. A 13-foot-long foyer leads into the residence where the main floor has a conjoined living and dining room, a powder room, and a kitchen with updated countertops, backsplash and cabinets. Upstairs contains both bedrooms (that can accommodate king-sized beds), as well as a four-piece bathroom with skylights, discreet storage solutions, vaulted ceilings, and the icing on the cake — a south-facing 191-square-foot private deck. The home comes with the use of a single carport, and a monthly maintenance fee of $206.61.

516 — 1211 Village Green Way, Squamish

Type: Two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment

Size: 880 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $726,000

Listed for: $789,900

Sold for: $785,000

Sold on: April 4

Days on market in this listing: 13

Listing agent: Zenobia Wilson at Macdonald Realty

Buyers agent: Caylee Gaylard and Adam Chahl PREC at Oakwyn Realty

The big sell: One of the highlights of this fifth-floor condo in downtown Squamish is the view — panoramic vistas of the famed Stawamus Chief, one of North America’s largest granite monoliths and a mecca for hikers and rock climbers alike. This two-bedroom unit forms part of the aptly-named Rockcliff, a six-storey building that was constructed in 2009 near amenities and estuary trails. The south-facing home has laminate floors, a stone-surround gas fireplace, an open kitchen with peninsula and bar seating, separated bedrooms, insuite laundry, and a balcony that can be accessed from the living room as well as from the primary bedroom. A bonus is that the suite comes with two parking stalls in the underground parkade, and the building provides visitor parking and a guest suite. This unit’s monthly maintenance fee is $531.73, and pets and rentals are permitted with restrictions.

4355 Locarno Cres., Vancouver

Type: Two-bedroom, one-bathroom detached

Size: 2,163 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $4,322,600

Listed for: $3,298,000

Sold for: $3,405,000

Sold on: March 31

Days on market in this listing: 128

Listing agent: Bob Bracken at ReMax Real Estate Services

Buyers agent: Amar Manuel PREC at ReMax Select Properties

The big sell: The listing price of this two-bedroom bungalow had undergone a couple of price drops before hitting the sweet spot that generated multiple offers. What contributed to the appeal? A 6,000-square-foot, north-of-Fourth-Avenue lot in Vancouver’s esteemed Point Grey neighbourhood with mountain, city and water views from its elevated position. The property’s 65-foot frontage is currently occupied by a high hedge but behind that is a 1940s two-level bungalow sitting on a prime building lot just steps to the beaches at Jericho and Locarno, parks, transit, and schools. According to listing agent Bob Bracken, a luxury single family home of 3,600 square feet could be built plus a laneway house of 1,500 square feet, or, as allowed under the property’s R1-1 zoning, a more ambitious multi-unit development of six-plus units could be constructed.

These transactions were compiled by Nicola Way of BestHomesBC.com.

Realtors — send your recent sales to nicola@besthomesbc.com

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