Located on the Gulf Islands, in the Georgian Strait of British Columbia, sits Architect Tony Robins’ contemporary masterpiece. Robins has been creating luxury homes in the BC region since 1981. He’s a man of many skills, who puts every one of these talents into his work, designing everything from the home, to furniture, and art.
Needless to say, the detailing in this house is exquisite.
The house, perched on an oceanfront forested hill, is a series of geometric moves in pre-rusted steel. There is a joke in the architectural community that we are in love with the word juxtaposition, and at risk of lending fact to the rumours, this house has that AMAZING use of juxtaposition. Chiefly between the industrial materials and the lush island landscape. The geometry and industrial aesthetic of the steel perfectly balances the natural beauty of the island wilderness. The geometry of the industrial steel, the ridged arrangements of perfect circles, and the use of white, grey and red in the colour palette play counterpoint to its natural environment.
The majority of the building sits on the second story, sheltering two ground floor patios on either side of a centralized entrance leading into the kitchen, living, and dining areas. One of the patios houses the pool and hot tub and can be accessed from the second story via an exterior slide.
A single striking wall segment near the infinity pool looks as though it’s holding up the majority of the floating second story. The supporting columns are underplayed to highlight it and make the volume seem lighter than it is. Robins goes even further when he designed the opposite support in the back, so that the corner that is away from the lake is cantilevered into open air. These subtle moves make the building look like it’s floating. This is despite the fact that it took as many as 23 trucks to bring in the prefab structural modules after completion of the foundations.
The interior of the house is spacious and opens up in the main living area to a double story space over-looking the lake. The material palette is simple, whites/warm greys highlighted with red and orangey-brown wood which matches the colour of the exterior metal and even the colour of the soil in the yard. Everything is expertly tied together making the large house feel like a whole.
There is a perforated panel visible from the living room that sums up the spirit of the building for me: organic un-patterned shapes are punched through steel and throw dappled light on the living room wall. The pattern, although unique, seems oddly familiar, like light through water droplets on glass, or through a canopy of leaves. The perfect marriage between industrial and natural – contrast in union. Now that is great juxtaposition!
To learn more about Architect AA Robins, visit his website: AARobins.com
All photos courtesy of Emma Peter Photography
If you’re in the architectural field and want a laugh, or if you know an architect and want to poke some fun, here’s a list of some other absurdities from your average architect’s vocabulary: 101 Weird Words That Only Architects Use.
Researched and Written by Robin R. Vindum Whitteker, recent graduate of Environmental Design at OCAD University in Toronto
