BEATRICE STRATA RESIDENCES (Riverview)

Beatrice Street, Vancouver, 1994

"RIVERS flow not past,
but through us."
             ~  John Muir
         

The Beatrice Street project addresses  challenges in affordable housing. The homes are located in the Fraserlands neighbourhood —Vancouver's historic river district. The zoning of the area allows for two strata title single family houses on one lot —a  principal house with 60% of the permitted floor space ratio (FSR) and a second smaller house with 40% of the FSR.

The Beatrice Street design is reminiscent of the neighbourhood scale homes found in the area. Each has been carefully planned and designed to take full advantage of the sloping site and views toward the Fraser River,  to maximize privacy for each home while still relating to the local street and community. 

The homes have a similiar form (gables facing the main street with front verandahs).  The overall massing of the secondary residence is designed to be compatible with the primary residence. References to buildings in the area include: covered verandahs, sharply sloping roof, bay windows, wood trim boards.  Exterior cladding is cedar siding. A large sloping roof with the main gable facing the main street is a dominant architectural feature.

The project won Georgie and Western Living awards for its innovatiove approach in providing compatible higher density housing in single family neighbourhoods.