SoLo House
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| SoLo House | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Residential |
| Location | Soo Valley, British Columbia |
| Town or city | Squamish-Lillooet C |
| Country | Canada |
| Completed | 2020 |
| Client | Delta Land Development |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 4,090 sq ft (380 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Perkins and Will |
| Developer | Delta Land Development |
| Structural engineer | Glotman Simpson, Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers |
| Website | |
| https://perkinswill.com/project/solo/ | |
The SoLo House is an atypical alpine home designed by architecture firm Perkins and Will for Delta Land Development, a Vancouver-based real estate firm.[1] The 4090 square foot (380 m2) complex is situated on an isolated forested knoll overlooking the Soo Valley on the coast of British Columbia.[2] The main house contains an open living and kitchen space, dining area, bathroom, and master bedroom on the main floor and two additional bedrooms and bathrooms on the loft level.[2] The auxiliary building houses the battery system and hydrogen fuel cell is placed just to the south of the main house.[2]
Perkins and Will expressed that the SoLo House was created as a prototype intended to inform larger projects.[1] It acts as an example of a future way to build for the environment while still maintaining function and aesthetic.[3] Its design demonstrates a sustainable approach to living off-the-grid in a remote environment as it operates without any need for fossil fuels.[4] Low-energy systems, healthy materials, and prefabricated and modular construction methods were implemented to accomplish this efficient and sustainable design.[1]
The SoLo House is built between the traditional territories of the Lil’wat and Squamish First Nations.[1] Development in the region began in the 1970s with secluded settlements to accommodate avid cross-country skiers, naturalists, and outdoor adventurers who actively used the land.[1] Today the popular skiing and hiking area has withstood the effects of disturbance and has regrown into a second-growth forest.[1]
To contribute and support the local economy, the design team stated that all timber that was cleared on the site in Soo Valley to accommodate for the SoLo House build was given back into the local forest industry.[4] In order to minimize further disturbance and damage to the site, the prefabricated home was designed with a light structure that sits about 3 meters above the terrain on stilts, allowing nature and the site to exist beneath it and remain the focus.[5]