Horizontal Gravity

Horizontal Gravity is located on a steep lot in West Vancouver. Gravitational forces considered to create the form are openings towards the west for sunset and south for downtown Vancouver views. The minimalistic design approach emphasizes on the beauty of the natural surrounding and gives more opportunity for the residence to enjoy nature. It is only natural to build out of wood in such an environment. Therefore, the structure is a hybrid of Cross laminated timber (CLT) in the upper level and concrete in the lower level. This system allows harnessing CLT’s thermal massing and provides high-quality and energy efficient living spaces. As a functional design strategy, windows are focus points for optimizing sunlight and capturing views. The extra heat gain is balanced by limiting glazing to two sides of the building.