Tula House, Canada, Patkau Architects

Patkau Architects releases images of award-winning family dwelling on Quadra Island
Settled quietly on the shores of Quadra Island, British Columbia is a 4,500 sq ft private residence designed by Patkau Architects. Completed in 2012, the single-family dwelling has only just been made publishable to web publications having received multiple industry accolades over the past few years including the Canadian Architect Award of Excellence and the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture.
This exquisite site on the edge of the Pacific Ocean provided a wide breadth of inspiration for Patkau Architects. ‘One site is actually many sites’, the team explains in a design statement, in reference to the variety of rich and luscious foliage, and the driftwood-littered rocky shores of the island.
Tula House wraps along the craggy contours of the coastline with a cantilevered terrace which enables the residents to bask in the natural beauty that surrounds them. The steel-framed wooden decking provides a dramatic contrast with the raw concrete finishes of the walls within the home and concrete floors which halt at the cliff-edge.
Patkau Architects has drawn from the unrefined nature of the site, with low rock walls signalling a gravel approach to the home. The concrete walls of the residence are clad in staggered fibre-cement panels which are black in hue to reduce the visual impact of the man-made form in its forested location. The design studio has also used moss and native ground covers across the roof to ensure continuity within the locale. 
The interior of Tula House speaks repeatedly to the rugged address, with a ledge of moss-covered rock in the bedrooms, far-reaching views across the Pacific Ocean, and the solidity of the concrete floors which reference the cliff-face into which they are set. A sheltered entry courtyard with a simple water feature provides landscaped outdoor space for entertaining and quiet contemplation.

Architects: Patkau Architects.

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