University Endowment Lands: Ravine Home

The Ravine Home has the most illustrious story of any project that our firm has been involved with to date. The tale begins in 1968 when the University Endowment Lands initiated a competition for a residential property that is adjacent to a large ravine with a coho salmon-bearing stream. The architectural team that submitted the most environmentally sensitive design would win the lot as a prize, and would be permitted to build their project. Famed Canadian landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and her husband architect Peter Oberlander teamed up with renowned West Coast Modern architect Barry Downs to design the winning home, which minimized the building footprint by floating it between two footings, creating a bridge as the foundation. Subsequently, Cornelia and Peter built the innovative home and lived here until her passing in 2021. In an interview with Cornelia in 2008, she describes the original design intent for the home, and how it evolved over the years.

This ‘cubist pavilion’ was purchased by a new family and required renovations to ensure its structural integrity. For the landscape design, the intent is to maintain Cornelia’s vision for this unique place, while ensuring its longevity for decades to come.

Cornelia in her home that incorporates the West Coast Modern principle of copious glazing, bringing the outside into the home (photo: Yoshihiro Makino). The sketch is from the original design submission in 1968.

Our analysis depicts a site that has been vacant for a few years, with invasive plants overcoming the tiered gardens in many areas. Hardscaped areas and the pool are in need of revival.

Architect Barry Downs once stated that Cornelia knew “the impact of dramatic understatement.” The concept for the renovation follows the original intent in its fluidity and playfulness, while maintaining an overall simplicity.

Leftover pavers from Cornelia’s Provincial Law Courts (Robson Square) project in 1979 were found and will be used on the site, emulating her original design language. The fencing has a vegetative quality - intended to be structural, yet blend into the environment.

The plant palette is extensive and includes many West Coast natives (shown here selections for the front yard and carport area). A seeded meadow will flourish in the sunnier zones, and the forested areas will have invasives removed with the lush native plants maintained in their natural state.

Various scenes from the 3D model feature renovated areas throughout the site including the dry garden and ornamental plants at the entrance, a sauna perched above the meadow, and a renovated pool deck that will continue to be a focal point for the home’s new family.