Hawthorne Residence

This project is a renovation to an existing Vancouver Special for the Hawthorne Charitable Foundation; an organization dedicated to providing affordable housing to the Grandview Woodlands community.

The modifications included: underpinning the existing house, replacing a deteriorated retaining wall, landscaping, a building addition, new doors and windows and modest interior upgrades.

The house provides transitional housing for refugee claimants typically originating from southern climates. Functioning as a portal to a new land, the house sports a vibrant painted exterior reminiscent of the sub tropics.

Location:	Vancouver, BC
Completed:	2009
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (project architect) Ana Sandrin
Project Team:	Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. Ennova Structural Engineers Inc. Levelton Consultants (geotechnical) Elisabeth Whitelaw landscape architecture
Photos:	Gabe Daly / Stephanie Robb
Distinction:	Featured home on 2010 Vancouver Special Homes Tour, Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Victory Square

Victory Square was once the historic centre of Vancouver, and has long been the site of the city’s war memorial cenotaph, and the popular annual Remembrance Day ceremony.

The square served as the muster station for men enlisting during WW1, and returning soldiers used the site as a demonstration ground to depict trench warfare in an effort to raise money for widowed families.

Having fallen into neglect in recent years, the Victory Square Lighting Project was part of an overall park refurbishment plan spearheaded by the Friends of Victory Square.

The lighting level in the park is enhanced by soldier-lights at attention (lining a parade circle around the cenotaph), and soldier-lights at ease (lights casually placed throughout the park).

Location:	Vancouver, BC
Client:	Vancouver Park Board
Completed:	2002
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (Project Artist) Bill Pechet
Project Team:	Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. Michael Graham, electrical engineer
Fabricator:	Rebelle Architectural Lighting
Photos:	Gabe Daly / Stephanie Robb
Distinction:	2003, Paul Waterbury Award of Merit for Exterior Lighting

Chumway

 

A selected artists’ call entry for a proposed pedestrian overpass spanning Highway 1 at Tynehead in Surrey. The prominent location of the overpass required that the artist and engineering design team would work collaboratively to produce a showpiece structure. The artwork was required to be memorable, site specific, zero maintenance, and low cost.

In CHUMWAY ubiquitous reflective pavement markers are applied en masse’ to the exterior surface of the bridge in a pattern that evokes the iridescent glint of salmon. A fin-like galvanized steel guardrail furthers the association with fish: their spins and bones. The nearby Tynehead Hatchery raises Coho, Chum and Chinook fry for release into the Serpentine watershed.

(Led by Stephanie Robb for Pechet and Robb art and architecture Ltd.)

Location:	Surrey, BC
Client:	The City of Surrey
Completed:	2009 (un built)
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb Gabe Daly Bill Pechet

False Creek Energy Centre_stacks

The False Creek Energy Centre is an innovative heating plant that produces domestic hot water and space heating for the new Southeast False Creek community. The water is heated by sewage heat recovery, with peak loads met by low-emission natural gas boilers.

It seemed significant that the FCEC would be heating people by transferring existing body heat. We honoured this fact by investing the stacks with a human quality. At the top of each finger-like stack (5-6 stories high) is a fingernail-like LED light fixture, which is activated by the operations of the facility – blue/cool to red/hot. Stacks of glass bead blasted stainless steel.

Location:	Vancouver, BC
Client:	City of Vancouver
Completed:	2009
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (project artist) Matt Hessey Gabe Daly Michael Fugeta Bill Pechet
Project Team:	Sandwell Engineering Inc. Walter Francl Architecture Inc. (building) Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. (stacks) Eckford + Associates landscape architecture
Builder:	West Pro Constructors Group
Photos:	Grunert Imaging / Chris Baber
Links:	vancouver.ca/sustainability/building_neu.htm
Distinction:	2010 Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Medal in Architecture

East 3rd Avenue Residence
 

This project is an extensive renovation to an existing circa 1973 “Vancouver Special”. The renovation primarily made changes to the interior including a new kitchen and bathroom, a new one-bedroom basement suite, and new doors and windows. Part of the floor-plate was removed to create a soaring double height space with access to the rear garden.

Unfortunately we were unable to save the intricate brick façade of the original house; the skillful new black façade treatment and landscape are by the owners.

The house was opened up to the public for the 2011 Vancouver Special Homes Tour sponsored by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

Location:	Vancouver, BC
Completed:	2008
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (project architect) Heidi Nesbitt Andrew McLean
Project Team:	Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. In.Form Engineering Ltd.
Builder:	Quinton Construction Ltd.
Photos:	Martin Knowles Photo Media Stephanie Robb
Distinction:	2011, Vancouver Heritage Foundation Vancouver Special Homes Tour

SweaterLodge

SweaterLodge is an installation selected to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, 2006.

As a comment on our culture of mass consumption, and our love of the great outdoors, the major element of the installation is a giant polarfleece sweater, 18 times human scale. Suspended indoors, an inhabited garment becomes a soft lodge.

The polarfleece fabric is manufactured from recycled plastic beverage bottles.  The installation has fun with the notion of recycling as an act of absolution in a film fantasy of a city overrun by plastic water bottles. The film is activated by pedaling specially modified bicycle /projectors that are placed side by side so cyclists can race.  Who can fill their blue box first?

In the spring of 2011 the Museum of Vancouver remounted the installation with the SweaterLodge:Unlatched exhibition.

Visitors were invited to remove their shoes and sit under the canopy of the big sweater to “levitate”, and later take some fabric home and make something. By sending a photo to the MOV Flickr site the public creations became part of the exhibition.

Location:	Venice, Italy /  Vancouver, BC
Client:	Canada Council for the Arts / MOV
Completed:	2006 / 2011
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (designer) Bill Pechet (designer) Heidi Nesbitt Gabe Daly
Project Team:	Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. Chris Macdonald, curator Greg Bellerby, curator, commisioner Jeremy Gruman, bicycle/projectors Miriam Blume, fundraising Elia Kirby, rigging Global Mechanic, film production
Fabricator:	Linda Chow & team, seamstress
Photos:	Scott Massey/ Gabe Daly / Global Mechanic
Distinctions:	2006, Venice Biennale of Architecture 2011, Museum of Vancouver

11^th Avenue Residence

This project is a renovation to an existing 1908 house.  The original building was in excellent shape despite being converted into a rooming house several decades previously.

As a 4 storey wood structure, the house was subject to stringent fire safety requirements that would have destroyed the architectural integrity of the house.  The solution was to have the building use changed from Multiple Conversion Dwelling to a Single Family Residence with a secondary suite.

The original house was left largely intact.  A small section of wall was removed between the main kitchen and dining room; some woodworking was added.  Otherwise the existing elements of the house, such as doors, windows, hardware, wood trim and paneling, floors etc., were restored to perfect working order.

The residence will be featured in the upcoming Heritage House Tour sponsored by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, June 2, 2013.

Location:	Vancouver, BC
Completed:	2013
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (project architect) Scott Keck
Project Team:	Stephanie Robb Architect Ennova Structural Engineers Inc.
Builder:	Heritage Woodworks
Photos:	Martin Knowles PhotoMedia
Distinction:	2013, featured home on Vancouver Heritage Foundation Heritage House Tour.

Arbour Columbaria at Fraser Cemetery
 

Established in c.1869, Fraser Cemetery is one of the oldest public cemeteries in British Columbia. Typical of many North American burial grounds, this cemetery began to experience a shortage of space for burials in the late 20th century. Three potential pilot projects were identified that could provide interments at a higher density. After a lengthy review the Arbour Columbaria was selected for design development and construction.

The project consists of a renovation to a very modest 300 square foot building housing the cemetery office and lunchroom, a new pedestrian entry, an underground communal ash vault, above ground columbaria for individual and family interments. These columbaria are framed by an arbour structure, planted with wisteria to create an elongated processional path.

In total, there is capacity for 975 new interments in what was previously an 11’ x 160’ wide strip of unused slope at the edge of the cemetery.

Location:	Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, BC
Client:	The City of New Westminster
Completed:	2008
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (project architect) Heidi Nesbitt Andrew McLean Bill Pechet
Project Team:	Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. In.Form Engineering PWL Partnership Landscape Architecture
Photos:	Scott Massey / Stephanie Robb

Lakewood Residence

This project is an extensive renovation to an existing “Vancouver Special” — a generic, low-market house typical to this city. The renovation removed the existing interior walls, creating open living areas with large terrace doors opening to outdoor garden courts. Exposed wood framing and skylights replace what had been cramped dry-walled spaces.

A subsequent building phase has added a 400 sq. ft. accessory building housing a garage and studio and a completed garden.

The Lakewood Residence has often been cited as the precedent for renovating Vancouver Specials; it was been a featured project for open houses sponsored by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation in 2008 and 2010.

Location:	Vancouver, BC
Client:	The Robb Family
Completed:	2001 / 2008
Studio Team:	Stephanie Robb (Project Architect) Herman Kao
Project Team:	Pechet and Robb art and architecture ltd. JM Engineering Ltd. Elisabeth Whitelaw Landscape Architect
Builder:	Murray Wiseman / Jon Franklin
Photos:	Nic Le Houx / Stephanie Robb
Distinction:	2005, Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Innovation Award for Architecture.