On the Rocks by Andrew van Egmond | Designing Landscape
Canada / Built in 2024 /
andrewvanegmond.com
Set on a relatively compact yet striking site, this project occupies a small peninsula extending into the Gorge Waters / Portage Inlet. The residence is perched on a moss-covered rock outcrop, elevated above the tidal waters. Towering Firs stand adjacent to the new architectural extension, while knarly Garry Oaks punctuate the rugged terrain on the property and beyond.
Our design approach began with a desire to clarify and unify the site—removing visual clutter and creating a cohesive landscape language that supports both daily activity and architectural intent. The design subtly enhances the powerful architecture by Splyce Design, while amplifying the sensory experience of the surrounding landscape.
At its core, this is a restoration project. We aimed to reclaim the site’s raw, natural character—suppressed for years by ornamental and overly cultivated garden practices. Highly domesticated plantings were removed to reveal and reintroduce native vegetation. In doing so, we allowed the land’s inherent identity to re-emerge. A restrained planting palette, focused primarily on mosses, reflects this ethos—whether growing freely or shaped into sculptural forms such as the moss dishes on the main patio.
Sightlines were carefully curated to extend through the dwelling and into the broader landscape, framing views and creating visual continuity. Movement through the site becomes a quiet progression—a narrative of spatial moments that gently guide visitors toward the water, deepening their connection to the natural beauty of the Gorge.
Material selection was equally deliberate. All hardscape elements were cast in concrete, chosen to harmonize with the exposed bedrock. This subtle tonal alignment enhances the architecture’s visual clarity and avoids competing with the natural terrain. Materials like dark stone or wood—those that might jar against the rock’s muted hues—were consciously avoided. As a result, built interventions appear to emerge organically from the landscape, yet remain visually distinct—hovering just above the ground and offering a sense of lightness and suspension.
In the larger context of British Columbia, where urban expansion continues to encroach upon the wild, this project seeks to reclaim a piece of that lost wilderness. It offers a model of how design can restore, rather than overwrite, the natural character of a place—returning value not only to the site itself, but to the wider ecological and emotional landscape it inhabits.
• Landscape architecture offices involved in the design of the landscape:
Andrew van Egmond | Designing Landscape
• Architecture offices involved in the design:
Splyce Design
• Other credits:
Nigel Parish (architecture design team);
MDRN Built (General Contractor);
Yorkshire Landscapes inc. (Landscape Contractor);
Photography: Ema Peter, Andrew van Egmond
