structures organized around a central garden. In 2018, the new owners asked Florian to design a small addition to serve as a multipurpose space and private art gallery. “The owners came tous and said ‘We know that Florian designed the home, and we were wondering if he’d be interested in being involved again,’” Austin recalls. “Sure enough, he was. He thought that if anyone was going to influence this building, it was going to be him. He was very eager to be involved.” The new owners request was “tricky,” however, as Florian never planned for the home to be expanded, and the site was challenging – the dwelling had little room to grow because it sat at the edge of a rocky slope overlooking Okanagan Lake, and the courtyard wasn’t suitable for new construction as it contained a septic field. The solution, Austin explains, was to tuck the addition into the rocky slope and to create a low-profile building that did not obstruct the view. To achieve that, their team designed a steel substructure, pinned to the rocks, supporting a SIPs superstructure, articulated by swaths of glazing on the east and west sides. Precise engineering and coordination kept the gallery profile low and transparent. They clad the building in stainless steel panels, and at the client’s inspiration, specified a mirror polish on the south facade, causing the building to have an “ethereal presence.” The owner would have accepted another small freestanding structure to match the original concept, but local zoning wouldn’t allow for it, so the addition was connected to the main home with a tall, MARCH 2022
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