Driftwood Gibsons

Location Gibsons BC
Completion 2022
Area 21,000 sq ft

Located in the heart of the Town of Gibsons BC, this multi-family residential mixed-use development aims at setting a Passive House standard on the sunshine coast. With a single glazed commercial space at grade and multiple units above, the configuration challenges the standard mixed-use typology by decreasing the commercial and prioritizing the residential above.

Each unit aims at having the feel of a single detached residence rather than of an apartment, while still coming together as part of a larger cluster to increase efficiency.

The project draws from the geometries of a Vancouver Special or barn typology to challenge the double loaded, stacked corridor typology. It inverts the standard large lower commercial floor and narrow residential tower to create a configuration that better suits its rural environment. Reducing spatial impact on the land and minimizing commercial  space not only decreases the ecological footprint but also controls the risk of impertinence to the community. Giving the  building front an unassuming tree-like silhouette, residential units dive deeper into the coastal forest satisfying private users.  Further embracing the coastal vernacular, the project introduces a coastal temperate forest aesthetic representing native Arbutus and Douglas Fir trees, presenting a warm organic architectural form synchronistic with the pacific northwest town.