Before & After: A Towering Library Becomes the Beating Heart of an Architect’s Home


Project Berkley House
Publisher Dwell+ Oct 2020  
Photography Ema Peter


“Architect Rafael Santa Ana’s home may be situated in North Vancouver, but it has a bit of a California vibe—something he noticed as soon as he stepped through the front door a decade ago.

"It had a clerestory window that accentuated very horizontal lines that seemed a bit out of place because it reminded you of post-and-beam houses out in California," says the architect, who leads RSAAW.”





Architects Share Helpful Tips From Their Own Home Renovations


Project Berkley House
Publisher Dwell+ Aug 2021 
Photography Ema Peter


“Compromise is inherent to the remodel process, as the existing structure or budget might impose limitations. But it’s important to remember that these constraints can encourage imaginative design solutions, so a renovation should be a balancing act. Architect Rafael Santa Ana, founder of the eponymous Canadian architecture office, considered his family’s affection for their Vancouver, Canada, residence—which they’d lived in for a decade—when brainstorming a new design for the home, despite the urge to demolish the structure and "start from scratch," he says. The founder of Rafael Santa Ana Architecture Workshop explored what could be accomplished by keeping the roof, exterior walls, and post-and-beam structure—which, it turns out, was quite a lot. Now, the renovated home garners an airy feel with vaulted ceilings, skylights, and a lighter material palette, while still retaining the familiarity that the family loved.”


Rafael Santa Ana
Architecture Workshop Inc

602 W Hastings Street 
Unit 503
Vancouver BC
V6B 1P2
Telephone: (604) 628-7881
General inquiries: info@rsaaw.com


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