RS-1 House 01

2020 - Unbuilt

In Vancouver, RS-1 zoning plays a significant role in shaping the city's residential landscape. RS-1, is one of the most common zoning designations within the city. With the aim of preserving the character of established neighborhoods, RS-1 zoning regulations typically restrict the use of properties to one single-family dwelling unit per lot, ensuring a low-density environment. This zoning designation limits building height, form and total floor area, alongside numerous other restrictions. These limitations, under the guise of preserving the ‘character’ of neighborhoods, are obstructive and an impediment to creative architectural solutions to our housing challenges, for individuals, neighborhoods and cities.

In 2020, we designed this RS-1 house with the aim of understanding the limitations of the regulations for the RS-1 district. Now that we know the rules, we’d love to work on projects that challenge them. In this project we explored materials, finishes and lighting and design elements that were sourced from memories of shopping malls such as atriums, bush-hammered concrete, terracotta tiles, and interior planting. We like the tactile and experiential qualities of these materials and sought to introduce them in a novel way to a residential environment.