
In theory, the schematic design for Arbour House — a Victoria, BC, residence by Vancouver firm Patkau Architects — is simple. It’s a single-storey abode laid out on a seaside platform with wooden floors, interconnected rooms and generous millwork. Here’s the novel part: The house is topped with a pleated hemlock ceiling (the architects call it a “ceiling arbour”) arranged in a sawtooth pattern beneath a sheet of skylights. As the sun moves across the sky, the rays reach through the latticework, activating — even anointing — the interiors in playful ribbons of light.

Team: Michael Thorpe, Nicole Sylvia, Marc Holland, Edward Kim, Luke Stern, Michelle de Jong, Sebastian Elliot, Dave Rannala, CC Yao, Sarah Carver, Logan Thomas, Margot Richards
As the sun moves across the sky, the rays reach through the latticework, activating — even anointing — the interiors in playful ribbons of light.