Pemberton, British Columbia, Canada
Camera House is a rural retreat for a young family designed by Leckie Studio. It is located on a five-acre forested site in the Pemberton Valley, situated between the Lillooet and Garibaldi mountain ranges.
The architectural concept that Leckie Studio developed was to create an optical camera to capture incoming light and frame three distinct fields of vision: the foreground of the forest, the background of the Garibaldi Range, and the midground of Owl Ridge.
Camera House has recently been awarded a 2023 Future House Award by Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The glazing is arranged to provide continually shifting perspectives as the inhabitant moves through the spaces, and the ground plane of the house follows the natural slope of the site.
Private spaces are situated against the densely forested upper level of the slope and public spaces run parallel below, following a program that includes two bedrooms, a flex room, a swimming pool, an outdoor dining area, and a detached workshop.
Clad primarily in a flatsawn and brushed Western Red Cedar with a dark stain finish, the house appears to recede into the surrounding forest; passive heating and cooling strategies are prioritized throughout, and photovoltaic panels supply a sustainable energy source.
Ultimately, this is a house that seeks to leave a minimal footprint, while magnifying the ways that our source of shelter might celebrate vision and elevate experience.
Project: Camera House
Architects: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design
Lead Architect: Michael Lecki
Design Team: Michael Leckie, Emily Dovbniak, James Eidse, Irena Jenei, and Andrea Zittlau
Contractor: Western Craft Contracting
Client: Private
Photographers: Ema Peter Photography
