New Point Grey home raising eyebrows

A new house along Vancouver’s Point Grey Road is turning some heads but not necessarily for the right reasons.

The 2,200-square-foot house, located at 3691 Point Grey Road, is still under construction. It should be completed by the end of September.

The steel cube that sits atop a glassed-in ground floor has already gained a reputation in the neighbourhood and has been nominated as “Vancouver’s Most Hideous Urban Design of 2016.”

The house has not been sold yet but the architect, Tony Robbins, estimates it could sell for up to $9 million.

In a statement to Global News he said:

Well, in the very public art of architecture, we can’t please everyone. The direct neighbours’ opinions matter to me, however, as they are impacted more, and theirs vary wildly. The owner next door thinks it’s very cool, so that’s a start. Criticism seems to be focused on the house not being open to the street, but in fact it has more glazing than almost any other home on Point Grey Road. It just doesn’t align with preconceptions of what a house looks like. No one need be concerned about interior livability, as there’s a whole lot of light flooding into the circulation area behind that wall. The bedrooms both face the view to the north, with floods of light.

It is a very carefully considered piece of contextual urban design, and in my opinion we got it right. We wanted to provide an iconic building on this corner, seen from across the park and down the streets. It references minimalism and the calmness from pure geometry. The eventual Japanese Maple trees will have this facade as their backdrop and their branches and leaves will complete the concept.

The lively discussion is healthy. Talking about the arts, good or bad, is a good sign. I don’t think we should look back and do ‘fake traditional’ to appease the majority. The houses that offend me most are those with vinyl siding with the pretence of wood boarding.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: Well, in the very public art of architecture, we can't please everyone. The direct neighbours' opinions matter to me, however, as they are impacted more, and theirs vary wildly. The owner next door thinks it's very cool, so that's a start. Criticism seems to be focused on the house not being open to the street, but in fact it has more glazing than almost any other home on Point Grey Road. It just doesn't align with preconceptions of what a house looks like. No one need be concerned about interior livability, as there's a whole lot of light flooding into the circulation area behind that wall. The bedrooms both face the view to the north, with floods of light.</p><p>It is a very carefully considered piece of contextual urban design, and in my opinion we got it right. We wanted to provide an iconic building on this corner, seen from across the park and down the streets. It references minimalism and the calmness from pure geometry. The eventual Japanese Maple trees will have this facade as their backdrop and their branches and leaves will complete the concept.</p><p>The lively discussion is healthy. Talking about the arts, good or bad, is a good sign. I don't think we should look back and do 'fake traditional' to appease the majority. The houses that offend me most are those with vinyl siding with the pretence of wood boarding.

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