Carriage House Doors and Passageway - Oak Bay, BC
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This project, installed this year, provides a seamless entryway to this English style Arts and Crafts home. Ms. von Aesch designed and built six carriage house doors and installed them on an existing carport. Next to this one of her gated, roofed passageways completes the look.
Working with an Engineer, she addressed carport stability and water runoff. She then designed a system of hardware to ensure the smooth functioning of six doors. Due to a slope in the driveway, the doors needed to fold and yet be held securely in place both open and closed. The end result was a convenient entry and exit for several people and two vehicles.
Here, the beauty of the design comes from the use of traditional methods of construction. The exposed wedged tenons in the carport doors draw the eye. The entryway floats above the pathway on eight posts which were all were built using through joinery for strength and beauty. The gate is five foot wide and incorporates arts and crafts design features.
The passageway is lined with cedar and the wiring and pipes are hidden inside the posts so it is equally beautiful inside and out.
Pergola as Sculpture - Saanich, BC
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This pergola, installed in 2009, adds interest to the back façade of this contemporary home. While it is quite massive it actually appears to float off the back of the house. The empty spaces in the eight by six posts create a feeling of airiness. This is enhanced by the floating panels on top which seem to lift the structure.
The designer needed to address several challenges on this project. She envisioned a rectangular structure but the patio was circular and the two pathways on either side did not line up. So, to compensate, she designed an asymmetrical pattern of posts.
She wanted the pergola to be free standing next to the house and the posts should not be installed in the ground as these rot more quickly, wasting a precious resource. So, she attached steel beams to the front posts and imbedded these in concrete creating enough strength to hold up the structure.
The pergola was protected with an improved finish that had some pigment added and pre-fit in the designers’ workshop. Once on site it went together like a jigsaw puzzle taking only three hours to install once the posts were in with minimal impact to the landscape.
Pender Island Passageway - Pender Island, BC
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This passageway, built in 2008, both contrasts and complements the natural landscape. The designer wished to frame the stunning ocean views without blocking them with a gate or arbor. So, she built panels on either side of the driveway flowing down to the home.
The six by six posts of clear western red cedar are eight feet tall to stand up to the tall cedar trees lining the drive. The carved tops add a deeper texture and capture the light transforming the posts into beacons.
Inspired by stone, the panels are textural, when approached from the side the rails form pieces of an intricate puzzle with the forest glimpsed through the gaps. In the centre, end grain pieces look like ancient stone tablets. These tablets are blank, speaking to a deeper self.
The overall design creates a sophisticated contrast to a forest setting. It proves a welcoming beacon to friends and family. It encourages them to slow down and make the transition from the outside world to this tranquil Island setting.
The passageway was built in the designers’ workshop and finished with two coats of an environmental product before being installed on site. Traditional joinery was used throughout.
St. John the Divine Anglican Church - Victoria BC
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This passageway was installed in 2007 in a church courtyard. Located just off a busy street, it invites people to leave behind the secular world and enter a more reflective space. It encourages people to “re-enter” an old tradition in a new way, yet it still harmonizes with the historic church building and courtyard.
Ms. von Aesch echoed features found in the neo-Gothic architecture of the church. Yet the use of curves in both the rafters and the side panels and the clear cedar soften the concrete and brick exterior, bringing new life. The lookout posts are installed in the ground which adds stability, symbolizing the ancient roots of the Christian tradition.
Inside there is a feeling of being held. The portals in the side encourage views of both the church building and the garden courtyard. Yet the repetition found in the rafters and the waves in the side panels denote fluidity and passage. The crosses seem to reassure, faith will sustain the seeker throughout the journey.
To reduce the impact on the landscape and ensure ease of maintenance, the project was built in the designer’s workshop and installed with two coats of an environmental finish.
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