Buy yourself a Sanctuary, a serene house above the British Columbia landscape

Newly for sale, The Sanctuary is a striking modern house in Crumpit Woods, Squamish, a development of new houses carved into a hillside in British Columbia. Designed by Vancouver-based BattersbyHowat Architects, the house is located around an hour to the north of downtown Vancouver and around 45 minutes from the expansive ski trails and facilities at Whistler.

Step inside The Sanctuary

The site is impressive, with far-reaching views across the valley to Stawamus Chief Mountain, a 700m peak rising up above the Howe Sound beyond. Notched into the slope, with granite outcrops forming part of the terrace and rear elevation, thanks to clever structural engineering by Natural Balance, The Sanctuary serves as a frame for the ever-changing spectacle of nature.

Inside, the architects have arranged nearly 4,000 square feet of accommodation as a series of volumes that twist and turn to reveal a new vista on every level. The focus has also been turned on the wellness of the occupants, with a design brief that rejected man-made and synthetic materials in favour of natural solutions.

According to the architects, ‘every material was considered for its effect on both body and environment.’ This includes halogen lighting specially calibrated to daylight cycles and an advanced air and water system that uses passive cooling.

No detail was too small, from the way the porcelain tiles have been left unsealed to the calming palette of natural materials, including white oak joinery, hemlock-lined ceilings, stone floors, and linen drapes.

The house, which was completed in 2019, is described as a sanctuary by the original clients. For them, life in the house could be broken down into a series of simple rituals, from growing herbs and vegetables for cooking, to using the outdoor pizza oven or saltwater tub and shower. There’s even a meditation room.

The Sanctuary sits on a steep quarter acre site, with landscaping design undertaken by BattersbyHowat’s own design team. Many of the included furnishings were custom designed for the project, including the sofa by Cloth Studio and lighting by Davide Groppi. David Battersby and Heather Howat set up their studio in 1996. It has won a number of national design awards, with a focus on private residences and cultural spaces.

The Sanctuary is for sale via West Coast Modern, $6,850,000, WestCoastModern.ca, @WestCoastModernHomes, BattersbyHowat.com, @BattersbyHowat