Thomson House

This project involved a complete interior remodel of an original John Di Castri–designed home in the Rockland neighbourhood of Victoria. Built for Walter and Mary Thomson in 1957, the 2,750-square-foot residence was heritage designated in 2002 and is the youngest Heritage House in Greater Victoria. In keeping with the modern tradition of the design, the interior was detailed and executed in a minimalist fashion, allowing the architectonic elements of Di Castri’s work and the mature Garry Oak trees to remain the focal points of the space.

The original design is an innovative display of structural expression in the mid-century modern architectural style of West coast post-and-beam construction. The house consists of a concrete core that anchors the house to the rocky knoll, and a structure of glulam beams that are supported on steel cylindrical columns both on the interior and exterior of the house. The existing floor and roof systems are made of 3x8 tongue and groove cedar boards. There is a spiralling asymmetry to the array of beams that create the shape of the house, and from the street it appears as a sort of architectural expression of a tree house. The original windows are made from extruded aluminum, which were built and glazed on site. The large sheets of glass in the butt glazed corners help accentuate the floating condition of the floor and roof assemblies.