Vancouver based multifaceted design studio Leckie Studio was established in 2015 by principal architect Michael Leckie. The youthful and progressive group of architects at Leckie studio aspire to make a difference in the world with their sustainable sensitivity towards design through varied scales and media.
The studio is involved in various genres of design but cohesively thrives on passive development. An intimate team of visionaries allows the studio to deliver designs that communicate through function, aesthetics, and context synergy. The team calls themselves Problem Solvers who believe in balancing Curation and Execution.
Below is the list of 15 Projects by Leckie Studio Architecture + Design:
1. Arrowhead Cabin
- North America
- New Construction
Bending over the principles of Dieter Ram, Less is Better, the Arrowhead Cabin blends the mainstream professional practice in architecture with DIY ideologies. The architects attempt to hover near the preliminaries and traditional practices in construction than elevating higher in the levels of everyday building applications. Arrowhead is a 108 square foot prefabricated form that is designed keeping in mind, structure, efficiency, and ease of assembly by a small group of people.
The project is highly sustainable. Adapting recyclable components, engineered wood products, metal-clad shells, solar panels on the roof and passive cooling techniques ensures the project to be highly economic, durable, weather-resistant, and zero waste design with minimal site imprint. Leckie studio ensured ease of transport and assembly of the cabin by basing it on minimal and simple lifestyles. Hence Arrowhead cabin epitomizes the future of simple and efficient outdoor structures.
2. Alpine Hut
- Prototype
- New Construction
As a result of research, the Alpine hut was born to unify the principles of Customization and Affordability. It aimed at involving communities and making them independent by introducing Self Build Architecture.
The concept of Alpine Hut focuses on prefab constructions, DIY systems, and sustainability. This enables the communities to generate and build communal centric residential designs that cater to their particular needs keeping in mind ease of construction, sustainability, and authenticity.
Although The Hut design was initiated towards benefiting outdoor enthusiasts, the hut is adaptable for rural as well as urban foregrounds.
3. Main Street Tech Hub
- Vancouver
- Renovation + Retrofit
Acknowledging the work-life shift from large corporate setups to individual small scale startups, Leckie Studio retrofitted the former building of Royal Bank of Canada in Mount Pleasant into shared workspaces. The form constitutes a 43000 sq. ft space encouraging entrepreneurs by refurbishing interiors into a warm shell of coworking space.
The new form constitutes of a newly expanded lobby, added cantilevers balconies further shielded with a perforated screen. This envelops slopes on the southeast corner underlining the entrance to the hub.
4. Slack Technologies
- Vancouver
- Interior Design
Slack technologies are one of the most renowned projects of Leckie Studio. This is an exciting and present-day take on the adaptive reuse of built forms. The architects have preserved the cultural soul of the form by exposing the masonry and timber and blended them with an open floor plan office infrastructure. The binding agent of the two-floor structure is the staircase which adds aesthetics and drama to the office culture.
The intelligent use of locally available furniture pieces for co-working spaces in the office complements the character of the building. Collaborative works for statement pieces that follow organic forms infuse a modern and chic personality to the interiors.
5. William Street House
- Vancouver, Canada
- Modernist Intervention
Currently, the most trending concept and challenge in architecture and design is Work from Home. Leckie Studio architects fathom and rejuvenate a Victorian house into a modern-day residence for a working couple at home. Harmonizing with the monolithic structure the architects clad the ornate exterior in different proportions and append robust materials for an industrial outlook.
Attending to the work-life balance needs of the couple, Leckie Studio reconfigured the private spaces in the house and dissected them into specific function-oriented zones. The exterior garden element of the dwelling frames the Victorian theme of the house and invites an ample amount of light in without compromising the privacy of the couple in an urban setup.
6. Zacatitos 04
- California, Mexico
- New Construction
Set on a slope and overlooking the barren wilderness, Zacatitos 04 is a minimal built form that responds to the circumstances of living in a desert. The building sustains on passive means utilizing the harsh sun. Facing the west, the block forms torrents on the ground level, opening the living areas to the wilderness and keeping the private areas in a monolith on the upper level.
The architects have taken care of keeping the private spaces cool by introducing perforated exteriors on the southwest face of the residence which simultaneously inlets cool air passively.
7. Ridge House
- Portland, Alameda
- New Construction
Catering to the present-day needs of a female couple with two children of downsizing in space and upscaling of quality lifestyle, Leckie studio attempted to reframe an existing structure from 1918. The design aimed to build and renovate along the skewed site line whilst overlooking the overwhelming views of southwest hills and city skylines.
Catering to the budget, Leckie studio maximized the living standards by providing spatial separations whilst binding the family with a gamut of adventures over the site and location. The use of concrete plinth and wood-clad box brings a sense of order in the wilderness of the site while aligning with its slope.
Space revolves around the Great Room Concept with double-height skylight shivering over the living spaces of the house. The dynamically skewed roof exterior allows window openings to be tapered and a commanding prow from the street.
8. Full House
- Vancouver
- New Construction
Addressing the growing prices in real estate in Canada, people have started investing in multi-generation dwellings to sustain a good quality lifestyle. The social and economic welfare of a residing in a joint family is increasingly hitting the spotlight. The emotional and financial security which comes with investing in properties that are capable to host multiple generations for centuries is immensely rewarding.
As the name suggests, The Full House design is based on hosting the client’s family and their upcoming generations in the urban real estate of Canada.
9. Camera House
- Pemberton
- New Construction
Comprehending the name, the Camera house is an ideal project for any architect. Site selection, design, and construction were carried out under the architects from Leckie Studio. As the clients desired to treat the house for a secular retreat from their urban lives during the summer months, the selected site rested in a rural area of the Pemberton Valley with breathtaking views.
The form set on the plot is such that it awards its residents with the views of Lillooet Range in the north through clerestory windows opening in its North and east faces. The design also caters to light and views by sloping ceilings enabling the users to experience the site to its complete potential.
10 Salmon River House
- Salmon River
- New Construction
Located in the woods and floodplains of the Salmon River, the dwelling is encircled by various micro-climates like riparian and upland ecosystems. The house is designed to cater to two distinct architectural programs.
The first scheme is to host the neurologist couple who own the house and plan to inhabit the site full-time post-retirement. The secondary scheme is the adaptation of the house as a nature observatory under the land conservancy addressing the keen interest of the clients with nature and architecture engagement.
The site sits in the middle of Fir and Maple trees on a slope extending towards the river. Facing the South, the open floor plan of the house inlets a variety of auras constituting that of the forest, river panorama, and modern leisure.
11. Crude World
- Earth
- Blankspace Fairy Tales Competition
Fetching an honorable mention, Leckie studio narrates a story from the future. The competition briefed about focussing on a merger of architecture and storytelling. Therefore the architects from Leckie studio framed a story from 2186 highlighting the astonishing remains and uncertainty of life on the earth’s surface.
Attributed by catastrophic climatic conditions and a global state of emergency, the survivors on mars came across a beacon of hope in the middle of unending waters. The floating cabin in the ocean instigated a reconnaissance expedition to earth in the hope of life expectancy and human civilization.
12. Winthrop and Valentine
- Vancouver
- Rental Housing
Responding to the growing affordability crisis in Vancouver, this project proposes a high density of affordable rental units for communities. Winthrop and Valentine aim to provide high quality and long term dwellings to its inhabitants. The Design provides a mid-rise courtyard building for families facing a major traffic corridor.
The site plan is based on a structural grid maximizing the livability, amenities, and efficiency of its form. The architects have pondered upon significant community planning while comprehending the high density.
13. Broadway and Alma
- Vancouver
- Mixed-Use Residential Development
Considered under Leed Certification, Broadway and Alma are currently under the rezoning process by MIRHPP. As a response to the context, the stacked form houses two and three-bedroom dwelling layouts for urban families.
Offering Mixed-use Typology, the amenities sit on the pedestal on the ground floor. The exterior clad matrix tackles solar gain and maintains privacy with the neighboring buildings. The Architects incorporate the greens on the ground and terrace level encouraging the bike share program and uplifting the neighborhood realm.
14. Great Lakes Cabin
- Ontario, North America
- Prefabricated Prototype
The 700 sq. ft prefab prototype utilizes every inch of the footprint thereby minimizing the impacts on the environment and maximizing user efficiency. The design framework rests on locally harvested glulam timber enveloped in prefabricated insulated walls, roofs, and floor panels. The Leckie Studio proposal makes sure that these envelopes are customizable to meet the Net Zero passive house scales.
15. Courtyard House
- Vancouver
- New Construction
Resonating with the post-war bungalows, the Courtyard house is designed as an intervention of modern and industrial architecture. Leckie Studio Architects attempt to blend the design with its context by introducing a three-sided courtyard on a narrow floor plan.
The drama sets within the sloping roof lines and cantilevered shading on the south end. The vertically installed wooden fins on the north facade engage visual privacy from the street. The interior edges of the courtyard bind with the living space on the ground floor and private spaces on the upper floor offering an alluring lightwell experience.
