Milieu Landscape

How to get a pool permit in North Vancouver without the excruciating steps?

If you are a homeowner or builder on the North Shore, this regulation might catch you by surprise as it is not explicitly mentioned in the bylaws, but is heavily enforced. In North / West Vancouver, having 50% impervious surfaces on the property is not just a matter of switching materials. It triggers a mandatory Stormwater Management Plan if you're planning to apply for a swimming pool permit. For a homeowner, that means hiring an additional consultant, increasing installation costs, and adding weeks (if not months) to the permitting process.

On this project, we were determined to stay above that 50% mark without sacrificing the client’s wishlist: a pool & lounging, hot tub, and seating & dining areas.

How we bypassed the Stormwater Management requirement:

👍 The Deck Hack:
Instead of a traditional wood deck on a concrete pad, we designed a permeable build-up. The deck sits on a bed of gravel, allowing water to pass through and count toward our permeability totals.

👍 Carving Out the Excess:
We looked at the site with a "less is more" lens. By identifying and removing existing, unnecessary paved surfaces, we reclaimed "permeability credits" that we could then re-apply to the new pool area.

👍 Permeable Pavers:
We used paving systems of both pavers and joining mixture maintains the high-end architectural appearance while functioning like a sieve for rainwater.

The takeaway? Thoughtful landscape architecture isn't just about aesthetics. It’s about surgical site planning that saves time and money.

//

Designed for

In landscape architecture, plan views and cross-sections are the most common design tools, but each has a distinctly unique purpose.

A plan is analytical. It shows spatial relationships, adjacencies, circulation, and layout. In the context of the Langley, BC project, a plan shows the relationship between the pool and sunken patio, how the different components work together, and how people move through the site. Plans are critical for conveying the logic of a space and for coordination.

Cross-sections, on the other hand, communicate vertical relationships and spatial experience. They provide grading information and reveal how elements interact with one another. More importantly, they help us evaluate proportion, enclosure, sightlines, and human scale. A pergola that looks appropriate in plan may feel too low or too exposed in section. A sunken patio that reads clearly from above may feel either intimate or confined depending on depth and surrounding conditions.

Plans organize space and convey the logic 🧠
Sections shape space and convey the feel 💚

When used together, they allow us to move from diagram to experience. The plan ensures clarity and functionality. The section ensures comfort, constructability, and spatial quality.

//

The art of the descent ↘️

The conventional curb appeal focuses on an eye-level view of the house. But on the steep slopes of the Burrard Inlet, the script is often flipped.

For this Port Moody residence, the arrival experience is a descent. The street sits significantly higher than the front door, which presents a unique design challenge. How do you make a downward journey feel welcoming rather than daunting?

We approached this entry stairs not just as access, but as a "decompression zone".

Instead of a steep, straight run of concrete, we designed the path to be an experience. We broke up the elevation change with generous landings and directional shifts. This forces you to slow down. Points of interest were added along the stairs with planting, water feature, and lighting. At the bottom, a custom feature bench is placed as functional focal point.

As you step down from the busy street level, you physically sink below the noise and sightlines of the road. The retaining walls and tiered planting beds rise up around you, creating an immediate sense of privacy. By the time you reach the front door, the outside world feels miles away.

This design turns a difficult grade into a psychological asset. The home doesn't just sit on the hill; it feels nestled and protected by it.

//

An outdoor space is best experienced in motion 🌀

In the practice of space design, we tend to fixate on the destination but often overlook the journey. It is tempting to propose the fastest route to the pool, patio, or play area. Sometimes, that's all the space will allow. But in a project of this scale, the journey between spaces is just as critical.

For this luxury residence in Port Coquitlam, we are collaborating with a London-based architectural studio to ensure every detail is considered. One key focus for this design is ensuring all transition spaces feel curated rather than accidental. We wanted the space to be designed as a refined experience.

To make the walk engaging, we treat the path as a narrative. One way for achieving that includes intricate paving patterns to create a rhythm underfoot, as detailed in the arrival plaza. For wayfinding and intrigue, outdoor art pieces are position at key turning points. These sculptures act as visual anchors that pull you through the landscape, informing you there is more beyond what meets the eye.

The main design component here is the attention to the transition experience, as we aim to turn even a simple walk into a discovery. True thoughtful design is about ensuring that even the 'filler' space feel intentional.

//