Local fans of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Modernist residences don’t get to live in one, as the late, great architect didn’t grace our province with any of his works. But a newly listed, luxury waterfront home in West Vancouver’s Altamont neighbourhood may be the next best thing.
Listed March 6 for an unpublished price, the 8,038-square-foot home near Dundarave Village is owned by Mossadiq Umedaly, an entrepreneur and pioneer of Canada’s renewable energy and fuel-cell technology field. Umedaly is well known for building a number of successful clean-tech companies, including Ballard Power Systems and Xantrex Technology, and he has been chairman of BC Hydro as well as an adviser on clean tech to governments, universities and other organizations.
Completed in 2008, Umedaly’s house was designed by local architect Paul Grant, who was inspired for the project by the residential works of legendary U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Grant studied Wright’s designs in great detail in order to create a home that authentically paid homage to the late father of Modernism.
Fitting in with its owner’s clean-energy vision, the custom-built home has the ability to be net-zero energy and surpasses all building requirements, including earthquake specifications. It features three-foot walls that create a thermal mass, a geothermal system providing low-emission heating and cooling, and special V-shaped designed of the zinc roof and the collection of water from the driveways enable rainwater to be recirculated for landscaping.
Sitting on a 25,000-square-foot lot at the water’s edge with 98 feet of ocean frontage, the concrete house is clad with Pennsylvania Bluestone and brick, with vast floor-to-ceiling windows that make the most of the ocean views. Outside, there is an epic, waterfront infinity pool and ultra-cool concrete-and-wood lounge terrace.
Inside, the five-bedroom home is packed to the brim with Modernist detailing such as interior walls of exposed stone, wood and concrete, along with luxury and state-of-the-art finishes such as sound-absorbing ceiling panels. There’s a large master suite with dressing room, ensuite bathroom and walk-out terrace. The home’s north wing is accessed by a bridge and houses a self-contained guest suite with its own kitchenette, laundry and separate entrance.
“Park Lane represents a rare opportunity to own a masterpiece in sustainable architecture, design and construction,” said Christa Frosch, listing agent with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. “The home is built to last, and is a legacy that captures the vision of a prominent Canadian leader in renewable energy. I believe the buyer of this home will have a passion for fine, modern, functional and timeless architecture, the way the home honours the land and the natural beauty of the West Coast.”
Frosch added that the price is available upon request to qualified buyers. The home was valued in July 2018 by B.C. Assessment at $13,615,000, around $2.8 million lower than its $16,211,000 assessment the previous year.
Scroll down to see more photos of this stunning property.