Wheelchair Accessible House by Acton Ostry Architects

In Vancouver, BC, architecture firm Acton Ostry renovated a 1950s ranch house on a sloped site for a partially paralyzed man. Partition walls were removed and open spaces were preserved. Architects added large sliding doors and louvered skylights to flood the interior with sunlight...

Detailed features designed for wheelchair accessibility include the open bathroom shower, low cabinets that serve as built-in closets, and counter areas with clear space underneath.

Outside, native plants and a rock garden cover the gentle slope of the site. For more information on Acton Ostry Architects, click here. For more photographs and a detailed explanation of the house's wheelchair-accessible features, see this article from the Slow Home.

Photos: Acton Ostry Architects

Comments (12)

I love all of the light let in through the skylight and huge windows. This home is very nice and just happens to be in one of my favorite cities!

posted by Danio on August 19th 2008 at 3:43pm
view Danio's profile

awesome! thanks so much for featuring an accessible home!

posted by lz on August 19th 2008 at 3:58pm
view lz's profile

loooove those skylights.

posted by hessilou on August 19th 2008 at 4:00pm
view hessilou's profile

Thank you so much for this meaningful post. It made my day.

posted by Seaside on August 19th 2008 at 4:01pm
view Seaside's profile

Wonderful looking home---the best to whomever gets to live in it.

posted by poptart on August 19th 2008 at 4:11pm
view poptart's profile

good design in both form and function. wonderful.

posted by TheoJ on August 19th 2008 at 4:15pm
view TheoJ's profile

Thank you for the post on accessible design. It is greatly appreciated.

posted by dmstudio on August 19th 2008 at 6:37pm
view dmstudio's profile

You should do more posts about accessible design. Kudos for this one, it's really great!

posted by Eve in Hochelaga on August 20th 2008 at 6:02am
view Eve in Hochelaga's profile

I love that this place doesn't look like it's for someone handicapped - It's just good clean design that anyone can feel at home with.

posted by bepsf on August 20th 2008 at 7:13am
view bepsf's profile

Keep the accessible posts coming! MUCH more informative than the usual fare.

posted by Taureg on August 20th 2008 at 10:12am
view Taureg's profile

This house was featured in Azure and Dwell in early '05, I remember because as a wheelchair user myself, the articles on this house helped me pick and choose ideas for my own house. There are more pictures on the owner's site here: http://www.murraysiple.com/work/house/index.php

posted by jayjayoh on August 20th 2008 at 9:15pm
view jayjayoh's profile

Wonderful post. It's a beautiful house that anybody would love to live in, nobody's giving anything up for accessibility. There's no reason that should have to be a compromise.

posted by Avinony on September 3rd 2008 at 7:15pm
view Avinony's profile