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Halfpipe House in Chile

Casa Merello by W|M|R Arquitectos is a 220 m2 single family house in Pichilemu, Chile. What makes this house unique, beyond the incredible structure overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is a skateboard halfpipe located on the back of the house and incorporated into the open terraces that form the back facade.

See more ARCHy here.

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This is very close to where I used to live in Chile... fin fact is that Pichilemu is also home to one of the longest and most amazing left hand breaks in the world.

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Here’s a few shots from a commission last summer that are featured in a great Central American design mag this month. 

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A little while back I was approached by Prestel Publishing about an upcoming book  on architecture for bicycles. They are an amazing publisher, with many of my favourite photographic architecture books coming from their press, so I was quite thrilled to be selected for the cover design of Gavin Blyth's new book, Velocity. 

I am an avid biker, growing up racing and using my bike as a primary means of transportation, and the unique designs contained in this book make me reminiscent of the time I have spent bicycling around in Copenhagen, and my own bike city: Vancouver. Truly worth the read (or look), and it's fantastic to see Calatrava's peace bridge represent the strong movement of bicycle architecture Canada is putting forward.

www.JoshuaDoolPhotography.com

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I have been shooting some Architectural door systems for Nana Wall this year, and here are a couple shots from a recent commission.

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I recently photographed this stormwater pump station at the west end of Williams Road in Richmond BC. This industrial building has been beautifully integrated into the West Dyke Trail, and rather than being an eyesore along the pathway, has become a stopping point for people  to enjoy the wonderful views, do some birdwatching, or even have a picnic!

The pump house  discharges stormwater over an alluvial patterned display ‘table’ that spreads the water out as it enters the natural environment, radically rethinking the discharge process and turning it into an event to catch while out for a stroll.

The main building and pumps are covered in a unique perforated cladding, that catches the sunlight and reveals wording and patterns included in the design.  

Thanks again to the fine folks at Hapa, Aplin & Martin, and Barnett Dembek Architects for having me out. 

www.JoshuaDoolPhotography.com

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Here are a few shots I recently photographed at Cargill's industrial facility in North Vancouver. ATCO commissioned me to photograph the new noise mitigation system that they designed and installed, and I had a good time exploring some new angles of the facility that I haven't photographed before. You can check out another angle of the facility I photographed for Cargill a couple years ago HERE.

www.JoshuaDoolPhotography.com

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Here is some shots from a recent commission from HAPA Collaborative, Public: Architecture + Communication, and The City of Richmond. This 3.7 km long  stretch of the old Interurban Tram line, formerly running between Vancouver to Richmond (ending in 1958) has been wonderfully re-purposed into a urban trail system. This re-imagined Railway Corridor promotes walking, cycling, play on the open green spaces, and social interaction for the areas residents. Once again, HAPA has done an amazing job of bringing people together and making a place look and function well at the same time.

Public of course did a creative job with the graphic elements on the pathway, making use of the old timetable schedule that the railway formerly used. The railway would send workers and milk into Vancouver, and carry back empty milk cans full of water for the Steveston/South Richmond residents to drink, and this timetable has been wonderfully reworked to carry the spirit of the place forward into it's new incarnation.

Hats off to all involved. Truly a fantastic use of space and a blessing for all Richmond residents, present and future.

www.JoshuaDoolPhotography.com

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Here is a couple shots of the Broadmoor Mall in Richmond, a recent shoot I completed for Kasian Architecture, that illustrate my retouching process. Not every shoot requires this level of retouching, but as you can see, it can take a really cluttered and average looking photograph and give it that certain 'Je ne sais quoi'  that make the image come to life.

This level of retouching can take many hours, especially as in the case with the above photographs where you are drawing in elements of the photograph that aren't existent anywhere in the image (and thus can't be cloned). 

I've considered a 'before/after' section on my webpage but I want to keep it as uncluttered as possible... so I'm thinking from time to time I may post a couple examples on the blog.

www.joshuadoolphotography.com

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I had the great pleasure of photographing this amazing home in Nosara, Costa Rica this past summer. I love the tropics, getting to speak Spanish, and surfing, so this is quite possibly the top town on my list of ideal places. Now, looking at the pictures you may assume that Nosara is a large town, but truth be told, it's not. It's small, and almost all the roads are dirt roads. There isn't a single street sign in town. It's that kind of town.

But up on the hills overlooking the non-stop all day epic surf breaks, peering down on this slice of perfection lies 'Pacific Breeze'. And I love homes with names. I think it started from reading Great Expectations  and becoming quite enthralled with 'Satis House' in the novel. But, unlike the house in Dickens novel that is ironically named (the owner is not satisfied at all), this house is quite aptly named.

This design features venting and wood slats that allow the trade winds present at its lofty position to blow through and cool the whole home. And in a place like Costa Rica, keeping a cool home without the use of air conditioning is almost on par with the magical arts. This unique design feature, in conjunction with the rooftop solar panels, means that despite the exorbitant price of electricity, this whole home can be run on less than $20 a month. Go ahead and read that again...

This type of genious level design is the brainchild of the amazing architecture firm, Salagnac Arquitectos. They have beautifully combined form and function, and a careful selection of building materials to produce this stunning masterpiece of a home. While lounging in the resort style float up bar in the broad infinity pool, you can look down and see people surfing for miles and miles. Additionally, thanks to the great use of glass, you can get this same view from wherever you might be in the home.

The home is built into the steep tropical hillside beautifully, and when night time comes around, the home truly comes alive. While the sunset bounces off of the pool and reflects bright colours onto the glass and metal finishings, it mingles differently with the elaborate use of wood, creating a warm glow. 

It was truly a pleasure to photograph this wonderful home, and I look forward to going back to Costa Rica in the future. Thanks again Salagnac Architecture for having me!

www.joshuadoolphotography.com

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Design is all around us, and if the design is good, we rarely even take notice of it. We just enjoy it. It just works.

This is the case with McBurney Lane, which I recently photographed for HAPA Collaborative. This newly redesigned lane way in Langley just works. It melds perfectly into the surrounding neighbourhood, and does more than just serve as a laneway to walk from street to street on. This design has become the meeting place for people in the area, the place people sit down and eat their lunch, the place street performers set up during lunch hour. It's that place.

It was challenging shooting this form of design, because more so than my typical building photograph commission, these images had to showcase the human interaction with the design. So, I would set up an angle, and then wait... and wait.... and wait for the perfect moment to happen. It reminded me of how Henri Cartier-Bresson would wait patiently for the perfect moment.

It today's day of 'iPhone constantly glued to my face' this is easier said than done though. You need to keep focused, waiting for the perfect moment to happen, and be ready to capture it when it does. It was almost therapeutic, focusing for lengths of time that my brain doesn't always get to do. Alert and aware. It's amazing what you notice when you look for it.

More will be up on the blog soon, stay tuned.

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One of my more unique photo commissions from my time in Costa Rica was the Nosara Yoga Institute. Driving up to the Yoga Institute, which is basically  a 5 star resort with a yoga school built into it, you can get 25 meters from the massive front entrance and still not even realize it's there because of the massive old growth teak that it is set amongst. Designed by Salagnac Arquitectos, this substantial building feels like a traditional Balinese building fled Polynesia and hid itself in the thickest Costa Rican forest it could find.

The various one room cabanas are strewn across the property, linked by an elaborate river and waterfall system. Capturing all the details of this property was incredibly challenging, because it is built into mature landscaping which prevents sections of it from being visible in all but super-close up images.

The center of this Yoga Resort is the 25m salt water lap pool, which is located  beside the main building on top of a 100+ step staircase from the main road. This is part of what keeps the resort hidden from passerby's. I was unable to capture the whole staircase, but when you look at the main image (1st image), keep in mind that I am already 50+ stairs up, and standing on three stories of scaffolding we erected in order to capture the front of this building.

Truly a one of a kind building, especially for Costa Rica, and super fun to photograph. This is one of those jobs where I had to pinch myself in disbelief that I actually get to do this for a living.

More shoots coming soon...stay tuned

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This was my first time in Costa Rica, and it was truly unbelievable. A few years back my wife and I decided to try living in S.America for a year, so this trip was a fun opportunity to bust out the little Spanish we remembered. In between commissions we decided to  take several days off  in order to turn the work trip into a family trip of sorts, and utilize the 'kids fly free before they are two years old' option before it was too late. My wife, daughter, and myself all thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and the homes I photographed were really unique.

Here is the first one. The 'Palm House' is nestled high up in the hills outside of Tamarindo, and wonderfully combines traditional construction methods with a Palm Thatch roof alongside some modern design sentiments. I really loved the adobe feel of the interior, and the pool overlooking the countryside is quite remarkable.

Stay tuned for a few more updates to the blog over the next week or so. I've been shooting a ton lately and have had zero time to post some of my recent work.

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Here are some shots of a recent project I photographed for HAPA Collaborative. This amazing playground is in Terra Nova Park in North Richmond, and is unlike any other playground I have ever seen.

Built out of all natural materials, this play design reminds me of playing in the woods behind my house as a kid, climbing up trees, and scrambling across log jams on the lake. My two favourite parts of the design are the massive 4 story tall tree-fort/epic-slide, and the birch fort/slide which reminds me of my favourite childhood book, 'Where The Wild Things Are'.

If you have kids, or even if you don't, go and check this place out. It is truly one of a kind.

Great Work HAPA!

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Here are a few shots of me lining up my compositions in beautiful Costa Rica. I have been busy editing the photographs from my recent commissions in Central America, and will post some of those photographs up on the blog soon.

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Off to Costa Rica

I've picked up a couple commissions in Central America, so I am headed off to Costa Rica for a few weeks to photograph a couple fantastic homes, and one incredible Yoga Institute. I intentionally booked in lots of down time between assignments, so my two favourite people are coming with me (my wife and daughter), and yes... there will be surfing.

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Hey everyone.

My  new website was just launched, and I am very excited with how it turned out. There are some new images up, and I’ve tightened the edit up as well.

Enjoy!

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Here are a few shots I recently captured of the expansion at the Vancouver Aquarium. Musson Catell Mackey Partnership have done an amazing job as usual, and I am particularly taken with how the illuminated exterior walls make it stand out around dusk.

Of course, Bill Reid's orca sculpture is unbelievable as always, and I think it fits in perfectly to the new entrance.

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