Shipyard Loft

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The Shipyard Loft By Splyce Design, 1999/2020
Railtown, Vancouver East

Photography by James Han
Story by Nadine Cuttingham

Designed by Splyce Design, Shipyard Loft is a rare live-work residence in Vancouver’s Railtown, where elevated living frames sweeping views of the North Shore mountains and the city’s working harbour below.

Light arrives first.

From within the loft, the city feels both present and distant — an ever-moving backdrop of cranes, water and working harbour framed against the North Shore mountains beyond. The ceiling lifts to its full height, concrete walls holding the space steady as daylight washes across the interior. It’s easy, in this moment, to forget where you are.

Only gradually does the setting reveal itself. This is Railtown — a narrow, historically industrious strip of Vancouver wedged between Chinatown, Gastown and the waterfront. Once defined by warehouses and rail lines, the area quietly reshaped itself in the mid-1980s when residents successfully lobbied for Canada’s first live-work zoning policies. What followed was a rare urban experiment: buildings conceived by creatives, for creatives, where studios, galleries and homes could coexist under one roof.

The building reflects that original ambition. Conceived as a creative clubhouse rather than a conventional residential block, it accommodates shared studios, exhibition spaces and a close-knit community shaped around making. Within this context, the loft reads as a fully realised expression of the building’s original intent.

Designed by Splyce Design, the space represents a distilled version of the practice’s larger body of work. Known for their striking modern houses across British Columbia, this project translates those same architectural principles — restraint, clarity and spatial control — into an intimate urban setting, just steps from the centre of downtown.

Entry is deliberately understated. The palette is reductive and calm, allowing proportion and light to lead. Concrete is left exposed, its weight balanced by pale timber and finely detailed joinery. The living volume opens upward rather than outward, its generosity defined by height and view rather than footprint. From here, the harbour becomes a quiet companion grounding the home in the rhythms of the city.

The kitchen sits comfortably within this open volume, resolved as a continuous architectural element rather than a standalone feature. Cabinetry is flush and precise, surfaces pared back and uninterrupted. Everything feels considered, but nothing calls attention to itself. It’s a space designed to support daily life without dominating it.

Above, the upper level introduces a shift in pace. A workspace overlooks the living area and outward to the water, creating a place for observation as much as productivity. The perspective reinforces a way of living shaped by height — a vantage point that frames the north-facing outlook and the changing conditions beyond the glass.

The bedroom retreats further from the openness below. Here, the material language softens, light becomes more diffused, and the city recedes slightly from view. It’s a calm conclusion to the sequence, offering privacy without disconnecting entirely from the life unfolding outside.

Throughout the loft, the design resists excess. Instead, it relies on balance — between industry and intimacy, movement and stillness, city and sky. It’s a home that feels attuned to its setting, shaped by both the history of the neighbourhood and the contemporary lives it supports.

Shipyard Loft now stands ready for its next custodians — a quiet, elevated retreat that observes Vancouver as it moves, framed by concrete, light and an ever-changing horizon.

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Home Facts

Name: Shipyard Loft
Location: 289 Alexander Street, Vancouver East, British Columbia
Neighbourhood: Railtown
Price: $ 798,000
Designer: Splyce Design
Original Custodians: Creative live–work residents (Railtown artist zoning)
Year Completed: 1999 (building)
Renovation: 2020
Interior Square Feet: 851 Sqft
Levels: 2
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Structural / Engineering Highlights:
- Concrete construction
- Exposed concrete walls and ceilings
- Double-height ceilings
- Double-height living volume
- Floor-to-ceiling glazing
- Elevated north-facing orientation
Landscape and Planning:
- Purpose-built live–work building
- One of Vancouver’s earliest creative live–work communities
- Located between Gastown, Chinatown, and the working harbour
- Designed for creatives by creatives
Creative Clubhouse / Building Amenities:
- Woodworking workshop
- Metal workshop
- Pottery and ceramics studio
- Music and recording rooms
- Darkroom and photographic facilities
- Gallery and communal exhibition spaces
- Shared creative workspaces
- Fitness studio
Key Materials:
- Exposed concrete
- Polished concrete flooring
- Custom millwork cabinetry
- Glass and steel detailing
Views / Orientation:
- North-facing
- North Shore Mountains
- Burrard Inlet
- Active shipyards and harbour
Features:
- One-bedroom plus office loft
- Double-height ceilings
- Custom kitchen and built-ins
- Kohler fixtures
- Duravit bathroom fittings
- Silestone countertops
- Aquabrass faucets
- Fisher & Paykel appliances
- Muuto dining pendant
Parking: 1
Strata Fees: $357.37 / month
Zoning: Live–Work