A Hybrid of Finishes – Custom Case Study
VGF has designed and installed many custom projects over the years, indoor, outdoor, large, and small. Here you’ll find a collection a few favourite projects, some straight-forward, some filled with challenges, and others that are just plain ‘ole fun. We put them together to form the Vancouver Gas Fireplaces Custom Case Studies.
Many of the customized fire-feature units that Vancouver Gas Fireplaces works on are over-sized or odd-shaped steel fabricated fire boxes into which we install a burner system and apply finishing to it.
In this project, the finishes inside and around the fire feature were a core part of the design statement. One of our more recent design concepts was brought to us by McLeod | Bovell Design. What made this project unique was that it blended different materials to provide a sharply defined visual experience.
Initially, it was requested that the installation be done without any glass, which is often a discussion point. The VGF team had to explain that it was not possible to create a positive venting action within the proposed configuration. The opening was equivalent to a 14′ by 3′ conventional fireplace requiring a massive venting system – not to mention the potential for sucking huge amounts of heat out of the house. Given the location of the installation in the house with large amounts of natural light, the first set of ceramic glass installed was too reflective and was replaced by a new, less reflective product that has recently become available.
The challenge for this project was integrating the burner system into the base and the vent collection hood into a finished shroud above the fireplace. The base was designed as a concrete piece poured into place, which was stepped down on the inside to support the custom fabricated double-linear burner system.
Beneath the burner was a hollowed-out space to allow for fresh air to come up through the burner, with extra room for the burner valves. The rear walls of the fireplace is site-installed stone with a channel grooved out for the glass. The upper portion around the hood was a site-built panel with reveals set into it. The vent hood itself was suspended from the ceiling using steel rods and fixed into place by the surrounding steel framing. The work was adeptly coordinated by Woodrose Homes, the contractor on this project.
In the end, a striking fire feature was created using a variety of materials which enhanced the use of fire as an element outside the parameters of a conventional-looking fireplace.
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independent preliminary review by the Equipment Approvals Manager of the Gas Safety Authority of British Columbia and a subsequent field review and inspection by Independent Arms Length Government Inspectors.