Meaning of Vancouver Special | Babel Free

Definitions

A style of detached two-storey residential house widely constructed in Vancouver, British Columbia from the 1960s to 1980s, characterized by its large and boxy shape (often occupying most of the width of a lot), low-pitched gabled roof, and a front balcony spanning the entire second floor.

British-Columbia

Examples

“The 'Vancouver Specials' are unique in that they quickly achieved widespread unpopularity for their boring flat fronts, boxy shapes, and low roofs.”

“There were campaigns waged by neighbourhood groups against boxy “Vancouver Specials” in the 1980s and highly eclectic “monster houses” in the 1990s.”

“Our design proposal is a mash-up of the Vancouver Special with Brooklyn brownstones and Chinese courtyard houses, resulting in a typology we call 'Extra Special.'”

CEFR level