"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins."
Benjamin Franklin
Rommel Design Ltd. specializes in the design of custom homes, luxury residences, major renovations, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes throughout West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. For more than 30 years, we have combined thoughtful building planning, advanced CAD and BIM technology, practical construction knowledge and permit-ready construction drawings to create homes that respond naturally to their site, views and surroundings. Our firm is particularly recognized for designing technically challenging hillside and waterfront residences, where careful planning, municipal approval experience and a deep understanding of the landscape result in homes that are timeless, highly functional and uniquely suited to their environment.
Explore our residential design services, view our featured custom homes, or contact Rommel Design to discuss your project.
AScT, CRD, Dipl T
Joe Rommel is the principal of Rommel Design Ltd. and a Certified Building Designer with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC). With more than 30 years of experience designing homes on Vancouver’s North Shore and throughout coastal British Columbia, he brings practical construction knowledge, municipal approval experience and a strong commitment to thoughtful residential design.
Born in Baden-Baden and raised in Gaggenau on the edge of Germany's Black Forest, Joe Rommel developed an early appreciation for thoughtfully designed homes, quality craftsmanship, and the relationship between buildings and their natural surroundings. After relocating to British Columbia's West Coast as a teenager, he found a landscape whose mountains, forests, and coastline would profoundly influence his design philosophy and eventually become the inspiration behind Rommel Design Ltd.'s signature West Coast residential design.
Joe graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in 1982 with a Diploma in Building Technology before beginning a career dedicated exclusively to residential building design. Early in his career, he participated in the revitalization of Vancouver's historic Yaletown district, gaining valuable experience in building planning, construction detailing, and urban redevelopment. During the 1985 recession, he broadened his international experience by working in Giessen, Germany, and later under the mentorship of the late Professor Karl Dittert, contributing to the design and construction of a 5,000-square-foot showroom at Houston's Innova Design Center.
Returning to British Columbia, Joe founded Rommel Design Ltd., a residential building design firm specializing in custom homes, luxury residences, major renovations, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and challenging hillside and waterfront properties. For more than three decades, he has designed hundreds of custom homes and residential projects while working closely with homeowners, builders, engineers, municipalities, and consultants to deliver permit-ready construction drawings and thoughtfully designed homes throughout West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler, the Sunshine Coast, and communities across British Columbia.
Extensive travel throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East has further enriched Joe's understanding of building design, proportion, materials, and regional design traditions. These influences are reflected in homes that combine timeless design principles with practical construction knowledge, energy-efficient building practices, and a strong connection to the surrounding landscape.
Joe Rommel is a Certified Building Designer with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia (ASTTBC). For more than 30 years, he has specialized in the design of custom homes, luxury residences, major renovations, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes throughout coastal British Columbia. His award-winning work—including multiple Georgie Awards and Heritage Design Awards in West and North Vancouver—reflects a career defined by thoughtful residential building design, technical excellence, integrity, and exceptional client service.