About IHS Design

Residential design shaped by real project experience

IHS Design is a residential design practice informed by long experience with the technical, regulatory, and construction realities behind residential work. That background shapes how projects are planned, sited, coordinated, and moved forward.

Approach

Experience that shapes the work

Founded in 2007, IHS Design grew out of formal training, years of construction and design-related work, and a long-standing interest in how residential projects actually come together.

That perspective comes from more than drawing production alone. It is shaped by experience with site preparation, road building, subdivision work, home siting, estimating, permitting, and residential plan development. Together, those areas of work have built an approach that weighs proportion, livability, buildability, and project constraints at the same time.

People

Who we are

Chris Vickery, AScT

Chris graduated from BCIT in civil and structural design and has worked in residential design and construction-related roles since the mid-1990s. Before starting IHS Design in 2007, he spent two years as a construction estimator and ten years with a large home building and earth moving company in Kelowna, where he saw residential projects from the ground up through planning and construction.

That experience included subdivision design, lot preparation, road building, home siting, project coordination, permitting, and residential plan development. Over time, it gave Chris a strong understanding of how place, topography, permitting, and cost influence residential design decisions.

Chris is a member of the Applied Science Technologists & Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) and the BC Association of Building Designers (BCABD).

Keaton Weatherill

Keaton Weatherill completed the Architectural and Building Technology program at BCIT in 2026 after first earning a business degree from Okanagan College. He joined IHS Design full-time that same year, building on several summers of experience working alongside the firm and gaining early exposure to residential design practice.

Those years gave him a solid foundation in the careful development of residential projects and a growing understanding of the coordination and judgment behind good design work. He is a member of the BC Association of Building Designers (BCABD) and is beginning his professional career with a strong interest in residential design.

What clients can expect

Clients can expect a steady working relationship, direct communication, and sound judgment about what the project actually needs. The aim is not to overcomplicate the process, but to help sort out the important decisions and move the work forward in a sensible way.

That often means dealing with site issues, permitting questions, consultant input, budget limits, and design priorities at the same time. Good work depends on keeping those factors in view while moving the project toward a clear and well-resolved result.