Gambier Island homeowner Bruce Ramus says the design inspiration for his elaborate house came from a few icons: the Japanese temple, the native longhouse — and rock band U2.
To look at the house, which sits on 1.25 acres on Gambier Island in Howe Sound, the Japanese temple design is obvious. There are even peace bells hanging beneath the steep roofline. Inside, the giant vertical pillars create a feeling of cathedral-like height and light, and speak of the longhouse tradition. But other than a giant replica of a green olive lying out back — a leftover prop from U2’s PopMart tour — Bono and the boys’ influence is less overt.
Mr. Ramus, born in Squamish, B.C., worked with the Irish rockers for 16 years on 850 shows, first as their chief lighting director, then as show director. He’s also worked on shows for the Rolling Stones, R.E.M. and David Bowie, but it’s his work with U2 that shaped his life and his philosophy. The house, which took four years to build and a budget of more than $500,000 because of its complex construction, is the culmination of that experience, says Mr. Ramus.
The amazing Gambier Island home of Bruce Ramus, former U2 show manager. Japanese pagoda crossed with a native longhouse. It's almost entirely made from cedar off the lot on which it sits. All the walls of the house are solid wood, 6" thick. There is no insulation. Credit:Ron Thomas— Ron Thomas
The amazing Gambier Island home of Bruce Ramus, former U2 show manager. Japanese pagoda crossed with a native longhouse. It's almost entirely made from cedar off the lot on which it sits. All the walls of the house are solid wood, 6" thick. There is no insulation. Credit:Ron Thomas— Ron Thomas
The amazing Gambier Island home of Bruce Ramus, former U2 show manager. Japanese pagoda crossed with a native longhouse. It's almost entirely made from cedar off the lot on which it sits. All the walls of the house are solid wood, 6" thick. There is no insulation. Credit: Ron Thomas— Ron Thomas
It was the band’s painstaking approach to detail that inspired him, he says, standing in the house on a recent sunny Saturday afternoon. With solid cedar walls 6-inches thick, it truly has the hushed solemnity of a church. Mr. Ramus, wearing a brimmed hat and goatee, still looks the part of a concert techie.
The house is the antithesis to his experience working with U2, which was an exhausting pace. Immediately after a U2 show, they’d spend hours examining five videos that had been shot of every song and segue, and they’d deliberate on what worked and what didn’t. Their work ethic made him look at his life holistically.
“It was really their approach that made me pay attention — not specifically the lighting or sound or where they were standing on stage, but the exchange. That’s kind of what I learned on U2, to pay attention to how the exchange affects us on a profound level, whether it’s music or art, or architecture. That kind of opened the door for me.”
On a more physical level, his work with U2 helped in other ways. The house was finished in 2002, around the same time as U2's Elevation tour.
“That paid for this,” says Mr. Ramus, with a laugh.
The amazing Gambier Island home of Bruce Ramus, former U2 show manager. Japanese pagoda crossed with a native longhouse. It's almost entirely made from cedar off the lot on which it sits. All the walls of the house are solid wood, 6" thick. There is no insulation. Credit:Ron Thomas— Ron Thomas
The amazing Gambier Island home of Bruce Ramus, former U2 show manager. Japanese pagoda crossed with a native longhouse. It's almost entirely made from cedar off the lot on which it sits. All the walls of the house are solid wood, 6" thick. There is no insulation. Credit:Ron Thomas— Ron Thomas
