youCUBE is an 18 unit housing development that explores the potential for density and affordability on a narrow, 264’ x 63’ urban lot. Located on the north end of Waterfront Drive, the project occupies a seemingly unremarkable site with limited visibility of the nearby river and neglected, industrial surroundings. With a modest budget and a background in custom home building, the developer needed a design that could be built using standard construction methods by residential contractors. In response, the project challenges conventional multi-family housing design with a modular and more affordable configuration of individual dwellings that goes beyond the brief to include extensive outdoor space and inspired architectural interiors.

The final composition clusters three and four storey townhouses together on an elevated plaza, which provides access to all of the suite entrances and shelters parking below. Each unit culminates in a rooftop patio with spectacular 360 degree vistas of the river and city skyline. Inside, the suites are defined by an architectural ‘wrap’, a design element that sculpts the interior into a fluid sequence of open plan rooms within a spacious, light-filled volume.

Photography: James Brittain

Awards: 2015 Premier’s Design Award of Merit; 2011 AR Future Projects Award | Commended; 2009 Canadian Architect Award of Merit

Press:

2015
youCUBE | Yapi | Sept
youCUBE | ID+C | April

The Guertin Boatport is a two-storey, open-air floating dock and fixed boardwalk situated on Storm Bay in western Ontario. The main level provides two sheltered boat stalls while the upper floor serves as an informal lounge space and viewing deck. Occupying a permanent position along an isolated stretch of the shoreline, the boatport accommodates shifting site conditions in order to provide a year-round amenity for the client.

The project is composed of fragmented vertical planes clad in reflective materials that scatter and redirect light off the lake’s surface. Perforated metal walls protect against wind and filter views while still allowing for extended sightlines of the bay and the surrounding Canadian Shield.

The boatport is accessed by an extruded aluminum plank boardwalk that follows the profile of the rocky shore. Flexible, hinged joints accommodate the rise and fall of water levels, as well as the freeze and thaw cycles of ice. The structure consists of custom designed, cold-formed steel C-channels, pressure treated joists and composite decking. The upper deck is lowered around its edges to keep the lake view clear and unobstructed by the stainless steel cable guards.

Award: 2013 Architizer A+ Awards | Winner 

Welcome Place offers shelter and transitional services to Manitoba’s new refugees. On a quiet residential street in an inner-city neighbourhood, the building is designed to address the fragile psychological and emotional state of residents and to help them to slowly transition to a new, supported life in Canada. The design concept was for the building to feel like a solid, protective volume, with offices on the lower floors, and three levels of residential suites above. The residential units are sheltered behind heavy walls with deeply set, porthole-like windows that provide occupants with discrete outdoor views while minimizing views in.

A sequence of shared spaces – starting with a landscaped entry courtyard, flowing to indoor lounges, assembly and seminar rooms and offices, and culminating with a rooftop terrace – flow through the building encouraging interaction amongst residents and staff. The solidity of the building is broken down with these colourful and airy public spaces, giving occupants an opportunity to experience openness and positivity while still within the protective shell. Once familiar with their surroundings, the residents will gradually start to transition from their private accommodation to utilize the shared spaces and subsequently ease their way into the surrounding community. This act is a first step towards their lives as Canadians.

Photography: James Brittain

Press:

2020
Welcome Place | Architectural Digest | Jan