Our Featured Projects.
Arctic Pirouette
Canada’s Arctic communities present a number of challenges solving the structure of building on permafrost in societies that exist in an extreme climate. Building on permafrost is difficult because the heat of the building can thaw the permafrost and destabilize the structure. Our solution to this problem is to suspend our building so the least amount of area will make contact to the ground. The suspension happens at the top of the central column. Like a ballerina standing on one leg performing a pirouette, the building spirals up the three floors of the research center around the central core. The cables are distributed to stabilize the two ramps and three floor plates. Though the research facility is located in Gjoa Haven, the structure is a modular system that can be constructed anywhere in Canada’s Arctic as the structure is not invasive to the ground.
Parabolic Pirouettes
Inspired by parabolic curves and proportions synonymous to ratios from Pascal’s triangle, the Parabolic Pirouette, a pedestrian bridge, frames Vancouver’s skyline and connects the False creek in a new way creating a beautiful experience. This bridge connects two focal points of Charleson Park allowing for voyages across with never before seen views on both sides. On one side, the suspension cables of the bridge add a splash of colour to the beautiful sight of Vancouver’s skyline, while in the opposite direction the transitional scene of city to water to park is established. Parabolic Pirouettes connects the urban and natural environments of Vancouver.
PASSAGE
PASSAGE is an installation for Nuit Blanche 2018 created by the artist collective smjilk. The piece invites the audience to be severed from the singularity of an individual’s life to reflect on their interactions within their personal and public spheres. They will be transported into a luminescent pathway where individuals will navigate through the structure, guided by a woven arrangement of polyester string. Overall, Passage represents the multiplicity of the city, its infinite possibilities, and the ways city and inhabitant challenge each other to change.
