0000

Updates

13.05.07
5468796 is selected for the WAN 21 FOR 21 Award.

13.04.25
Bloc_10 wins an RAIC Award of Excellence for Innovation in Architecture.

13.04.19
62M is featured in the Globe and Mail.

13.04.02
5468796 receives the 2013 RAIC Emerging Architectural Practice Award. 

13.03.22
Guertin Boatport wins an Architizer A+ Award (Jury + Popular Choice) in the Port Facilities & Boat Piers Typology.

13.02.15
OMS Stage (Fabrication), Guertin Boatport (Port Facilities & Boat Piers) + Centre Village (Living Small) have all been shortlisted for an Architizer A+ Award. Public voting is open until March 8th.

13.02.07
The Avenue Building is featured in Architectural Record. 5468796 receives a Governor General's Medal in Architecture for Bloc_10 and lectures at the HUB Ottawa Brown Bag Lunch series.

12.11.29
Bloc_10 wins Architectural Review's Emerging Architecture Award in London, UK.

12.11.05
Bloc_10 wins Prairie Wood Design Award, Edmonton, AB.

12.10.04 
5468796 lectures at the Ryerson Department of Architectural Sciences.

12.10.03 
Bond Tower and Bloc_10 presented at the World Architecture Festival, Singapore, SG.

12.07.20
Bloc 10 and Bond Tower have been shortlisted for the 2012 World Architecture Festival Awards in Singapore.

12.06.07
OMS Stage published in Gestalten's new book, The Sky's the Limit.

12.05.08
Bloc10 is awarded a 2012 Governor General's Medal in Architecture.

12.04.27
5468796 wins two 2012 Prairie Design Awards. One for OMS Stage and one for Webster Cottage.

12.03.01 Arquine Conference
5468796 to present at the Arquine Conference in Mexico City

12.02.14
Bond Tower is chosen for the 'First Award' at the 2012 p/a awards from Architect Magazine.

12.02.14
Centre Village makes the shortlist of 7 projects for the 2012 Residential WAN Awards

12.01.30
5468796 selected for the 2012 Emerging Voices lecture series by The Architectural League NYC.

12.01.27
5468796 is featured as the Portfolio of the Week on The Atlantic Cities.

11.12.15
Bond Tower is chosen for a 2011 Canadian Architect Award of Merit.

11.12.02
5468796 chosen as one of 10 international firms for the annual Architectural Record Design Vanguard.

11.12.02
Added projects: 0212 Bond Tower | 0000 Stack | 0197 MB Start
Updated projects: 0022 BGBX | 0054 Boatport | 0133 Bloc_10 | 0078 youCube | 0169 Avenue + Hample

11.11.14
OMS Stage wins Project of the Year for Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Awards 2011

11.11.07
5468796 welcomes Eva, our new office manager!

11.09.15
5468796 wins the 2011 Arthur Erickson Memorial Award from Western Living Magazine

11.08.17
Centre Village and OMS Stage shortlisted for the 2011 World Architecture Festival.

01.08.11
Migrating Landscapes national design competition for the 2012 Venice Biennale registration is now open. Go to www.migratinglandscapes.ca for more information.  
Registration period : August 1st to September 15 

14.07.11
OMS Stage shortlisted for the 2011 WAN Interiors & Lighting Design Awards.

12.07.11
5468796 shortlisted for the Arthur Erickson Memorial Award as part of Western Living's 2011 Designers of the Year Awards.

11.07.11
5468796 welcomes Jordy to the team!

01.07.11
The Venice Biennale Migrating Landscapes national design competition is announced! See the Migrating Landscapes website for more details.

18.06.11
OMS Stage selected for People Choice in the 2011 AZ Awards | Jury Award Category! Big thanks to everyone that voted.

10.06.11
5468796 selected for the 2011 Winnipeg Arts Council "Marking a Mark" Award.

17.05.11
Of 114 entries, 5468796 is selected as one of 16 'highly commended' firms in the WAN 21 for 21 Awards.

09.05.11

5468796 along with Jae Sung Chon are selected to represent Canada at the 2012 Venice Biennale for Architecture. Visit the "Migrating Landscapes" website for details.

07.05.11
Added Avenue+Hample project.
Updated photos for WRHA, Bloc10, BGBX, and Welcome Place.

20.04.11
5468796 welcomes Jayne to the team!

19.04.11
OMS Stage wins a 2011 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Award of Excellence [for Art].

15.04.11
Our entry to the City of Edmonton Park Pavillion design competition titled "OVER / UNDER" for MillWoods Park receives a 'citation'. The design titled "Char" for Victoria Park is shortlisted.

Over / Under [PDF] | Char [PDF] | Dugout [PDF]

08.04.11
5468796 is a finalist in the Jury-created "Special Category" of the Azure Magazine AZ Awards for OMS Stage.

20.03.11
5468796 is a selected practice to be featured in the Twenty and Change 03 publication and exhibitions.

04.03.11
5468796 is the recipient of the 2011 Spirit of Winnipeg Award in the 'small business' category.

Updated the following projects:
0134 OMS
0011 Centre Village
0027 Welcome Place

02.02.11
5468796 is commended for a 2011 AR Future Projects Award for youCUBE

14.12.10
5468796 wins a 2010 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence for Bloc10

14.12.10
5468796 wins a 2010 AR Award for Emerging Architecture for OMS Stage! The only North American project to do so this year. The whole office travelled to London, England to accept.

01.11.10
5468796 wins a 2010 Prairie Wood Design Award for both Webster Cottage and Holy Names House of Peace Dining Room!

22.09.10
5468796 welcomes Zach to the team!

Added the following projects:
0138 AnX

Updated the following projects:
0134 OMS
0133 Bloc10
0011 Centre Village
0057 Webster Cottage
0078 YouCube
0054 Guertin Boatport
0025 Venio Store

Exhibit, "Bridal Path" at Harbourfront Centre Toronto has come and gone.

01.08.10
Added the following projects:
0122 wrha on hargrave
0112 e_regulr house
0155 sunspot

08.07.10
Added the following project:
0134 OMS Stage ['The Cube']

Graphic updates for the following projects:
0011 Centre Village Housing Co-op

05.07.10
5468796 welcomes Maria to the team!

26.06.10
YouCube and Centre Village open show suites as part of the annual Downtown Living Tour.

25.06.10
YouCube ribbon cutting. Mark Penner[GSD] and Denver Kroeker[Artisan Homes] help 5468796 operate the big scissors.

23.06.10
5468796 [w/ Cohlmeyer Architect] wins a 2010 Prairie Design Award of Merit for Bohemier Residence.

18.06.10
'The Bridal Path' opens as part of Redux Park @ The Harbourfront Centre with Brook McIlroy and vlan paysages [w/ Atelier in situ].

17.06.10
OMS Stage ['The Cube'] opens! First public concerts are performed on the stage, followed by the MEME Festival and the Winnipeg Jazz Festival.

20.05.10
Johanna Hurme wins the 2010 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Emerging Business! We are all proud of you.

07.05.10
5468796 is 3! and we've moved to a new office at 266 McDermot.

22.01.10
BGBX is awarded a 2010 P/A Award.

16.12.09
YouCube is awarded a 2009 Canadian Architect Award of Merit.

13.12.09
Added the following projects:
0133 BLOC_10
0021 New Directions
0011 Centre Village Housing Co-op
0027 Welcome Place

10.10.09
Graphic updates for the following projects:
0078 YouCube
0057 Webster Cottage
0022 BGBX
0007 Bohemier Residence

20.09.09
0000 General | Congrats to Team 5468796 for winning the annual MAA Ken Pratt Memorial Golf Tournament!

0000 General | 5468796 part of the Twenty + Change Book 2

0078 Youcube | part of exhibit "Sounds like 1974" at UofM Arch II Gallery

0000 General | Congratulations to Colin, Architect!

27.05.09
0078 Youcube | phase 1 foundation permit granted! [confetti falls from sky]

15.05.09
0054 Guertin Boatport | "we should construct all of our buildings with helicopters" update

14.05.09
0126 Square Meal | project added

11.05.09
0000 General | 5468796 is 2.

01.02.09
0000 General | YouCube and BGBX accepted to twenty+change exhibit.
   
0072 Mitchell Copp | project added
0072 Mitchell Copp | featured in Winnipeg Free Press.
0057 Webster Cottage | project added

27.01.09
0078 Youcube | discussed in the Jury comments of Canadian Architects' Awards of Excellence 2008 issue.

05.01.09
0000 General | Office_v3. We've expanded.

01.01.09
0000 General | Happy New Year!

27.11.08
0000 Updates | created update column
0078 Youcube | updated graphic content
 

<<<

0242

62M

• Client:
  Status:
  Year:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  Green Seed Development Corp.
  design development
  2013
  $4.5M
  multi-family residential
  27000 sqft
  

62M is a 40-unit residential development located at the edge of downtown Winnipeg and the Red River. Compressed between a freeway and the backs of neighbouring properties, the site was considered undesirable due to restricted views and a lack of street frontage. Lifted up on 35’ high stilts, the project overcomes the limitations of its surroundings with an iconic form and unprecedented sightlines.

The two storey, circular building is both spatially efficient and cost-effective. As a whole, the 360 degree plan provides the widest possible perimeter for glass with the smallest amount of exterior envelope to construct. In addition, all units have identical, pie-shaped layouts that simplify assembly. Each 610 s.f. suite is arranged so that the entry and utility spaces occupy the narrow end, closest to the circulation core. This configuration frees the remaining square footage for a flexible, open living area that culminates in an expansive wall of floor to ceiling glass.

At ground level, a forest of columns fills the site; some of these stilts support the building while others function as light standards to illuminate the parking area. Their thinness becomes a clear counterpoint to the thicker ring of housing, emphasizing the weight and mass of the building floating above.

0169

The Avenue on Portage

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  Mark + Rick Hofer
  complete
  2012
  $10.8M
  Multi-family residential + commercial
  73000sqft + 22500sqft
  

The Avenue on Portage revives two historic commercial buildings from the early 1900s located one block west of Winnipeg’s most famous corner, Portage and Main. Once major retail destinations in the city, the Avenue and Hample Buildings experienced a slow decline, becoming blights to the street and downtown. In 2010 our client purchased the site to develop the derelict properties into 75 rental apartments and 22,500 s.f. of commercial space.

A series of formally simple moves dramatically transform the original façades, shifting public perception of the buildings from eyesores to a unified urban landmark. Hovering above the sidewalk, steel balconies cantilever from existing window openings and provide outdoor access for residents. Clad in mirror-finish aluminum, the balconies become camouflaged against their surroundings, reflecting at turns the sky, the façade and the street below. At street level a wall of glass folds back into the building to create a deep, V-shaped entrance that broadens the width of the sidewalk. Overhead, a faceted canopy angles outward 13 feet from the face of the Hample before returning to meet the edge of the Avenue, unifying the two façades. Together, these elements draw the city into the building’s expression, making it an active participant in the life of the street.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography unless noted.

0197

Manitoba Start

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  Manitoba Start
  complete
  2012
  $1.7M
  offices + classrooms
  22500 sqft
  

Manitoba Start is a non-profit organization that provides services to Winnipeg’s recent immigrants, including orientation classes, career counseling and employment workshops. Their new facility is located on the main floor of The Avenue on Portage, a landmark heritage building in the city’s downtown.

Faced with a somewhat irregular grid of existing columns, the plan responds with a hexagonal geometry that flows freely through the building. Rooms oriented at 30 and 60 degree angles establish solid and void spaces that allow for easier movement of people and greater connectivity between elements. Fixed programs are contained in solid boxes - with walls of birch plywood or white-painted MDF - while flexible spaces fill the remaining voids. Hexagonal perforations in the plywood panels provide a greater sense of openness while still maintaining visual separation, acting as a filter between the more energized public environment and the quieter classroom zones.

The hexagonal geometry is employed in a variety of forms and at multiple scales, from the configuration of lighting and the open office furniture layout, to the detailing of way-finding signage and interior finishes. Functioning as both an organizing principle and a graphic element, the repeated pattern establishes a coherent spatial arrangement and cohesive branding for the organization.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography.

0198

Migrating Landscapes

• Location:
  Client:
  
  Status:
  Year:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  
  Venice, Italy + Canada [various]
  Canada Council for the Arts +
  Architecture Canada | RAIC
  in progress
  2011-2012
  $1M
  traveling exhibition
  

Migrating Landscapes was selected by a national juried competition as Canada’s official entry at the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture. The project is curated by 5468796 Architecture + Jae-Sung Chon, who have joined together to become the Migrating Landscapes Organizer (MLO).
Migrating Landscapes explores the settling-unsettling dynamic of im/migration, featuring 18 video narratives and architectural scale models of ‘dwellings’ designed by young architects/designers. The work was selected by a prestigious jury from a Canada-wide competition and displayed in regional exhibitions, organized and constructed by MLO over the course of the past year.

MLO has designed a wooden exhibition infrastructure that acts as an abstract ‘new landscape’ onto which each architectural ‘dwelling’ is ‘settled’. The Landscape is envisioned as a malleable grid mosaic – an abstraction of the physical [configuration], social [relationship], economic [size] and political [hierarchy] conditions that form Canada’s cultural landscape. Modified by individual designers and collectives, the topography celebrates our differences and reveals our cultural multiplicity and interpretations of [un]settling.

The theme of this year’s Biennale, ‘Common Ground’, resonates with Migrating Landscapes, which questions socio-political borders, the migration of people and ideas, and at its core, exposes attitudes we all hold of others, consciously or unconsciously.

0212

Bond Tower

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  
  Green Seed Development
  design development
  TBD
  TBD
  commercial + office
  40000 sqft
  2012 World Architecture Festival Shortlist
  2012 p/a awards | First Award
  2011 Canadian Architect Award of Merit
  

Bond Tower is an eleven-storey office building that stands in clear contrast to the downtown Winnipeg skyline. Rising as a thin, black bar from its extremely narrow lot, the tower offers 4,200 s.f. floors of corporate condominiums and views of the downtown, resting on a commercial base. While the main level sits within the city’s setback regulations, the upper stories cantilever fifteen feet over the sidewalk on each short end, engaging the streetscape below, extending the usable floor space and capturing daylight through full-height glazing.

Due to the 33’ lot width, it becomes necessary to build flush with the side yards in order to maximize square footage requirements. As a result, no windows are permitted on the east or west façades. The introduction of diagonal ‘courtyards’ cutting through the structure allows the space to be broken up into smaller compartments, increasing access to light, views and fresh air. Generic plans are made unique by the size, orientation and location of these apertures, which are angled upward to incorporate a long flight of accessible, bleacher-style steps. Since every hole crosses from one floor to another, the floor plates remain continuous either above or below the opening. Where the office interiors are private, the apertures become places for potential collaboration with neighbours, opening up a wide range of social possibilities.

0122

WRHA on hargrave

• User Group:
  Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  WRHA on Hargrave
  Hargrave Holdings LLC.
  complete
  2012
  withheld
  office
  33 000sqft
  

WRHA on Hargrave is a six storey, 43,000 s.f. office building in downtown Winnipeg. Bound by a street, a parking lot and two existing buildings, the site could only accommodate a 75’x75’ floor plate. With a conventional stair and elevator core, the project would not have provided enough usable area to meet the WRHA’s requirements for open office space and access to natural light. By uncoiling the stair flights, pushing them to the building’s perimeter and allowing them to cantilever over the site’s boundaries, the project became possible. Additional square footage was claimed for the offices, making the design economically viable and creating uninterrupted office space with ample daylight. The perimeter staircases also give the building its distinct appearance.

Starting from opposite corners, two staircases spiral down the building’s perimeter. The sloping stair geometry creates an unconventional massing on all four sides of the building and provides an unexpected spatial experience within. The exterior skin stretches over this geometry, with the stairs dividing the building in half and making a natural break between the more expensive curtain wall and the more economical metal cladding with punched windows. This division makes the material decisions appear natural and elevates the perceived value of the project.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography.

0112

e_regulr house

• Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  Sue + Adam Dyck
  construction
  2011
  withheld
  single family residential
  2000sqft
  

Located on an 80 acre piece of densely forested agricultural land a few miles north of Steinbach, Manitoba is the e-regular house. It nestles lightly on an elevated meadow situated about 300 feet from the access road. This secluded spot is marked by well-established oak, maple and pine trees.

Distributed throughout this piece of rolling prairie are distinct geographic bands running east and west along the length of the property differentiated by vegetation, elevation and soil type. The geometry of the residence recalls these geographic bands, while resting gently on the landscape and responding to the existing trees. As the house peels open to engage the landscape, the landscape in turn becomes essential to the character of the house. It sits slightly above the ground supported by thin walls that rise up from the soil hugging the entry points. From the heart of the residence one can see outside in every direction. Surrounding views link the home’s residents to the outdoors and enhance natural ventilation capabilities. The courtyards are designed to be micro-climates that shade and mitigate heat gain during the summer while creating sheltered outdoor spaces during the winter. Roof rainwater is captured in cisterns so that it may be used for irrigation of the garden and orchard.

0155

Sunspot

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  The Forks
  complete
  2010
  $10,000
  warming hut
  18' diameter
  

Sunspot, along with four other skating shelters designed by local and international architecture firms, was part of an exhibition of Warming Huts along the Forks River Trail in the winter of 2009. The event is now an annual celebration of art and architecture on ice.

The finished project is the result of a collaboration between 5468796 Architecture and Winnipeg-based artist Ewa Tarsia. The sphere is an extension of Ewa’s exploration of ‘dot’, a recurring theme in her recent work, as well as an interpretation of the ultimate source of heat - the sun.

The Sunspot hangs from the Forks’ Historic Rail Bridge, hovering just three feet above the frozen river. Composed of a structural frame coated in a skin of ice and coloured water, the interior is rendered with a vibrant and warm glow that evokes Tarsia’s painting plates. A large diameter opening at the bottom of the sphere allows skaters to enter and experience the transformed sky. The bottom ring provides a rope-wrapped bench to rest on, while the structure offers shelter from the wind.

0134

OMS Stage

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  
  Exchange District BIZ
  complete
  2010
  $1M
  public performance venue
  28'x28'x28'
  2011 Project of the Year Canadian Interiors
  2011 AZ Award | Peoples Choice
  2011 RAIC Award of Excellence
  2010 AR Award for Emerging Architecture
  

‘The Cube’ is an open-air performance venue situated in Old Market Square, an iconic green space and summer festival hub in Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District. In 2009, 5468796 won an invited competition with a multi-functional design that throws out the old bandshell concept on the grounds that when a conventional stage is not in use it looks forlorn - especially through the city's long winters.

A concrete structure enclosed by a flexible metal membrane, The Cube functions as a multipurpose environment. The membrane is composed of 20,000 identical hollow aluminum pieces strung together on aircraft cables. The orientation of the pieces alternates, forming a malleable and shimmering curtain that can stand like a wall, be pulled in to reveal the performance space, or function as a light-refracting surface - allowing it to morph into a projection screen, concert venue, shelter or sculptural object. The curtain’s flexibility also allows for acoustical fine tuning. When the stage is closed, the membrane’s diamond extrusions capture and refract internal lighting or projections to their outer surface, creating a unique pixel matrix for artists to appropriate at will.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography unless noted.

0133

Bloc_10

• Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  
  Green Seed Development Corp.
  complete
  2011
  $2M
  condominiums
  12 000sqft
  2012 AR Emerging Architecture Award
  2012 World Architecture Festival Shortlist
  2012 Governor General's Medal in Arch.
  2010 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence
  

Bloc_10 is a multi-family housing project that strives to re-imagine and re-invent the market-driven condominium. Situated on the site of a former gas station, the developer wanted a modestly priced building designed and constructed within 12 months. The resulting three-storey, 10-unit condominium is modeled after a ‘white-box’ concept: each buyer purchases an unfinished unit with basic plumbing, heating and electrical systems installed, allowing them to decide which rooms and finishes they would like on each floor. 5468796 challenged traditional townhouse layouts with apartments that cross from one side of the building to the other as they ascend over three levels. This arrangement provides every unit with north and south views, and transforms eight into corner suites. To take advantage of the maximum allowable mass for the development, cantilevered projections expand rooms, create balconies and provide support for the screen of vertical wood slats that wraps the exterior. The screen provides each homeowner with privacy and shade, filtering surrounding views and creating a buffer against traffic noise. The screen’s sheer texture unifies the façade and gives Bloc_10 a distinctive identity within the neighbourhood.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography unless noted.

0011

Centre Village

• Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Publications:
  Awards:
  
  Centre Venture
  complete
  2010
  $2.5M
  multi-family residential
  15 000sqft [25 units]
  2012 WAN Awards : Residential | Shortlist
  2011 World Architecture Festival Shortlist
  Canadian Architect | April 2011
  

Serving underprivileged families, Winnipeg’s Centre Village housing cooperative utilizes design to help revitalize a neglected inner-city neighbourhood and to provide its residents with a unique setting that inspires pride and community. The site was an abandoned lot zoned for six single-family houses. Instead, the project established a micro village of 25 dwellings within six, three-storey blocks. The blocks’ arrangement both defines and animates two public spaces - a through-street and a shared courtyard - that weave the city into the project and provide amenities for residents and neighbours. Each dwelling has its own entrance at grade or up an exterior staircase, reducing internal circulation and prompting residents to get to know one another.

The units have rich and playful compositions made from simple, compact and easy-to-build 8’x12’ modules and cantilevered 14’x12’ modules for larger living areas. Modules are then stacked and interlocked to create diverse unit configurations distributed over several floors. A typical residence has eight or more windows on at least two sides of the building, providing ample and varied access to daylight and cross-ventilation. Deeply set, vibrant orange cowlings around the windows modulate privacy and views into the units, granting Centre Village a distinct identity in the city.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography unless noted.

0027

Welcome Place

• User Group:
  Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  MIIC
  hold zone inc.
  complete
  2010
  $4M
  housing + support
  25 000sqft
  

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.

*All photographs by James Brittain Photography.

0126

Square Meal

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Award:
  
  Riverview Health Centre
  complete
  2009
  n/a
  exhibit
  8'x8'x8'
  'The Event' Runner-up
  

The Riverview Health Centre (RHC) serves individuals with rehabilitation and long term care needs, and strives to create a welcoming, healing environment for its clients. The Riverview Health Centre Foundation supports RHC’s initiatives through various philanthropic endeavours, including a fundraising dinner called ‘The Event.’ First held in 2008, ‘The Event’ calls upon local designers to create original, dining-themed settings that are then judged and awarded prizes at the end of the evening.

Square Meal is an interactive dining space, in contrast to the more formal and rigid table settings that have become obsolete in many households. The design uses 96 sheets of 1/2” mdf, spaced 2” apart, to create an 8’ x 8’ cube. The cube is then carved into and out of to create different eating nooks, allowing occupants to dine however they choose, whether it’s lying down, standing up or somewhere in between.

0072

Mitchell Copp

• Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  North Portage Devel. Corp.
  closed
  TBA
  TBA
  commercial / office spaces
  10 000sqft
  

The Mitchell-Copp building emerged during an era of intense growth and economic development along Portage Avenue, one of Winnipeg’s most important arteries. Constructed in the early 1900s, the building was converted to a bank in 1920, with renovations including the monumental facade it still has today. Extensive fire damage later destroyed the interior, leaving behind a burned-out shell that remained empty for years before its recent acquisition by the North Portage Development Corporation.

The new design contains four floors of offices suspended over a restaurant space that is sunken into the former basement. This floating, translucent box is set back from the walls and front facade, bringing daylight to the interior and creating an impressive, forty foot high volume free of visual obstructions.

The project is a study in contrast between old and new, simplicity and classical embellishments, letting the existing building speak through texture and ornament. Blackened brick walls will be cleaned and left exposed, and glazing in the barrel-vaulted ceiling and arched window on the facade will be restored.

0057

Webster Cottage

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  
  private
  complete
  2010
  withheld
  cottage
  1200sqft [enclosed]
  2010 Prairie Wood Design Award
  

Located adjacent to Lake Winnipeg in the village of Dunnottar, Webster Cottage is a modest, 4-season home away from home for a family of four. Cottage functions are divided to create a variety of habitable spaces, and allow for energy conservation through seasonal expansion and contraction. One roof envelopes three primary structures [main cottage / summer cottage / accessory building (storage+carport)] and an array of outdoor rooms [screen porch, covered decks, open decks]. Spaces are linked on the ground by a raised walkway. The material palette is kept simple to emphasize the contrast between the roof surface of dark, ribbed siding and the internal structures of exposed framing, plywood and translucent glass and plastics.

Inside, a simple strip of living space folds onto itself, orienting views toward the lake, and capturing sunlight and natural breezes. Delicate maneuvers in plan and elevation help preserve existing trees on the property. Complexity is created at the crease where the main cottage twists in response to these site conditions. The resulting two-storey sawtooth wall that bisects the main cottage and the triangulated roof surface brings dynamic volumes to an otherwise uncomplicated wood-frame cottage structure.

0078

YouCube

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Award:
  
  Greenseed Development Corp.
  complete
  2012 [phase 1]
  $4M
  multi-family residential
  15 000sqft [18 units]
  2009 Canadian Architect Award of Merit
  2011 AR Future Projects Award | Commended
  

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 river and neglected, industrial surroundings.

The project challenges conventional multi-family housing design, providing three and four storey townhouses with rooftop terraces clustered together on an elevated community plaza. Each unit is an open living cube defined by an architectural ‘wrap’, an element that delineates floors, mezzanines, and storage units as it weaves through the space. The wrap reacts with the walls of the cube by folding back onto itself, or continuing upward to form window openings. Touching only two walls at a time, the open edges of the wrap create dramatic overlooks to the spaces below.

The building’s pristine white finish stands in intentional contrast to the neighbourhood’s current setting, which is changing rapidly as the south end of Waterfront Drive is redefined by high-priced condominiums. youCUBE has the potential to enliven the street with a new residential demographic and small-scale commercial activity, increasing pedestrian traffic and acting as a catalyst for future growth.

0054

Guertin Boatport

• Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  withheld
  construction
  2011
  withheld
  boatport and boardwalk
  3000 sqft + boardwalk
  

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.

0025

venio store

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  North Portage Development Corp.
  complete
  2008
  $15 000 [storefront only]
  storefront
  1000sqft
  

Pedestrian skywalks are a common fixture in downtown Winnipeg, due to a harsh winter climate that sends bundled-up citizens inside for much of the year. The popularity of these transition spaces has led to the emergence of a number of retailers, including a small convenience shop called Venio Store.

The client required a simple security divider but could not afford the traditional, accordion fold systems that dominate most shopping malls. Our studio was challenged to design a creative and cost-effective alternative. The end result is a white metal screen perforated with small holes to create an abstract, geometric pattern that changes depending on lighting conditions and viewing angle. The 1” diameter openings are small enough to prevent theft but large enough to provide sufficient visibility. Instead of a typical sliding configuration, the main door swings on a 360 degree pivot, while two additional service doors can be opened 180 degrees as needed.

The majority of the 45 foot screen is constructed from off-the-shelf, pre-punched panels with custom scalloped tops and bottoms. As a result, only a few sheets required custom perforations in order to generate a gradation in the density of holes around the final curve.

0022

BGBX

• Client:
  Status:
  Expected Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  
  CSB Corp.
  construction
  2012
  $3.6M
  multi-family loft condos
  24 000sqft [24 units]
  2010 p/a Award [multifamily]
  

BGBX finds precedent in a big box design typology, transforming an existing parking lot on a hostile industrial corridor into a 24 unit housing development and public green space. Six separate blocks are arranged on the site, with alternating two and three storey residential loft units and small scale commercial flex spaces at grade.

The project begins as a white, nondescript box, a blank volume which is then strategically sliced at six points to reveal unexpected glimpses of lush foliage at the building’s centre. This hidden courtyard cuts away at the box from the inside, creating a multi-facetted façade that is clad in a pixelated forest of green and yellow panels. On the exterior, a corrugated metal skin shields residents from the unyielding character of the street.

The design of BGBX is simplified through the integration of its building systems; despite the project’s irregular shape, a module based on 4’ wide hollow core slabs determines the entire architectural, structural, and mechanical composition of the units. In the courtyard, abundant vegetation acts as lungs for the building, providing fresh air for residents. Gray water cisterns collect run-off from the roofs, and bioswales in the courtyard eliminate the need for catch basins.

*For sales: contact Mary Pidlaski, Re-Max | 204.477.0500

0010

SK8*

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  
  The Forks | SK8
  complete
  2008
  $0.1M
  commercial kiosk
  1000sqft
  

The SK8 kiosk was developed in conjunction with the new skateboard park at the Forks in downtown Winnipeg. Developed for two clients, the Forks and the SK8 skateboard store, the venue was to be both temporary and seasonal. The project consists of two phases, the open-air kiosk and the enclosed storage and repair shop.

The phase I kiosk began as a simple exercise to create a structure that could be disassembled and would require a minimal amount of connections during its erection. While all of the components for the structure are custom manufactured, the play of creating volume and enclosure from the modular and easy-to-manufacture pieces remain evident in the final product. The 1/4” thick, one foot wide aluminum plates create a simple interlocking egg crate structure that has enough strength to span as a roof or a wall, but also to function as shelving for the store merchandise. The enclosed volume is metaphorically ‘pulled apart’ to allow for access points into the 12’ x 16’ kiosk.

The phase II structure acts as a companion piece to the original frame. The one foot module continues, but the aluminum structure is now expressed on the inside and clad with cellular plastic panels on three of its exterior faces.

0007

private residence*

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  Publications:
  
  withheld
  complete
  2009
  withheld
  single family residence
  3500sqft
  2010 Prairie Design Award of Merit
  Canadian Interiors | Jan-Feb 2011
  

The residence is located on Victoria Crescent, an established residential street that follows the Red River as it bends through the Winnipeg neighbourhood of St. Vital. The site encompasses two former river lots in one large, heavily treed parcel. The original house on the property was built circa 1920, but its form had long been lost under layers of modifications, additions and tacked-on porches and decks.

The essence of the old house becomes the centre of the new residence, with the original foundation preserved as a sunken courtyard. The design turns the original spatial arrangement inside out, transforming house to courtyard, yard to house, solid to void and void to solid.

The courtyard expands the visual space beyond the enclosed rooms and creates a nexus around which circulation spirals in three dimensions. A bridge links the carport to the main entry across the sunken courtyard - taking one over and through the void into the house. A hidden panoramic view of the river beyond is revealed upon entering the vaulted hall, drawing the landscape into the interior.

*while at Cohlmeyer Architecture Ltd.

0000

big brother | little sister*

• Client:
  Status:
  Year of Completion:
  Budget:
  Project Type:
  Size:
  Awards:
  
  Radulovic | Hurme
  complete
  2006
  $0.2M
  Loft Condos [2 units]
  2900sqft
  Award of Excellence [PDA 2006]
  

Twin condominiums occupy the south side of the 5th floor in the historic Travellers Building in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.The 1800 sq ft & 1100 sq ft dwellings were designed and constructed as a pair from their inception to completion. They share a conceptual approach and attitude to detailing, while exhibiting unique qualities and personalities responding to the residents’ priorities.

The projects attempt to carve contemporary dwellings into heritage building by means of preserving and respecting the building’s historic fabric while contrasting it with the minimalist modern interiors.

Each condominium flows freely around the enclosed functions organized at their centres, leaving the exterior walls free of joining partitions. Zones within are separated for visual privacy by procession sequences from one scale to another. Mezzanines expand the floor space and allow for intimacy in the 14-foot high space. The spaces are rendered with the essential textures of their materials, while touches of decadence and luxury add a twinkle to the restrained interiors.