NEWS
2012 MASONRY DESIGN AWARD WINNER
On May 17, we were surprised and delighted to learn that Ambleside Fieldhouse was a recipient of a 2012 Masonry Design Award from the Masonry Institute of BC. This project was selected due to the commitment to the renovation and revitalization of the original concrete block building including the addition of finely crafted and beautiful granite wall that now faces the fields.
TANGENTIAL VANCOUVERISM
Tangential Vancouverism opens March 2nd! Ian has contributed writing along with Matthew Soules, Hannah Teicher and designers Hapa Collaborative, ph5, PUBLIC, RUF Project, and Space2Place.
Come to the opening this Friday at 8pm at 221a Artist Run Centre and return for the talks and publication launch on March 24th. Don't delay! Vancouver won't be an 'ism' forever!
RECREATION SPECULATION
What is it that architects do in the end, but offer speculations about the use of space?
Presently, we are working with a municipal client to clarify their ambitions for a significant regional park. The site's geography is defined by a network of abandoned ponds, small lakes, and brooks. Highly valued in its present state by the local community, the project's scope is to frame debate for the park's future use and clarify the demanding environmental concerns.
Central to the park's future is its relationship to the Abbotsford-Summas Aquifer. The drawings below imagine a scenario where the built recreation facilities have a biomimetic relationship to the aquifer - supplying, cleaning, and restoring it over time - while simultaneously providing for the established cultural and recreational activities desired by the surrounding communities.
MICROLOFTS AT BURNS BLOCK CONTINUE TO PIQUE INTEREST
Since December 19, 2011; when the Micro-lofts at 18 West Hastings St were officially presented to the media, a lively and interesting debate was generated at Grist , Tiny House Blog , Mother Nature Network , The National Post , CBC
In the wake of the debate, two articles have been written which more deeply investigate the architectural and contextual issues surrounding this project. See what Adele Weder writing for the Globe and Mail and Sean Ruthen writing for Spacing Vancouver have to say.
REGULATORY RESEARCH
Here at Carscadden Labs, where the future is being made today, our architectural work continues to be framed by research that aspires to understand our position within the broad sweep of legislative change and our collective cultural ambitions. This diagram illustrates a model framework that includes key issues and forces that framed recent speculative work. Significantly, it identifies the dynamic relationships between legislation, technology, and scale along a spectrum of sustainability.
NEW LOOS
We didn't try to build a portfolio of public amenity and washroom buildings - but it seemed to happen anyway. Building on successes in the District of Lake Country, Burnaby, White Rock, Vernon and West Vancouver, our latest foray into washroom design took us to Wreck Beach, Vancouver. Challenges including longevity, maintenance, cleanliness, and vadalism echoes the issues that have made the Portland Loo a story to follow.
PRIVATE RESIDENCE
This is a modest renovation to an existing eighty year-old house in East Vancouver. The clients are a young couple with high aspirations and a limited budget. The most significant architectural operation has been to lift the second floor several feet and raise the first floor slab to grade, yielding an on-grade entry and rear deck as well a first floor interior that is transformed from a mean-spirited six feet to nine feet in height.
The space is sculpted to follow the contours of the landscape outside and cleared of interior partitions to make a large living space that works for a young modern couple, mixing living with eating and cooking. Large expanses of glass both front and rear will drive light and air deeper into the house than previously, improving not only the livability of the house, but also it’s relationship to the street and park to the rear.
BCA COMPLETES climatesmart 2011 AND EYES IMPROVEMENTS FOR 2012
We recently completed our training sessions and inventory through a generous scholarship from Metro Vancouver and the local Strathcona Business Improvement Association. Through the informative and engaging process we measured our office production at 20.62 tonnes of GHG in 2010.
We are currently working on our reduction strategies, and hope to reduce our emissions by half by 2013.
IMPROVEMENTS FOR 2012
Road Transportation - 25% of Emissions
With the recent implementation of a dedicated office vehicle, our committment to encourage bicycle and transit commuting has resulted in 100% office participation. Your office can find support with Bike to Work Week and the ICBC Commuter Challenge.
Air Transportation - 40% of Emissions
Obviously, substituting travel with web conferencing such as GoToMeeting can produce dramatic results. In some cases, less carbon intensive ground transportation can be substituted for air transportation (especially when projects are near BC Interior ski locations!) Otherwise, we intend to purchase Carbon Offset Credits on all business related flights.
Paper Consumption - 25% of Emissions
Who knew that 25% of our carbon production comes from paper use? What can we do?
We can use 100% recycled paper (25% fewer emissions than 40% recycled paper), utilize greener options at printers such as TR Trades, and utilize digital file transfer such as Dropbox and services offered by Digital Plan Rooms.
BITTER TASTING ROOM OPENS AT 16 WEST HASTINGS
Sean Heather and Scott Hawthorn's BItter Tasting Room has opened at 16 West Hastings - the retail storefront below the recently completed Microlofts at 18 West Hastings St . According to their website, "At Bitter, we want you to join us on a journey to a time when Vancouver had a bustling beer culture."
In related news, we are currently exploring a potential addition of an enclosed amenity room to the roofdeck at 18 West Hastings. The new rectilinear rooftop room floats free from the exterior triangular plan shape of the building in order to disengage itself, and be distinct from it. This is so that the addition is clearly distinguishable from the original building, and not to be confused as being part of the original structure. This approach conceptually aligns itself with the recommendations of the Standards & Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada in regards to additions.
BCA WINS VACC BIKE TO WORK WEEK
Our committment to contuinuously improve our impact on the world can be seen, in part, in how we commute. With a dedicated vehicle at the office for distant meetings, we are all able to take advantage of biking to work and meetings in the downtown core. We are excited to win our fifth consecutive VACC Bike to Work Week award for small companies.
PENTICTON AQUATIC CENTRE WINS SILVER
The Penticton Aquatic Centre was recently announced a VRCA 2011 Award of Excellence Silver Winner. The Journal of Commerce and Penticton Western News explain some of the reasons why.
STEVESTON CAPTURES THE SUN
The Steveston Community Park has completed upgrades to take advantage of a new rooftop Solar Evacuated Tubes to contribute to the heating of the outdoor water spray park. This practical, small project points to Richmond's continued commitment to improving the energy performance of their community assets.
WHY GLASS LOCKERS?
Renfrew Community Pool features the first glass and aluminum lockers in Canada - but why glass? These European style lockers feature glass fronts and aluminum uni-body interiors which significantly reduce the opportunties for corrosion - a maintenance albatros for aquatic staff at every pool. The glass front offer better security over their steel counterparts as steel can be quietly bent to allow access whereas the glass will only shatter - a noisy and dramatic deterent. And the colour options are endless!
BRANDON YMCA GROUNDBREAKING
Construction has recently begun on the $15 million Dood Cristall Family YMCA project in Brandon Manitoba. Bruce Carscadden Architect is excited to be the aquatics consultant in partnership with Winnipeg's MCM Architects Inc.
POLSON PARK PAVILION
There are two kinds of moments in a project's life that architects like. The project-under-construction is kind of romantic in a ruin kind of way. It's the evidence that we can affect the world, however violently. That's one kind of satisfaction. The other moment is the project-just-finished, so weren't we delighted when to receive this photograph this morning. Looks like they just have to patch and repair the pitch, but it's not a shabby way to start a Friday...
MIGRATING LANDSCAPES BIENNALE PARTY
It's been a busy few weeks. We recently hosted the Migrating Landscape team Jae-Sung Chon and architecture firm 5468796. The registration deadline has been extended and you should sign up - the Venice Biennale is one of those special events in architectural discourse. Thanks to all who came!
GREEN ARCHITECTURE
Whew. Not ever satisfied with just drawing, we dabble in writing too. Check out Ian's recent blog posts for the World Wildlife Fund on the growing momentum of regenerative design within architecture - parts one and two.
BIKE SHELTERS
We actually can't get enough of bikes and are also helping UBC provide ever more bike facilities. We're looking forward to locking our bikes here in the spring.
BICYCLE WRAPS
We're into bikes and cool things (We're hipsters at heart.) Plain metal bike lockers aren't really a cool thing, so we're enjoying making utilitarian bike lockers cool for UBC Transportaion Planning. Here's a peek at our thought process:
BACK TO SCHOOL!
It's that time of year again: haversacks and t-squares. Before the start of classes proper, Ian teaches a two week drawing workshop to students starting the ENDS program at UBC. This year they started by drawing and finished by exploring Vancouver's Stanley Park by bike and examining it through DW Meinig's Ten Versions of The Same Scene. How was it? See for yourself - not bad for a group who'd never even heard of orthographic projection!
Above, plan and sectional mapping of the Stanley Park Causeway by incoming ENDS students Blake Costley, Rory Fulber, and Shelley Long.
OFFICE FIELD TRIP REPORT
Okay. So there were a ton of little details that caught our attention, but this little tyke really was the highlight of the afternoon. Don't worry, there's architecture in the background: cantilevered concrete stairs with Ipe inlay, glass stand-offs, board formed concrete walls, a Japanese mother, and John in an ironic t-shirt:
OFFICE FIELD TRIP
Off to watch the last little pieces of our favourite house get put together.
This photograph was taken a few weeks ago and makes it look like the contractor's mom is in charge of the site: What did I say?! I told you to take your shoes off!!
ALL THE RAGE
We recently contributed to this AIBC exhibit exploring the architecture of the 2011 Stanely Cup Riots damage, the plywood panels, and the resulting messages. The show is on diplay now at the AIBC gallery at Cambie and Pender.
PENTICTON AQUATIC CENTRE
Oh, come on! How delightful is that!
On May 17, we were surprised and delighted to learn that Ambleside Fieldhouse was a recipient of a 2012 Masonry Design Award from the Masonry Institute of BC. This project was selected due to the commitment to the renovation and revitalization of the original concrete block building including the addition of finely crafted and beautiful granite wall that now faces the fields.
TANGENTIAL VANCOUVERISM
Tangential Vancouverism opens March 2nd! Ian has contributed writing along with Matthew Soules, Hannah Teicher and designers Hapa Collaborative, ph5, PUBLIC, RUF Project, and Space2Place.
Come to the opening this Friday at 8pm at 221a Artist Run Centre and return for the talks and publication launch on March 24th. Don't delay! Vancouver won't be an 'ism' forever!
RECREATION SPECULATION
What is it that architects do in the end, but offer speculations about the use of space?
Presently, we are working with a municipal client to clarify their ambitions for a significant regional park. The site's geography is defined by a network of abandoned ponds, small lakes, and brooks. Highly valued in its present state by the local community, the project's scope is to frame debate for the park's future use and clarify the demanding environmental concerns.
Central to the park's future is its relationship to the Abbotsford-Summas Aquifer. The drawings below imagine a scenario where the built recreation facilities have a biomimetic relationship to the aquifer - supplying, cleaning, and restoring it over time - while simultaneously providing for the established cultural and recreational activities desired by the surrounding communities.
MICROLOFTS AT BURNS BLOCK CONTINUE TO PIQUE INTEREST
Since December 19, 2011; when the Micro-lofts at 18 West Hastings St were officially presented to the media, a lively and interesting debate was generated at Grist , Tiny House Blog , Mother Nature Network , The National Post , CBC
In the wake of the debate, two articles have been written which more deeply investigate the architectural and contextual issues surrounding this project. See what Adele Weder writing for the Globe and Mail and Sean Ruthen writing for Spacing Vancouver have to say.
REGULATORY RESEARCH
Here at Carscadden Labs, where the future is being made today, our architectural work continues to be framed by research that aspires to understand our position within the broad sweep of legislative change and our collective cultural ambitions. This diagram illustrates a model framework that includes key issues and forces that framed recent speculative work. Significantly, it identifies the dynamic relationships between legislation, technology, and scale along a spectrum of sustainability.
NEW LOOS
We didn't try to build a portfolio of public amenity and washroom buildings - but it seemed to happen anyway. Building on successes in the District of Lake Country, Burnaby, White Rock, Vernon and West Vancouver, our latest foray into washroom design took us to Wreck Beach, Vancouver. Challenges including longevity, maintenance, cleanliness, and vadalism echoes the issues that have made the Portland Loo a story to follow.
PRIVATE RESIDENCE
This is a modest renovation to an existing eighty year-old house in East Vancouver. The clients are a young couple with high aspirations and a limited budget. The most significant architectural operation has been to lift the second floor several feet and raise the first floor slab to grade, yielding an on-grade entry and rear deck as well a first floor interior that is transformed from a mean-spirited six feet to nine feet in height.
The space is sculpted to follow the contours of the landscape outside and cleared of interior partitions to make a large living space that works for a young modern couple, mixing living with eating and cooking. Large expanses of glass both front and rear will drive light and air deeper into the house than previously, improving not only the livability of the house, but also it’s relationship to the street and park to the rear.
BCA COMPLETES climatesmart 2011 AND EYES IMPROVEMENTS FOR 2012
We recently completed our training sessions and inventory through a generous scholarship from Metro Vancouver and the local Strathcona Business Improvement Association. Through the informative and engaging process we measured our office production at 20.62 tonnes of GHG in 2010.
We are currently working on our reduction strategies, and hope to reduce our emissions by half by 2013.
IMPROVEMENTS FOR 2012
Road Transportation - 25% of Emissions
With the recent implementation of a dedicated office vehicle, our committment to encourage bicycle and transit commuting has resulted in 100% office participation. Your office can find support with Bike to Work Week and the ICBC Commuter Challenge.
Air Transportation - 40% of Emissions
Obviously, substituting travel with web conferencing such as GoToMeeting can produce dramatic results. In some cases, less carbon intensive ground transportation can be substituted for air transportation (especially when projects are near BC Interior ski locations!) Otherwise, we intend to purchase Carbon Offset Credits on all business related flights.
Paper Consumption - 25% of Emissions
Who knew that 25% of our carbon production comes from paper use? What can we do?
We can use 100% recycled paper (25% fewer emissions than 40% recycled paper), utilize greener options at printers such as TR Trades, and utilize digital file transfer such as Dropbox and services offered by Digital Plan Rooms.
BITTER TASTING ROOM OPENS AT 16 WEST HASTINGS
Sean Heather and Scott Hawthorn's BItter Tasting Room has opened at 16 West Hastings - the retail storefront below the recently completed Microlofts at 18 West Hastings St . According to their website, "At Bitter, we want you to join us on a journey to a time when Vancouver had a bustling beer culture."
In related news, we are currently exploring a potential addition of an enclosed amenity room to the roofdeck at 18 West Hastings. The new rectilinear rooftop room floats free from the exterior triangular plan shape of the building in order to disengage itself, and be distinct from it. This is so that the addition is clearly distinguishable from the original building, and not to be confused as being part of the original structure. This approach conceptually aligns itself with the recommendations of the Standards & Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada in regards to additions.
BCA WINS VACC BIKE TO WORK WEEK
Our committment to contuinuously improve our impact on the world can be seen, in part, in how we commute. With a dedicated vehicle at the office for distant meetings, we are all able to take advantage of biking to work and meetings in the downtown core. We are excited to win our fifth consecutive VACC Bike to Work Week award for small companies.
PENTICTON AQUATIC CENTRE WINS SILVER
The Penticton Aquatic Centre was recently announced a VRCA 2011 Award of Excellence Silver Winner. The Journal of Commerce and Penticton Western News explain some of the reasons why.
STEVESTON CAPTURES THE SUN
The Steveston Community Park has completed upgrades to take advantage of a new rooftop Solar Evacuated Tubes to contribute to the heating of the outdoor water spray park. This practical, small project points to Richmond's continued commitment to improving the energy performance of their community assets.
WHY GLASS LOCKERS?
Renfrew Community Pool features the first glass and aluminum lockers in Canada - but why glass? These European style lockers feature glass fronts and aluminum uni-body interiors which significantly reduce the opportunties for corrosion - a maintenance albatros for aquatic staff at every pool. The glass front offer better security over their steel counterparts as steel can be quietly bent to allow access whereas the glass will only shatter - a noisy and dramatic deterent. And the colour options are endless!
BRANDON YMCA GROUNDBREAKING
Construction has recently begun on the $15 million Dood Cristall Family YMCA project in Brandon Manitoba. Bruce Carscadden Architect is excited to be the aquatics consultant in partnership with Winnipeg's MCM Architects Inc.
POLSON PARK PAVILION
There are two kinds of moments in a project's life that architects like. The project-under-construction is kind of romantic in a ruin kind of way. It's the evidence that we can affect the world, however violently. That's one kind of satisfaction. The other moment is the project-just-finished, so weren't we delighted when to receive this photograph this morning. Looks like they just have to patch and repair the pitch, but it's not a shabby way to start a Friday...
MIGRATING LANDSCAPES BIENNALE PARTY
It's been a busy few weeks. We recently hosted the Migrating Landscape team Jae-Sung Chon and architecture firm 5468796. The registration deadline has been extended and you should sign up - the Venice Biennale is one of those special events in architectural discourse. Thanks to all who came!
GREEN ARCHITECTURE
Whew. Not ever satisfied with just drawing, we dabble in writing too. Check out Ian's recent blog posts for the World Wildlife Fund on the growing momentum of regenerative design within architecture - parts one and two.
BIKE SHELTERS
We actually can't get enough of bikes and are also helping UBC provide ever more bike facilities. We're looking forward to locking our bikes here in the spring.
BICYCLE WRAPS
We're into bikes and cool things (We're hipsters at heart.) Plain metal bike lockers aren't really a cool thing, so we're enjoying making utilitarian bike lockers cool for UBC Transportaion Planning. Here's a peek at our thought process:
BACK TO SCHOOL!
It's that time of year again: haversacks and t-squares. Before the start of classes proper, Ian teaches a two week drawing workshop to students starting the ENDS program at UBC. This year they started by drawing and finished by exploring Vancouver's Stanley Park by bike and examining it through DW Meinig's Ten Versions of The Same Scene. How was it? See for yourself - not bad for a group who'd never even heard of orthographic projection!
Above, plan and sectional mapping of the Stanley Park Causeway by incoming ENDS students Blake Costley, Rory Fulber, and Shelley Long.
OFFICE FIELD TRIP REPORT
Okay. So there were a ton of little details that caught our attention, but this little tyke really was the highlight of the afternoon. Don't worry, there's architecture in the background: cantilevered concrete stairs with Ipe inlay, glass stand-offs, board formed concrete walls, a Japanese mother, and John in an ironic t-shirt:
OFFICE FIELD TRIP
Off to watch the last little pieces of our favourite house get put together.
This photograph was taken a few weeks ago and makes it look like the contractor's mom is in charge of the site: What did I say?! I told you to take your shoes off!!
ALL THE RAGE
We recently contributed to this AIBC exhibit exploring the architecture of the 2011 Stanely Cup Riots damage, the plywood panels, and the resulting messages. The show is on diplay now at the AIBC gallery at Cambie and Pender.
In many ways the 2011 Hockey Riots serve as testimony to the limits of architecture’s agency. Short of constructing public spaces as corrals, for instance, it is difficult to imagine architecture at the scale of urban planning preventing determined rioters. Perhaps the potential for damage is part of the risk of generous public architecture – certainly the response to such concerns by New York’s Port Authority is part of what makes the planning and material resolution of the new World Trade Center so disappointing.
The following morning revealed much more about the Vancouver public’s relationship to architecture. The actions of citizens who helped to clean Vancouver’s streets the following day were of course genuine, but more importantly actions of pride and efforts of reclamation.
For us, that the enduring legacy of the 2011 riots may be sheets of plywood used to board window and record the emotions and convictions of the city is not at all curious, but in fact makes some sense. The riots provided the impetus and the plywood the medium. It is material proof that in spite of a perceived disengagement from and often lamented (by architects) resistance to ambitious architecture, that the Vancouver public actually cares about this city. What’s more, that group of concerned citizens is not limited to the City Council Hecklers and the Usual Suspect Complainers.
It’s kind of heartening, actually: although often Hallmark-ian in their expression, the sentiments of the scribblers is the most concrete demonstration of popular civic engagement that this city has seen in some time. Architects should take heart that it was recorded directly in the built fabric of this city.
PENTICTON AQUATIC CENTRE
Oh, come on! How delightful is that!
