Project Brief:

“…Project 1 here invites you to understand the work of architecture as an element of a the urban fabric. The project entails designing a centre for newly-arrived immigrants to Ottawa to be built at 816 Somerset West; this New Neighbour Help Centre is geared to individuals and families who have recently arrived in Ottawa. The program is two-fold: the building is a (1) a service-oriented institution for new-comers, and, (2) a senior centre.”

Project Abstract:

To what degree do newcomers to a foreign land need to assimilate while retaining their cultural identities? What does it mean to meaningfully integrate (or maintain) a connection to community life? These are the questions I chose to speculate on and translate into a space that at once 1) provides comfort and orientation while 2) encouraging broader engagement with the neighbourhood and 3) allowing cross-pollination between the varying groups who use the space.

Framework

In interviews with staff at the current Seniors Center, it became evident that supporting activities for seniors extend beyond the walls of the centre. Envisioned as a cross-pollinator and incubator, a new centre would allow its users to find their footing and support, establish friendships, and to transplant new-found resources and skills into their own neighbourhoods.

Process

Final Drawings and Vignettes