AWARDS: CCS Prevention + Support Centre Project Wins Public Vote in the Archello Awards!
The votes are in! We’re thrilled to announce that the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS): Prevention+Support Centre was the Public Vote Winner for the Archello Awards, Residential Care Building of the Year!
The building is home to the Canadian Cancer Society’s West Coast Headquarters and features a new state-of-the-art cancer research and support center. The integrated patient lodge serves as a wellness center, designed to provide a quiet and peaceful retreat for patients and their families during treatment. Learn more about the project here: https://bit.ly/4gjdC3S
PROJECT UPDATE: The Grange Receives Heritage Commission Approval
Exciting news! The Grange, located at 1395 W 14th Avenue, has received unanimous approval from the Heritage Commission. This development includes the conservation of a three-storey heritage building, and the addition of a tower and a podium. The project will consist of several new communal spaces that provide opportunities for fostering community within the building.
We are thankful for all of our amazing partners and their collaborative efforts in reaching this significant milestone.
Owner/Operator: Fiera Real Estate
BC Indigenous Housing Society
Development Manager: Colliers Strategy & Consulting
Heritage Conservation: Donald Luxton & Associates
Pre-Construction Manager: ETRO Construction
Structural: RJC Engineers
Mechanical: Introba
Electrical: AES Engineering
Civil: CREUS Engineering
Landscape: PMG Landscape
Building code: GHL Consultants
Traffic: BUNT Engineering
Geotechnical: Geopacific Consultants
AWARDS: Finalist in the 2024 Archello Awards
Exciting news! Two of our projects have been nominated as finalists in the 2024 Archello Awards!
For the Residential Care Building of the Year category, the Canadian Cancer Society: Prevention + Support Centre features an aluminum tube screen wrap that creates an inviting exterior while consolidating entries and adding community spaces for guests and staff. Upon entering the building, visitors are greeted by a beautiful oak stairway that fosters connection and interaction among patients and the community.
In the House Extension of the Year category, the Cardero Heritage Revitalization & Infill project revitalizes historic West End Vancouver by creating affordable, mid-density rental housing. This project restores two heritage houses and includes the construction of an infill residence. By balancing sustainability with historic preservation, it presents a vision for the “missing middle” in urban housing, revitalizing a vibrant corner of the community.
Your support means the world to us! Please visit Archello.com (links to each category above) and cast your vote today!
Canadian Library Month Wrap-Up: Learning Environments Feature
To celebrate the conclusion of Canadian Library Month, we are excited to share projects that highlight learning environments.
Bob Prittie Metrotown Library Lobby. Libraries are essential public institutions that promote cultural awareness, community engagement and educational programs. For this project, our team collaborated closely with Library staff to turn this key nexus into an open and inviting threshold.
Maple Grove Elementary School. Seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor learning environments, Maple Grove Elementary offers cozy nooks where students can engage in quiet study while staying visually connected to the exterior environment. This design fosters a serene atmosphere for reflection and creativity—emphasizing the school’s commitment to innovative, flexible learning spaces.
Truth & Reconciliation Day
SHAPE Architecture is closed on Monday Sept 30th to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This statutory day is one of the 94 Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report. Also Orange Shirt Day, it honours the lost children and survivors of Canada’s residential school system. It is a day for thought and reflection – by educating ourselves, we raise our awareness of the inter-generational impacts of Indigenous history, and what it means for reconciliation.
Join us in developing a better understanding, learning more about the calls to action, and how you can get involved. Below are links to learning resources and events happening today in the Greater Vancouver area.
Learning Resources
94 calls to action published by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Reconciliation Through Indigenous Education – A free online course offered by the University of British Columbia, exploring how reconciliation can be made part of the daily life in classrooms, organizations and communities in ways that are thoughtful and respectful.
Indigenous Canada – A free online course offered by the University of Alberta, exploring histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada
We Were Children
10:30 am – 4:30 pm
1st screening: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm / 2nd screening: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Trout Lake Community Centre
3360 Victoria Drive,
Vancouver, V5N 4M4
Orange Shirt Day at Grandview Park
11:00 am – 3:00 pm (Walk meet up at 10:00 am, starting at 11:00 am)
Grandview Park
1657 Charles St, Vancouver, BC V5L 2T4
PROJECT UPDATE: Cladding for UBC Recreation Centre North
Cladding details up close. SHAPE Architecture was thrilled to collaborate with LAM Metals again (check out Maple Grove Elementary for our last collaboration) to develop 3 custom metal cladding profiles for UBC Recreation Centre North. We then randomized these panels using parametric design (and good taste) to create a textural appearance that changes depending on the distance it’s viewed from, as well as the time of day.
Client: UBC Recreation
Owner’s Rep: UBC Properties Trust
General Contractor: ETRO Construction Cladding: LAM Metal
PROJECT INFO: Spotlight on Newton Recreation Centre’s Public Art
It’s all in the details. Today we’re spotlighting “Fern Façade”—a public art installation by artist Sean Alward. Ceramic ink-fused (frit) glass patterns in the shape of fern fronds wrap around both the south and east windows of the Newton Recreation Centre, forming a tree “grove” that envelops the building and weaves it into the existing landscape of trees framing the facility.
While beautiful as a mural, the floor-to-ceiling patterns serve a functional purpose in providing coverage to block out just the right level of sunlight for moderating temperatures. Working with the artist, we used an algorithm to calculate the optimal level of pattern coverage, relative to the amount of sunlight, while still allowing views of the exterior plaza spaces.
Have you experienced Fern Façade yourself? Let us know. Find out more about the project here.
EVENT: SHAPE Architecture at the Passive House Canada Conference
Professional development time. Last week Ciaran Long and Aaron Szeto from our office attended the Passive House Canada Conference, where Akira Living presented a special feature of the Connaught Triplex project. Did you attend the conference as well? Let us know if you managed to catch this session!
PROJECT UPDATE: Menno Hall Groundbreaking
This week marked a major milestone for the Menno Hall project as we broke ground on a project that has been years in the making. This journey has been one of innovation, collaboration, and unwavering commitment. It has been rewarding to work hand in hand with the Pacific Centre for Discipleship Association and Hyland Properties, and their willingness to embrace new ideas to drive the project vision forward.
We especially thank our team of amazing collaborators, whose expertise has been instrumental in bringing this project together. Stay tuned for more construction updates.
Collaborators:
Builder: Axiom Builders
Structural: Fast + Epp
Mechanical: AME Group
Electrical: AES Engineering
Civil: Core Group
Landscape Architect: HAPA Collaborative,
Code: McAuley Consulting
Envelope: Entuitive
Transportation: Bunt & Associates,
Acoustic: BAP Acoustics
Audiovisual: PATCON Audiovisual
Elevator: GUNN Consultants,
Commercial Kitchen: Pacific Restaurant Supply
PROJECT UPDATE: Grace Townhouses
If you’ve been in the Ash and W 30th neighbourhood recently, you may have noticed ongoing construction. The Grace Project with Conwest Developments is nearing completion. We’re excited to see the finished development.
