Philippe Fournier_Portfolio_2024

Philippe Fournier
Selected Works 2024

Hello,
My name is Philippe Fournier and I am an aspiring architect,
freelance designer, illustrator, book worm and guitarist. I hold
a Master of Architecture degree from McGill University and a
Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree from the Univeristy
of Waterloo.
I love architecture that solves problems, and strongly believe
that architects have the responsibility to effect positive change
in the world. Good design is not just about pleasing the
eyes, but also about ensuring the societal and environmental
impacts of our work are beneficial to all who live with our
creations. Buildings represent such a massive allocation of
materials, energy, labor and finances, and hold such a large
physical and psychological presence in peoples’ day-today
lives, that every project is an ethical statement. I aspire
to create architecture that respects human needs, place,
economy and sustainability at every step. The architect, like
an alchemist, turns raw materials into gold.
I am also a passionate advocate for affordable housing,
and my master’s thesis focused on the design of multiplex
housing in light of ongoing zoning reforms across North
America to legalize multifamily homes. In 2022 co-won the
inaugural Jack Layton Essay Prize for a Better Canada for an
essay recommending public policy solutions for Canada’s
housing crisis. My interest in this also led me to win the
Arthur Erickson Travel Study Award in 2022, which I used to
visit the Netherlands to study its multifamily housing stock
and compact urbanism.
I try to live the life of an audodidact always in search of his
next lesson. Design and architecture are juggling acts that
will always have something new to teach me. They keep me
on my toes and keeps me moving forward, and I love every
minute of it. I also believe good design should speak for
itself, so I hope my work has something positive to say to
you. Enjoy!
+1 905-347-2346
philippe.r.fournier@gmail.com
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/philippefournier1
637 Grandview Rd, Apt. B, Fort Erie, Canada
L2A 4V2
English (fluent) + French (intermediate)
Master of Architecture
McGill University, Peter Guo-Hua Fu School of
Architecture
Bachelor of Architectural Studies
University of Waterloo, School of Architecture
© Philippe Fournier 2024
All copyrights for images and drawings provided by
my employers are property of their respective owners
where credited. All materials therein are from projects
I worked on while I was working co-op terms at the
respective offices and were provided by, and are the
exclusive property of, said offices. I thank them for
their support.
2

Table of Contents
The New Plex
Final graduate project proposing multiplex home prototypes
Amphibious Prototype
A flood-resilient amphibious architecture prototype for the National Research Council of Canada
4
6
The A.A.R.C.
A facility to help coastal farmers adapt to climate change in Sainte-Flavie, Quebec
8
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Museum
Museum proposal for the Azraeli Global Studio 2022
10
In Bloom
A winning competition entry proposing architectural solutions for Seoul’s smog problem
12
Under Water
A natural filtration swimming facility for Toronto Islands with a skyline view
14
Kayanase Pavillion
A design-build learning pavillion for the Six Nations reserve
26
A Chair for M.C. Escher
An “impossible” chair for the master of impossible illusions
28
Kigutu Hospital
A maternity hospital in Burundi, Africa
30
Park Avenue Bike Path
A proposal for bike paths along one of Manhattan’s largest corridors
Jigsaw Table & Garden Signage
A colourful table made of puzzle pieces & freelance sign designs for Cambridge Sculpture Garden
32
35
3

The New Plex
Final Graduate Project
M.Arch, McGill University
completed in 2023,
Montreal, Quebec
Full booklet, online
88.8%
100%
GFA: 412.3 m 2
GFA: 402.1m 2
GFA per bed: 40.2 m 2
Unit 6
1-bd
Unit 5
3-bd
Unit 6
3-bd
Unit 5
studio
Unit 4
2-bd
Unit 5
3-bd
Unit 6
3-bd
Unit 4
1-bd
Unit 3
studio
Unit 1
studio
Unit 2
3-bd
Unit 3
1-bd
Unit 5
3-bd
Unit 1
1-bd
Unit 6
3-bd
Unit 2
1-bd
Model 01
‘Habitat Plex’
3 storeys, 6 units, 9 bedrooms
Model 02
‘Sky Plex’
3.5 storeys, 6 units, 10 bedrooms
4

A multiplex is a low-rise multifamily residential building with two
or more separately accessed dwelling units, built at a similar scale
to a traditional house. To address severe housing shortages, many
jurisdictions across North America and around the globe are reforming
long-standing zoning laws to permit multiplex construction across
vast areas of land which formerly only permitted building singlefamily
houses. This opens up a new frontier of design possibilities for
builders: how should these buildings be designed? As an example of
‘missing middle’ housing, multiplexes have many advantages which
make them opportune for addressing both the housing and climate
crises simultaneously. This project revisits historical North American
multiplex designs, argues for streamlining multiplex construction in
contemporary infill suburban contexts, investigates their regulatory
and practical constraints, and explores ways of designing the
typology in order to improve its environmental performance, cost
effectiveness, and above all the quality of life for residents.
100%
100%
GFA: 332.9 m 2
GFA per bed: 41.6m 2
GFA: 500 m 2
GFA per bed: 35.7m 2
Circulation
Unit 7
studio
Unit 5
studio
Unit 6
studio
Unit 3
studio
Unit 1
studio
Leasable Area
Unit 8
studio
Unit 4
studio
Unit 2
studio
Unit 5
2-bd
Unit 3
2-bd
Unit 3
2-bd
Unit 1
3-bd
Unit 6
2-bd
Unit 4
2-bd
Unit 5
2-bd
Unit 6
2-bd
Unit 4
2-bd
Unit 2
3-bd
Model 03
‘Flex Plex’ - Maximum Units
1.5 storeys, 8 units, 8 bedrooms
Model 03
‘Flex Plex’ - Maximum Bedrooms
2.5 storeys, 6 units, 14 bedrooms
5

Amphibious Prototype
Academic research partnership with the National Research
Council of Canada & Buoyant Foundation Project
Design Collaboration w. Mitchell Martyn & other members of
the Buoyant Foundation Project
completed in 2018, Waterloo, Ontario
Photos & drawings courtesy of the Buoyant Foundation Project
6

The Buoyant Foundation Project, headed by Dr. Elizabeth English,
is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to the development
of amphibious foundation systems: a low-cost flood risk reduction
and climate change adaptation strategy that functions passively by
floating a structure safely on rising flood water and then returning it to
its exact original position as flooding subsides. A buoyancy system
installed beneath the building displaces water to provide flotation,
while a vertical guidance system prevents any lateral movement.
I have worked with the Buoyant Foundation Project since 2017 as
both a student and then an undergraduate research assistant. This
prototype, co-designed by myself and Mitchell Martyn, was built on
a stormwater retention pond to research the effects of freeze-thaw
cycles on buoyant foundations, and thus the viability of amphibious
architecture in Canada. In particular, this protoype is intended as a
proof-of-concept design to promote this type of construction with
vulnerable First Nations communities nationwide.
Flashing cap
Roof decking
DRY
FLOOD
lateral restraint
Buoyancy system
HOW AMPHIBIOUS ARCHITECTURE WORKS
Amphibious architecture is any buidling that is retrofit or designed to passively
float during flood conditions, then return to the same stationary position when
dry. Buoyant foundation systems work best with buidlings that are already
elevated above ground and in flood conditions that have fairly low flow rates and
wave activity. In addition to this prototype, the Buoyant Foundation Project has
successfully amphibiating buidlings in Vietnam and Louisiana, and is currently
working on projects in Canada and America.
Top of A-frame
Railing
Floor deck
Joists for floor deck
Beams tying A-Frame
Courtesy of CTV News, Kitchener
PROTOTYPE DESIGN & RECOGNITION
The simple A-Frame design was chosen for its stability, ease of modular assembly
and resistance to wind loading. Though originally designed to accomodate
dock floats, the final structure uses hollow barrels to provide buoyancy. The
stormwater retention pond’s small size and shallowness meant we could eschew
a vertical gudiance posts, instead providing some lateral stability with tethering.
The project has been featured on local CTV News in Kitchener, Ontario as well
as TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin. An academic account of the project was
published in the proceedings for the International Conference for Amphibious
Architecture & Engineering held in Warsaw, Poland in October 2019.
Bottom of A-Frame
Dock floats
7

The A.A.R.C.
M1 Arch 672 Design Studio Final Project
Instructed by Salmaan Craig, Philip Tidwell & Daniela Leon
Collaboration w. Laura Titolo-Robitaille, Calina Olari, Guillaume
Croteau, JJ Zhao
proposed location: Sainte-Flavie, Quebec
typology: research facility, workshop, tourist accomodation
Honourable Mention, ARCH 672 Design Studio Final Project
Full booklet, online
PHASE 1
PHASE 2
PHASE 3
TYPICAL COASTAL FARM LOTS
8
SECTION THROUGH A.A.R.C SHOWING THERMAL NESTING

The town of Sainte-Flavie, Quebec is threatened by rising sea waters
and erosion due to climate change. At the same time, climate change
is projected to increase local crop yields, providing a silver lining for
the local farm economy. The Agricultural Adaptive Research
Centre (A.A.R.C.) is a proposed new research facility, to be run by a
co-operative of local farmers, in order to support the local agricultural
and social networks as they adapt to climate change. Farmers own
most of the land in the town, and many of their properties traverse
an escarpment between the coastal floodplain and higher ground.
The project proposes using these ‘typical coastal farm lots’ as the
site for relocating waterfront residents safely inland. Coastal homes
would be disassembled, while the reclaimed materials are used
to build new ones on these lots uphill. The facility itself would be
built in three phases. Phase 1 will process reclaimed material from
disassembled buildings. Phase 2 will accommodate agri-tourism
and community events. Phase 3 will facilitate agricultural research
and resource-sharing among farmers.
PHASE 3
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
COAST
UPHILL
A.A.R.C. SITE
BUOYANCY VENTILATION
9

M.H.M.M.
M1 Arch 673 Design Studio Final Project
Instructed by Howard Davies
Collaboration w. Adam Mahieddine
proposed location: Montreal
typology: museum
Published in the Azrieli Global Studio 2022 compilation.
Exterior View | Saint-Laurent Boulevard
3
5
2
1
4
9
space
ea of Reeds 10
anagement

The design for the second location of the Montreal Holocaust
Memorial Museum was open to competition in 2022, and the
Azrieli Global Studio invited students to propose their own theoretical
proposals. Our design is deliberately contextual on the outside while
minimalistic on the inside. Saint Laurent Boulevard is a historic hub
of Montreal’s Jewish community that is now a major nightlife and
commercial arterial, full of murals, window shoppers and patios
especially when pedestrianized in the summer months. We sought
to find a way to balance the gravity of the tragedy that the musuem’s
content displays with Saint Laurent’s role as a symbolic place of
refuge and ultimately survival and thriving of the Jewish community
even after the Holocaust. The building’s design is therefore extremely
contextual, mimicing the existing street fabric pattern of transparent
ground floor retail (which contain the brighter public programs) with
opaque masonry upper floors (which contain the darker, private
exhibits.
Interior View | Mimicing Agora the existing street fabric pattern of transparent ground floor retail
with masonry upper floors, the building draws people in through a through a
three storey atrium with a large commemorative mural visible from passerby
on the sidewalk. Inside, visitors circulate through exhibits around a central
commemorative exterior space which also brings in the relief of natural light
between the darker exhibits.
2
6
7
8
Exterior View | Memorial Garden - Reflection Space
11

In Bloom
Seoul Clean Air Competition Se16
3rd Place Prize Winner
Collaboration w. Marco Chow, Nathanael Scheffler &
Ethan Schwartz
Algae Colours:
AFTER
BEFORE
A TITANIUM-DIOXIDE-COATED
PANEL SYSTEM
is easily mounted to the exterior walls. The titanium
dioxide converts organic pollutants in the air into C02 and water,
which is then transferred to the algae system. The transparency of
the coating means the aesthetic possibilities for colour and form are
endless. Our design is an undulating parametric pattern.
1
Gravity tank evenly distributes
the water and algae to the
louvres
Algae drains through
the louvres, absorbing
sunlight and undergoing
phtoosynthesis
algae drains into aeration
tank
outside air is pressurized and
bubbled through aeration
tank
pump moves algae to gravity
holding tank on top of
building
algae is filtered out for
processing
water is reclaimed
12

The city of Seoul, South Korea, is plagued by dangerous levels of
air pollution. As the city is constantly growing and changing, city
planners, developers and architects must play a role in solving this
crisis. The Se16 Seoul Clean Air Competition called upon architects
and designers to propose possible strategies.
Our proposal is a 2-tiered, modular, mass-produceable and scalable
facade system designed to clean air pollution on a mass scale by
converting, through a chain of reactions, organic pollitants into
algae biomass and oxygen. The facade system is designed as
an architectural product that can be easily attached to much of
the city’s existing residential buildings as an array of louvres and
panels. The design capitalizes on the fact that much of Seoul’s built
form is comprised of nearly identical soviet-block style residential
typologies which offer a large amount of surface area with which to
attach these panels and thus maximimize their effieiency.
3
2
CAPITALIZING ON THE EXISTING
BUILT FORM OF SEOUL
Our facade system is designed as a pair of supplemental modular
products tailored for mass production and assembly on the city’s definitive
building types. Vast regions of Seoul’s urban fabric are defined by clusters
of identical residential towers such as these shown in the suburb of Gaepodong.
Proliferated on a mass scale, our system would cover a significant
surface area of these towers as new urban “green space”, reducing pollution
levels while simultaneously improving the asethetics of the built environment.
A HORIZONTAL
LOUVRE SYSTEM
takes in CO2 and other organic particulates
to grow algae within a system of water
pipes. The pipes circulate the water and
algae uniformly throughout the system. In
sunnier weather the algae blooms become
more opaque, providing shade for passive
cooling, whereas in cooler tempertaures
the pipes can be emptied to prevent
freezing and allow unabated solar gain.
This map show the green acreage of Seoul if our system was applied to every existing
residential neighborhood of this typology. Light green = existing; Dark green = new.
4 THE ALGAE IS HARVESTED
and can then be sold for a variety of off-site uses, including:
biofuel
further reducing air pollution, by
replacing fossil fuel energy use
sewage treatment
addressing water pollution and
wetland degradation
food
5 SYSTEM PRODUCTIVITY
biomedical/chemical uses
manufacturing medicine,
cosmetics, fertilizers,
biodegradable plastics
Via our system, for every day of average solar exposure, 1m 2 of titanium
dioxide will convert 200m 3 of Nitrous Oxides and 60m 3 of other organic
pollutants into oxygen and algae biomass.
CARBON
BASED
POLLUTION
TITANIUM
DIOXIDE
TREATED
PANELS
H20
CO2
ALGAE
BIOREACTOR
SYSTEM
02
ALGAE BIOMASS
13

Under Water
4B Design Studio Final Project
Studio Instructed by Andrew Levitt
proposed location: Toronto Islands, Ontario
typology: recreation centre / swimming facility
Jack Layton
Ferry Terminal
Ferry Path
Building
Lake Ontario
Olympic Island
FLOOD CONTROL
The building is situated on the northernmost
edge of Olympic Island, one of the lowest-lying
areas of Toronto Islands, and thus a great flood
risk. In order to protect the building, It is situated
and built up around the highest contour of the
site (+76m above sea level) with a gabion
retaining wall, which is just above the 100 year
flood line of Lake Ontario (75.7m).
TORONTO ISLANDS MAP
14
N
REINFORCED CONCRETE
PAVERS ON GRAVEL BED
REINFORCED CONCRETE STEPS
LIMESTONE-FILLED
GABION BASKET ANTI-
EROSION RETAINING WALL
W/ PLANTER
100 YR FLOOD
LEVEL
LEVEL 1
+2.00m
GRADE
+1.00m

Under Water is a project proposing a new low-energy, natural
filtration swimming pool complex on the Toronto Islands. Situated
on the shoreline directly across from the city skyline, the building
takes advantage of this pristine view by having all of its pools
located on the roof, while underneath, selective use of glass floors
and walls in the pool tanks reveals swimmers to the programs
below and allow underwater sunlight to passively light the interior.
Sustainability principles were a key driver of the building’s design,
as it heavily incoroporates passive lighting, cooling and heating with
cross ventilation, solar gain and thermal mass and an east-west
linear form which maximizes solar exposure. The exterior envelope
is a consistent R-33 insulated concrete structural assembly with
limestone filled gabion wall cladding that grow vines in the summer
months, turning the exterior surfaces into a natural green wall.
Water from the pools is filtered by a closed loop natural system
incorporating hydrobotanic ponds and pathogen-eating plants.
Original Site Condition; Olympic Island
Contour line is reinforced w/ gabion walls
and concrete to create a podium for flood
protection, which is built to jut out into the
lake and provide full panoramic views of the
Toronto Skyline across the harbour
1 2 3
Building mass extrudes from podium;
two volumes w/ a promenade around all
perimeter walls
4
Existing path through site is rerouted along
an arc tangential to the centreline of both
bridges connecting Olympic Island to the
rest of Toronto Islands
New paths directly to the cafe, event space
and main foyer entrances as well as the
artificial beach are paved from tangents
along the main path’s curve
5 6
Most existing vegetation is kept intact while
trees removed during construction are
replanted densely along the tangential paths
to create a lush natural experience while
approaching the building.
15

29
4
4
9
16
17
2 5
7
18
1
3
6
8
10
11 12 13 14
15
8
1ST FLOOR PLAN
31 32
8
8
ROOF PLAN
1. Bike storage
2. Cafe
3. Kitchen
4. Washroom
5. First aid
6. Meeting room
7. Staff change room
8. Roof Stair
9. Change rooms
10. Showers
11. Storage
12. Reception
13. Coat check
14. Coat room
15. Foyer
16. Wet sauna
17. Dry sauna
18. Wood storage
19. Hot tub
20. Event storage
16

30
19
20
21
4 22
23 24 25 26 27
28
34
23
26
33
21. Recycling
22. Event admin
23. Dive pool
24. Event Space
25. Mech room
26. Gravel bed
27. Hydrobotanic pond
28. Poolkeeper’s house
29. Pebble beach
30. Boat drop-off
31. Kid’s pool
32. Large pool
33. Dive tower
34. Event storage
N
0 25m
17

ROOF (+6.5m)
LVL 1 (+2.0m)
BEACH (+1.0m)
NORTH ELEVATION
ROOF (+6.5m)
LVL 1 (+2.0m)
BEACH (+1.0m)
SOUTH ELEVATION
ROOF (+6.5m)
LVL 1 (+2.0m)
BEACH (+1.0m)
SECTION
PROGRAMS
SCHEDULE
2
1
NATURAL FILTRATION SYSTEM
1
The first pool filling of each
swimming season will come
from the city grid’s treated
water. After this initial filling
the water will remain in a
closed loop system for the
duration of the season.
2 Grey Water is drained from
pools and hot tub
Grey Water is pumped into
a raised gravel bed with
4
filtration plants and sifted
down through gravity
Grey Water deposits into a
hydrobotanic regeneration
pond with plants that feed on
bacteria and other organic
matter
18

9
6
3
8
7
5
4
5
Filtered water flows to
Mech Room for testing
6
If tested for low quality,
water is pumped back up
7
into the gravel bed
If tested for acceptable
quality, the fully filtered
water is pumped back to
the pools.
8
Unheated water is
pumped into the
perforated shower pipes
around the perimeter of
the hot tub
9
Unheated water is
pumped into the
perforated pipes around
the perimeter of the
hot tub
19

ROOF (+6.5m)
LVL 1 (+2.0m)
GRADE (+1.0m)
promenade foyer reception shower universal change rooms promenade
1:200 MAIN FOYER SECTION N-S
SEALANT @JOINT BETWEEN
PLEXIGLASS SHEETS
SEE DETAIL, LEFT
100mm PLEXIGLASS
STEEL ANGLE
SEALANT
CARBONCAST PRECAST
CONCRETE PANEL ADHERED TO
1/2in PLYWOOD
WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE
BRETON STONE TILES
PILKINGTON LOW-E DOUBLE
PANED ARGON FILLED GLAZING
SHOWER KNOB
150mm R33 XPS FOAMULAR
HIGH-R CW PLUS RIGID
INSULATION
BRETON STONE TILES
300mm X 500mm REINFORCED
CONCRETE BEAM
THINSET MORTAR BED
WATERPROOFING
MEMBRANE
PERFORATED WATER PIPE
BOLTED INTO 100mm X 100mm COVE
REINFORCED 500mm
CONCRETE SLAB ON GRADE
SHOWER ROOM SECTION
1:40 DETAIL
SHOWER BEAM
1:10 DETAIL
20

pebble beach
FOYER & RECEPTION DESKS
SHOWERS
The room is flooded with the dance of refracting sunlight through
the pool skylight above, while turning the wall knob begins a
cascade of water through the structure itself, creating the illusion
that the pool itself is falling through the ceiling.
UNIVERSAL CHANGE ROOMS
The Change Rooms and Cafe are completely passively lit during the day by
overhead Skylights through the swimming pools. The skylight assembly allows
sunlight to fill the room below while the water and insulated glass cools the solar
heat gain to prevent the interior from overheating and actually providing a degree
of passive cooling in the summertime.
21

ROOF (+6.5m)
LVL 1 (+2.0m)
promenade
dive tower
corridor
DIVE POOL
roof deck
hall
promenade
1:200 CAFE SECTION N-S
ROOF (+6.5m)
LVL 1 (+2.0m)
GRADE (+1.0m)
1:200 MAIN ROOF STAIR SECTION N-S
roof lawns
promenade corridor main roof stair staff change room promenade
The roof deck and pools can be access
by two main staircases which lead up
from the change rooms. A sliding glass
door can be completely retracted during
open hours to make orientation obvious
to visitors, while the doors can be shut
in the cold weather to keep the building
envelope sealed while providing a
lightwell. The main staircase is built
around a large existing tree, and rewards
the visitor with a full, direct panoramic
view of the Toronto skyline at the top
step, establishing a connection between
nature and the city.
MAIN ROOF STAIR ENTRANCE FROM CHANGE ROOMS
22

pebble beach
DIVE POOL
pebble beach
SOUTH CORRIDOR, LOOKING TOWARDS MAIN STAIR
TOP OF MAIN STAIR
23

The hot tub room is an outdoor
cube-shaped concrete volume with
a lone planter and sakura tree in the
centre. During warm seasons, The
hot tub volume’s mass, as well as
the cherry tree provides ample shade
inside the room, allowing bathers to
enjoy the temperature of the water
without excessive solar gain from
the sun. Some cross-breezing may
be allowed by opening the sliding
door in the north-east corner of
the room as well as the operable
transom window on the other side of
the door, permitting a slight breeze
to enter from the corner of the room.
During cold seasons, the hot water
contrasts nicely with the freezing
air temperatures. Snow can filter
into the space and melt on contact
with the water, but the bather is
completely sheltered from wind by
the mass of the building around
them if the doors and windows are
kept shut.
HOT TUB
PHYSICAL MODEL
24

NORTH CORRIDOR, LEAVING HOT TUB
25

Kayanase Pavillion
3A & 3B Design Build Studio Project
Instructed by John McMinn and Paul Dowling
Design & construction collaboration w. a team of over 15
classmates for First Nations clients at Kayanase
construction in progress, Six Nations Reserve, Ontario
EXTERIOR RENDERING
26

The Kayanase Pavillion is an ongoing Design-Build collaboration
with a local indigenous community on the Six Nations Reserve near
Brantford, Ontario. The actual design-build phase of the project
took place over the course of two semesters with a varying team
of students under the tutelage of John McMinn and local architect
Paul Dowling. When completed, the building will serve as a learning
pavillion for children from nearby communities to learn about the
culture of the indigenous residents on the reserve, including arts and
crafts, history, sports and food. Positioned on a sloping site with a
view toward the Grand River, the pavillion will be a simple insulated
wood frame construction with a sloped roof and glazed eastern
wall braced by shelving for displaying the children’s creations. The
local indigenous community was consulted closely at each stage
of design. The wall, truss and floor modules were constructed by
students in the school’s workshop and are in storage awaiting final
assembly.
27

Chair for M.C. Escher
4B Chair Project
Instructed by Dr. Elizabeth English
Design Collaboration w. Wayne Yan
completed in 2019, Cambridge, Ontario
ESCHER’S ESCHER’S CONCEPT CONCEPT
60
1. 1. GEOMETRY 1. GEOMETRY 2. 2. REPEAT 2. REPEAT 3. 3. 3. 3. METAMORPHOSIS
ESCHER’S CONCEPT
28

M.C. Escher was a Dutch graphic artist and printmaker famous for
drawing impossible shapes, optical illusions, tessellated patterns
and other mathematically-inspired artwork. Over his lifetime he
produced hundreds of lithographs and woodcut prints as well as
thousands of drawings and sketches.
This chair for M.C. Escher, like his artwork, challenges the user’s
perceptions of what is “impossible” by repeating a simple geometric
form, then manipulating it to create an illusion. The motifs of defying
gravity and laws of perspective -- prevalent in Escher’s work --
manifests in a chair that seems to magically suspend itself above the
user’s head. Another recurring motif in Escher’s art is the disollution
of geometries into fractals and tesselations. Likewise, our client’s
chair begins as a solid monolith which deconstructs into three cubes
as the user interacts with it, and which can potentially be completely
separated from one another if desired.
ROTATION
ROTATION
1:1
SLEEVE C
C C C
SLEEVE C
1:1
ROTATION
ROTATE -90
1:10
SLEEVE B DETAIL
34 35
ROTATE 90
1:10
SLEEVE C DETAIL
36 37
C
ROTATION
ROTATION
ROTATION
ned d
e the
ole.
te. tate.
90°
per
terrom
m
d ted
any
es - -
to to
ROTATION
C
B
B B B
B
ROTATE 90
1:10
SLEEVE C DETAIL
36 37
SLEEVE B
1:1
ROTATION
SLEEVE C
SLEEVE B
ROTATION
SLEEVE B
1:1
ROTATE -90
ROTATION
1:10
SLEEVE B DETAIL
34 35
tion n
nse
er’s
A
ROTATION
CHAIR CONCEPT
A A A
SLEEVE A
1:1
SLEEVE A
1:1
POLE SECTION 1:5 1:5
A
SLEEVE A
BOX 1 - FIXED
1:10
SLEEVE A DETAIL
32 33
SECTION THROUGH
ROTATION MECHANISM
32
BOX 1 - FIXED
1:10
SLEEVE A DE
CHAIR CONCEPT
1. GEOMETRY 2. 2. REPEAT 3. METAMORPHOSIS
3. METAMORPHOSIS
29

Kigutu Hospital
office: Bergen Street Studio
office location: New York City, USA
project location: Burundi, Africa
project type: Women’s hospital
All photos and drawings copyright of Bergen Street Studio,
renderings co-produced by Stantec
30

Kigutu Hospital is a women’s hospital recently completed in a rural
area in Burundi, Africa, in partnership with Village Health Works
as well as landscape architecture consulting from Stantec. The
hospital will offer maternity and emergency care for women in an
impoverished part of Africa. It was designed with passive design
principles to reduce its energy intensity and construction costs.
My role on the project was to help produce a set of working
construction drawings as the design developed, as well as build
some of the master digital Rhino model used for the renderings
depicted here (produced in partnership with Stantec). I was also
assigned to propose dffferent design iterations for the exterior pickup
and drop-off area, seating and landscaping.
31 80

Park Ave. Bike Lane
Beyond The Centreline 2017 competition entry
Collaboration w. Wayne Yan
proposed location: New York City
typology: cycling path
32

Park Avenue is one of the widest and busiest streets in Manhattan,
but stands out for its large planted medians in the centreline of the
road. The ‘Beyond the Centreline’ competition called on designers
to rethink this unused strip of urban fabric and propose possible
interventions. Our proposal is to incorporate a new two-way cycling
trail along the centre of the median, painted with bright rianbow
colours. Buffered from the busy road on either side by the existing
vegetation, this trail would be be a safe and easy for drivers to see,.
The path would fill in a major existing North-South gap in Manhattan’s
bike path network, connecting Spanish Harlem at 97th street all
the way Union Square at 14th Street. The path would also pass
through Grand Central Station at 42nd, the city’s busiest commuter
transit node. The rainbow scheme is both an homeage to the city’s
tolerance and diversity, and a visual attraction for instagrammers and
New Yorkers alike, adding a fun splash of colour to an otherwise
monochrome urban landscape.
The bike lane would anticipate
a large amount of cycling traffic
due to its midway connection
point at Grand Central as well as
its uninterrupted, two-way North-
South traffic flow. It would cost very
little to build and maintain, and
help reduce automobile congestion
on one of the city’s most important
commercial thoroughfares. Its
physical separation from car and
foot traffic also increases safety,
embolden would-be urban cyclists
to use it, as well as allow greater
speeds and reduced travel times
from roads which cyclists must
share with automobiles.
97
55th
54th
51st
MADISON AVE
PARK AVE
LEXINGTON AVE
LEGEND
GCS
48th
EXISTING SHARROWS
EXISTING BIKE LANES
PROPOSED BIKE LANE
14
GRAND CENTRAL
STATION
STUDY AREA; SEE MAP RIGHT
PARK
N
33

Jigsaw Table
2A Design Studio Project
Instructed by Adrian Blackwell
Design Collaboration w. Hagop Terzian, Sissi Li & Justin Ng
completed in 2015, Cambridge, Ontario
This table set was designed and built over the course of a weekend. As
part of a design studio focused housing, the instructions of the project
were to create some kind intervention in our own homes. The impetus
for creating a table set was the observation that nobody in my house ate
together in the same room. We came up with the idea of a fragmented
table that by its design implied the need to be unified. Each puzzle piece
has a deatchable third leg which can be attached to stand on its own, eand
each has a different colour and corresponding chair to give each their
own unique personality. The primary colour scheme gives the table set a
youthful, playful character. The chairs were donated by local stores and
painted to match the colour scheme of their table piece.
34

Freelance Project
Client: Cambridge Sculpture Garden
completed in 2022, Cambridge, ON
Garden Signage
Cambridge Sculpture Garden is a volunteer-maintained public park on the
banks of the Grand River in Cambridge Ontario featuring beautiful gardens,
sculptures and artworks. In 2022 I was hired to redesign their signage on
a freelance contract. Made of painted aluminum with acrylic graphics, the
sleek, minimalist new signs compliment the garden’s modern artworks,
contrast nicely with the bright colours of the plants and feature the
garden’s mission statements and QR codes to direct visitors their website.
The signs were installed in late 2022.
35

Thank You