Building & Architecture
PORTFOLIO 2023 - 2026
Andres Escalon Lainez
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0 0 PROJECT INFORMATION
Location | Course | Year | Software | Credits | Page
01
THE GATEWAY Public Pavilion | New Construction
New Brighton Park, Vancouver, BC
ARSC 7002 Foundations Studio
2024
Revit . AutoCAD . Twinmotion . Photoshop . Illustrator . InDesign
Individual Work
03
02
BCIT INDIGENOUS HOUSE Services Centre | New Construction
BCIT Burnaby Campus, Burnaby, BC
BLDG 4000 Architectural Technology II
2024
Revit . AutoCAD . Twinmotion . Photoshop . InDesign
Collaborative Work Andres Escalon Lainez + Eduardo Aviles
05
03
NBP COMMUNITY CENTRE Civic Assembly | Landscape Intervention
New Brighton Park, Vancouver, BC
ARSC 7002 Foundations Studio
2024
Revit . AutoCAD . Twinmotion . Illustrator . Photoshop . InDesign
Individual Work
08
04
THE CULINARY CLIMB Culinary School | Adaptive Reuse
Downtown Vancouver, BC
ARSC 8000 Systems Integration Studio Conceptual Emphasis
2025
Revit . AutoCAD . Twinmotion . Illustrator . Photoshop . InDesign
Collaborative Work Andres Escalon Lainez + Daniel Rojas Ibarra + Abdul Aziz Ansari
11
Vancouver, BC
BLDG 3000 Architectural Technology I
2023
Revit . AutoCAD . Photoshop . InDesign
Individual Work
14
New Westminster, BC
ARSC 8005 Comprehensive Design Studio
2026
Revit . AutoCAD . Illustrator . Photoshop . InDesign
Individual Work
17
05 06
SYLVAN POCKET HOUSE Detached Secondary Dwelling | New Construction
THE SPATIAL DIVIDE Public Library + Student Housing | MixedUse
03
0 1 THE GATEWAY
P ublic Pavilion | New Construction
Burrard Inlet
01 THRESHOLD Establishes a defined gateway into the park.
02 FRAMED VIEW Directs movement and frames the landscape beyond.
03 SPATIAL EXPANSION The form opens to reveal the park ahead.
04 VISUAL RELEASE Views expand as the enclosure opens outward.
05 FRAMED GATEWAY Completes the gateway by framing the landscape ahead.
Commissioner Street
The Gateway is a public pavilion located within New Brighton Park, Vancouver, conceived as an architectural threshold that marks the transition between the urban edge and the surrounding natural landscape. Through a deliberate sequence of compression, framed views, and spatial expansion, the pavilion guides visitors into the park while revealing the landscape beyond. Acting as both a shelter and a gateway, the design encourages pause, gathering, and exploration, transforming the experience of arrival into a memorabl e architectural journey that strengthens the connection between people and nature.
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Site Plan Ro
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Structural Axonometric Legend A. Roof Joists B. Main Roof Assembly C. Sloped Roof Beams D. Main Structural Beam E. Main Structural Columns F. Envelope G. Concrete Base
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Floor Plan
Floor Plan Legend 1. Typ. Washroom 2. Exterior Public Galley 3. Entry Area 4. Threshold 5. Expansion Area 6. Park Service Storage 7. Accessible Washroom 8. Rain Collection Garden
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Structural Axonometric
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Threshold Section
Threshold View
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0 2 BCIT INDIGENOUS HOUSE S ervices Centre | New Construction The BCIT Indigenous House is envisioned as a contemporary gathering place that celebrates Indigenous culture while strengthening Indigenous presence within the Burnaby campus. Designed as an Indigenous Services Centre, the project supports holistic learning, teaching, research, and cultural exchange through spa ces that integrate architecture, community, and the surrounding landscape. Inspired by the traditional fish spear, the design translates its symbolism of guidance, resilience, and intergenerational knowledge transfer into an architectural language that informs the building's form, structure, and spatial organization. The result is a welcoming place that fosters identity, belonging, and cultural connection while enriching both the Indigenous community and the broader BCIT campus.
01 CULTURAL REFERENCE The traditional fish spear establishes the conceptual foundation for the project.
02 FORMAL ABSTRACTION The spear's geometry is abstracted into architectural form.
03 SPATIAL TRANSLATION The geometry establishes the spatial organization.
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04 ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT The concept is refined into the final architectural form.
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Location Plan
Site Plan
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Initial Grid Arrangement & Interior Functions
Modularity Axonometric Structural Principle
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Top Deck Idea
Lower Deck Idea
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A - Cross Section
Middle Deck Idea
B - Longitudinal Section
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Modularity Axonometric Legend A. Structural Spear Columns B. Floor Beams + Floor Assembly C. Inclined Columns D. Glazing Facade E. Facade Privacy Typology F. Roof Beams + Roof Assembly
East Elevation
Main Floor Plan
Facade Privacy Typologies Floor Plan Legend 1. Entry / Lobby 2. Social Area 3. Workshop 4. Administration Office 5. Multipurpose Room 6. Gallery / Exhibit 7. Resource Centre 8. Public Washrooms 9. Changing Room 10. Kitchen 11. Maintenance / Janitor Room 12. General Storage Room 13. Garbage / Recycling Room 14. Loading Bay / Services Room 15. Outdoor Amphitheatre
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01 SEMI-PRIVATE Balanced screening allowing light, views, and privacy.
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02 PUBLIC Open screening encouraging transparency and visual connection.
03 PRIVATE High-density screening for maximum privacy.
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West Elevation
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0 3 NBP COMMUNITY CENTRE
Civic Assembly | Landscape Intervention The New Brighton Park Community Centre explores how regenerative design principles can inform architectural interv ention within an existing park system. Conceived as an investigation into the relationship between architecture and landscape, the project questions how an intervention might compensate for its disruption of an existing landscape through a partially embedded building that integrates planting, daylight, and rainwater management within its architectural form. These systems work alongside community-oriented spaces to establish relationships between the building and its ecological and social context. Rather than proposing a definitive regenerative solution, the project explores interdependence between architecture, landscape, environmental systems, and community while remaining open to further development.
Can architectural intervention compensate for its disruption of an existing landscape?
01 EXISTING SYSTEM The park exists as a continuous landscape system.
02 DISRUPTION Architectural intervention interrupts the existing landscape.
03 INTERDEPENDENCE Architecture and landscape adapt to establish a shared condition.
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Floor Plan Legend 1. Tool Shed 2. Multipurpose Room 1 3. Exterior Amenities + Washrooms 4. Washrooms 5. Staff Room + Office 6. Corridor 7. Concession Stand
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Storage Reception Janitor Room Service Room Multi purpose Room 2 Changing Rooms
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Ground Floor Plan Interior View
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A - Longitudinal Section
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Interdependence Diagram Systems Synthesis
Daylight Interdependence is established through the relationships between landscape, architecture, environmental systems, and community. Architecture acts as the mediator, using form to manage water and daylight, which in turn support planting and community use. Rather than operating independently, each system contributes to a connected framework that extends the surrounding landscape into the architectural experience. Landscape
Supports Plant Growth Roof Form Introduces Daylight
Planting Extends landscape into building
Sunlight
Architecture Integrates Planting
Community Provides Space + Program
Roof Collects Rainwater Supports irrigation
Water Supports Non-Potable Use Rainfall
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A City Sewage Connection Line
Integrated Systems Section
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Systems Section Legend 1. Permeable Soil 2. Perforated Perimeter Drainage Tile 3. Structural Retaining Wall 4. Native Park Vegetation 5. Native Park Topsoil / Green Roof Growth Medium 6. Skylight Openings Aligned with Interior Green Walls (Winter + Summer Solar Angles) 7. Interior Green Wall Assembly 8. Exterior Amenities Rainwater Collection Roof 9. Rainwater Retention Pond 10. Rainwater Overflow Storage Tank 11. Stored Rainwater Filtration + Distribution A. B.
Interior Green Wall Irrigation System Non-Potable Toilet Flushing System
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0 4 THE CULINARY CLIMB
Culinary School | Adaptive Reuse The Culinary Climb is an adaptive reuse project that transforms an existing building in downtown Vancouver into a vertically organized culinary school while preserving its established urban presence. The intervention retrofits the existing structure and introduces a two-storey addition, allowing the building to accommodate a diverse educational program of classrooms, laboratories, teaching kitchens, faculty and student spaces, and public dining venues. Organized around a student's progression tow ard culinary mastery, the program ascends in complexity throughout the building, culminating in increasingly refined public dining experiences. Through the integration of education, practice, and public engagement, the project transforms the existing building into an architectural expression of the culinary learning journey.
Proposed Intervention 01 ASCENSION Increasing student expertise through vertical progression.
02 DIVISION Organizes programs by student expertise and public engagement.
03 INTEGRATION Educational and public programs integrate within the existing structure.
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Existing Building
Site Plan
Programmatic Ascension Student expertise develops alongside increasingly refined public and culinary spaces, advancing from foundational learning toward mastery.
Pastry Caf
Bistro
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- Public + Culinary Spaces - Education / Learning Spaces - Student & Faculty Spaces
Level 01
Fine Dining
Level 07
Level 04
- Support / Other Spaces - Open to Below Spaces
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Bistro Faculty Offices Director's Office Main Teaching Kitchen 1 Lecture Room Pastry Caf Student Lounge Main Teaching Kitchen 2 Fine Dining Restaurant
Roof
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Level 06
Level 02
Level 05 Level 05
Level 04
Level 03
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Level 02 Accessible Lane
Beatty Street
Level 01
Level 03
Level 06
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Culinary Progression Public spaces evolve in character, translating increasing levels of student expertise into distinct dining environments.
Bistro
Pastry Caf
Adaptive Transformation The contemporary intervention extends above the existing building while preserving its established street presence.
Proposed Intervention
Existing Building
Smithe Street Elevation
Beatty Street Elevation
Fine Dining
05 SYLVAN POCKET HOUSE
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Detached Secondary Dwelling | New Construction The Sylvan Pocket House is a detached secondary dwelling in Vancouver designed for a forest engineer, creating a bridge between urban and rural living. Through the thoughtful integration of natural and contemporary materials, the home establishes a strong connection to its surroundings by maximizing natural light and framing views of the surrounding greenery through expansive openings at each major corner. Locally sourced Western Red Cedar clads one half of the exterior and continues seamlessly into the interior, while the opposing half is expressed through sleek aluminum panels. A robus t concrete-faced wall separates these contrasting material palettes, symbolizing the client's dual appreciation for the warmth and authenticity of wood and the refined character of contemporary urban architecture. The result is a compact, cohesive, and visually dignified residence that dissolves the boundary between the built and natural environments, offering a living experience deeply rooted in both place and profession.
01 SIMPLE VOLUME Compact form establishes an efficient footprint on site.
02 ORIENT & SPLIT Volume is oriented to the site and split along simple axes to frame optimal views.
03 MAXIMIZE VIEWS The mass is divided into functional volumes, framing panoramic corner views.
Dunbar Street
West 32nd Avenue
Access Lane
West 33rd Avenue
Site Context Plan
Public Transit Lines User Access Path
Floor Plan Legend 1. Entry 2. Living Room 3. Bathroom 4. Kitchen + Dining 5. Service Room 6. Vertical Circulation 7. Washer/Dryer 8. Bedroom 9. Home Office
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Main Section Legend A. Insulated Continuous Concrete Footings B. EW1 - Western Re d Cedar Finish - Double Clad C. Drop Ceiling Voids for Mech/Elec Use D. R1 - Typ. Shed Roof - 4% Slope - Anchored to Back Wall E. EW2 - Grey Stucco Finish - Double Clad F. R2 - Typ. Shed Roof - 30% Slope G. EW3 - White Aluminum Panel Finish w/ Int. GWB Plaster H. Exterior Facade Feature Beam
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Ground Floor Plan
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Upper Fl oor Plan
A - Main Section
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Section Legend B. EW1 - Western Red Cedar Finish - Double Clad E. EW2 - Grey Stucco Finish - Double Clad I. 7 × 12 LVL Beam J. EW4 Ext. White Aluminum Panel Clad w/ Western Red Cedar Int. Finish K. Lightweight Storefront Assembly for better natural light diffusion L. High Performance Panoramic Window M. R3 - Typ. Shed Roof - 17% Slope N. Typ. Lighting Fixtures O. Typ. Rainwater Gutter System @ all Shed Roof Ends P. Main Slab on Grade Topped w/ Granular Fill and 2× 1.5" thick XPS insulation boards Q. 2 × 8 Floor Joist Dropped on top of Foundation Wall R. Integrated Cooking + Dining Table S. Interior Partition Wall - Living / Kitchen T. 6 × 12 LVL Beam Flush Perpendicular w/ 7 × 12 LVL Beam
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0 6 THE SPATIAL DIVIDE
P ublic Library + Student Housing | Mixed-Use The Spatial Divide is a mixed-use project in New Westminster that combines affordable student housing for nearby Douglas College with a public library serving the surrounding community. The building is organized through two perpendicular divisions that establish a framework for arranging and separating its public and private programs. Between the library below and residence above, an inhabited spatial break creates opportunities for visual connection between otherwise distinct users and spaces. Through this organization, the project explores the relationship between public and private life while maintaining the identity and privacy of each program.
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02 LEFT
03 RIGHT
04 PERSPECTIVE
Cunningham Street Douglas College
5 min walk
5 min walk
Agnes Street
Victoria Street
6th Street
McKenzie Street
Begbie Street
8th Street
Carnarvon Street
5 min walk
Clarkson Street
Columbia Street
Front Street
Fraser River
Site Context Plan
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Floor Plan Legend
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Library 1. Multipurpose Room 1 2. Multipurpose Room 2 3. Open Collaborative Space 4. Resource Room 5. Library-Accessible Garden Roof
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Amenity 6. Residential Amenity Space 7. Residential Courtyard 8. Residential Recreation Room 9. Occasional Shared Multipurpose Room Residence 10. Typ. Studio Unit 11. Typ. Cluster Units 12. Residential Common Space
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B - Upper Common Space - Exterior Section
A Level 03 - Library
Visual Connection
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Level 04 - Amenity
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Level 05 - Residence
A - Perspective Section
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B Level 05
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Structural Condition Section
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I Structural Axonometric Legend 1. Mass Timber Superstructure (Residence) 2. Mass Timber Transition Structure (Amenity) 3. Reinforced Concrete Base (Library) Structural Connection Detail Legend A. Steel Base Plate B. 250 × 250 mm Glulam Column C. 175 mm 5-Ply CLT Slab D. 600 × 1200 mm E-W Interconnected Glulam Beam E. 5-Ply CLT-to-Beam Connection - Screws @ 250 mm O.C. F. 600 × 1200 mm Exposed N-S Interconnected Glulam Beam G. Flush Beam Beyond w/ Typ. Concealed Steel Plate Pocket Connection H. Typ. Concealed Steel Plate Pocket Connection I. Embedded Angled Knife Plate J. 600 × 600 mm Exposed Glulam Column K. 500 × 500 mm Exposed Angled Glulam Column L. Custom Three-Way Steel Knife Plate Connection to Reinforced Concrete Base
Structural Axonometric
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