Portfolio: Alyssa Scott

portfolio.

alyssa scott bachelor of interior design (honours) (CIDA)

strathcona commons.

Vancouver is a city of juxtaposition, famous for its glass skyline juxtaposed against the Salish Sea and the Rocky Mountains and the lushness of Stanley Park. However, it is also known, perhaps less famously, for its juxtaposition of wealth. Nothing captures this better than taking a drive down East Hastings Street. East of Carrall Street, one will find the streets full of people sleeping on the sidewalk, carrying their belongings in shopping carts, and setting up makeshift markets to buy, sell and trade. West of Carrall Street, you will find trash-free streets, commuters with leather bags and expensive AirPods and iPhones, and highend luxury stores. Driving through the intersection of Hastings and Carrall feels as if you are being transported between realities. The neighbourhood of Strathcona in the Downtown Eastside embodies this juxtaposition. The neighbourhood is home to both hip restaurants and coffee shops and multi-million dollar homes. At the same time, the majority of the population makes under $60,000/year, and a large portion of that number makes less than $30,000 (Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver).

This project will explore how the built environment can bridge the gap between those who “have” and those who “have not,” bringing us to an understanding of our common humanity and how the built environment can facilitate an equitable community. This project will answer the question, “How might we create a space that unifies the various social classes that live, work and play in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Strathcona while simultaneously creating opportunities to foster empathy, friendship and intercultural connections?”

There are many complicated theories and ways of thinking about community building, most of which do not lend themselves easily to interior design. However, there is a simple and sometimes forgotten way of community building: sharing a meal together. Research has shown that “good food fuels the body, but shared meals nourish the soul (Kochilas, 1988).” Food is an accessible means of accomplishing this intangible task since people need food to survive, and all cultures have traditions of eating together – food is our common ground.

Our solution is Strathcona Commons, a community hub focused on food, the growing, preparing and consuming of healthy and affordable food. Through this vehicle, we will create a space where the culturally and socioeconomically diverse neighbourhood of Strathcona can unite to build empathy for and friendship with one another.

Ultimately Strathcona Commons developed around the idea that “food is our common ground.”

area profile site location: 1010 raymur avenue

Our site, 1010 Raymur Avenue is located in the neighbourhood of Strathcona. Strathcona is located between Burrard Inlet, Main Street, Great Northern Way, and Clark Drive (The City of Vancouver: Social Policy and Projects, 2020). The neighbourhood is part of two specific sub-areas of Vancouver, the Downtown East Side and The False Creek Flats. These communities each have their own distinct identity and come with their own unique set of problems. Our site straddles these sub-areas and could fall into either area depending on where you draw your border line.

The DTES was “once the most important retail and entertainment district in Vancouver (Burnett, 2014).” The area’s hotels were full of laborers on leave from working at the railyards and other resource-based enterprises (Campbell et al., 2009). The area drew labour and industry through the Hastings Sawmill and CPR railyards, and Single Room Occupancies (SRO) Hotels offered temporary housing for the workers (Burnett, 2014). The neighbourhood’s economy declined as retail stores and hotels moved West of Main Street (Campbell et al., 2009). These SROs became housing units for people with various difficulties (Campbell et al., 2009).”

The 1930s brought hundreds of men to Vancouver looking for work (Campbell et al., 2009). When the Great Depression ended, “those who had been injured working in rough resource sector jobs, as well as the sick and the elderly, were left behind. It was a phenomenon that occurred in many large North American cities in the 1940s, turning the traditionally workingclass community into ‘skid roads’ (Campbell et al., 2009).” As more roads were built and Vancouver’s streetcar services were shut down, businesses in the area began to close, and the people who remained there had little other choice (Campbell et al., 2009). “By the 1990s, the DTES seemed to be in a kind of freefall. Crack cocaine… alcohol abuse… [and] heroin [caused] overdose deaths and HIV cases to skyrocket (Campbell et al., 2009).” The mentally ill were released from facilities into communities with little to no resources, and in 1993, the federal government stopped funding social housing (Campbell et al., 2009). All this led to the deepening of the systemic issues we see today on the DTES.

The future of False Creek Flats is vital to Vancouver’s future economy. Like the DTES plan, the city worked directly with the community to propose a plan for the future of The Flats. The plan divides the land into four subareas: health hub, creative campus, terminal spin and back-of-house (The City of Vancouver, 2023). The Northeast corner of the flats, the location of our project, “provides a strategic location for a variety of core industrial and city-serving businesses, industrial art production studios and an established and growing food district (The City of Vancouver, 2023).” The NE corner is “a major location for the food and cultural economy, this sub-area includes numerous artist studios at 1000 Parker Studios and Mergatroid, among others (The City of Vancouver, 2023).” The Flats 2050 vision is to be “the greenest place to work in the world (The City of Vancouver, 2023).” To do so the City has laid out several policies. These policies include, “exploring the potential of greening rooftops, including opportunities for permanent homes for urban agriculture and community gardens (The City of Vancouver, 2023),” “reduce barriers to allow for small-scale community events, cultural celebrations, or other activities (The City of Vancouver, 2023),” and “use innovative approaches to childcare (The City of Vancouver, 2023).”

strategies

We used the patchwork nature of the warehouse building’s three additions to develop our concept of patch, which was the primary driver for our project. Alongside patch we used three other strategies; the creation of program islands, creating a free flowing circulation and the use of relief between spaces and material connections.

ENTRY POINTS

Through research we determined that having multiple entry points was the most effective way to encourage equity of access.

11’-6”

10’-0” 12’-6 - 13’6” 35’-0” 19’-6”

WHITE PAINTED BRICK WALL FINISH

4X4” WHITE TILE

The main dining hall features a double height volume, creating a welcoming and inviting place for people to gather and share a meal.

The west entry focuses on a zero waste market, offering day olds from local grocery stores, produce from the future rooftop garden and local artisans.

The area also features a lounge and visual connection to the bridge teaching kitchen on the second floor.

The seasonal dining hall features vendors that rotate with the seasons, adapting their menu to focus on serving locally sourced food.

Eventually the primary source of food will be from the future roof top garden.

To reduce construction waste we created several interlocking units that can be arranged however the vendor needs, depending on their offerings.

The primary preparation of food will take place in the commissary kitchen.

1 rotating food stall perspective

2 dining booth vingette

TERRAZZO FLOORING

EASILY INTERCHANGIBLE MENU BOARD. WHITE BRICK WALLS

MODULAR UNITS

EASILY

CHANGIBLE MENUS BOARDS

COUNTERTOPS

DINING CHAIRS

PENNY STOOL

DINING TABLES

XXL PENDANT

The seed library serves as a place of knowledge and connection.

Here one is able to purchase seedlings and seeds, consult with a Master Gardener to gain tips about growing each seed, and sign up for waitlists for the future rooftop community gardens.

The materiality of this space takes the wood tones and tile patterns from throughout the building and unifies them on the back elevation.

Plants will be displayed on shelves, which can be moved around along the peg board.

ach material is separated by a half inch relief, which has been painted green, to bring unity to the wall.

The cafe sits on the northern end of the building and is much more of a casual zone. It is close to the future play area and courtyard, becoming a welcoming place for parents and children to gather, as well as those who may work remotely or simply need a place to sit for a few hours.

This area features a community fridge which is run by the cafe, locals and some local nonprofits, allowing people to “take what they need and leave what they can.”

The materials in this space are the biggest departure from the rest of the building, with the introduction of a bold blue, but still use the brand colours and patchwork theme.

CAFE

millwork section.

The courtyard allows us not only to meet code on the second floor, but also enables us to bring daylight into the full floorplate.

We have created a featured stair that draws attention and creates a focal point, guiding people to the second floors more private ammenities.

COURTYARD

6 courtyard perspective

staircase axonometric. staircase section + lighting details.

The teaching kitchens are the primary function of the second floor, along with ancillary functions such as admin, and a childminding space.

The teaching kitchens are spaces for local non profits to run their food education programs, for cooking classes to be taught and available to rent for parties and other events.

These are spaces where people can come together to learn how to cook and eat well.

The kitchens feature residential grade appliances so that they feel more accessible and familiar to users.

TEACHING KITCHEN

2021 NEWH + WOODCRAFT HOSPITALITY

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION

Tasked to design a line of Hotel Case-goods, I focused on designing for the post-pandemic traveler.

Post pandemic travel experiences should allow guests to unwind while also providing an intentional change of scenery.

Rest + Recreation is inspired by rake lines found in Zen Gardens, We distilled three ideas from Zen Gardens, its circular forms, to provide rest, asymmetrical symmetry to provide excitement and repetition to provide movement.

I also aimed to reduce as many touch points as possible from our case-goods, to ensure a clean environment for post-pandemic travelers.

As part of the brief materials were primarily chosen from Wilson Art Engineered Surfaces.

The colour palette was kept neutral in tone, to create rest, and texture + pattern was added to create a sense of recreation.

All materials selected are bleachable and cleanable.

WALLPAPER

UPHOLSTRY

WOOD ACCENTS

COUNTERTOP

BRASS METAL ACCENTS

WHITE OAK HERRINGBONE FLOOR

tv panel.

combo unit.

platform. lounge chair.

2023 IDC

INNOVATION IN DESIGN THINKING:

STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION

yuustway healing center.

scalar figures provided by studioalternativi

third year studio, spring 2022

Yuustway is a Squamish word that means to take care of one another or to care for each other. This word encapsulates the heart of your family medicine practice, and what your clinic exists to do.

In 2021 with the publishing of the In Plain Sight Report by BC Healthcare, it came to the forefront what Indigenous people have been subjected to in settler health care systems.

Through this report it was confirmed that healthcare is unsafe for indigenous people. The experiences of indigenous people in the British Columbian healthcare system, was found to be, racist, non-consensual, low quality, and to cause a loss of body autonomy, and a loss of privacy. Only 28% of indigenous peoples report being involved in their care decisions. This is opposed to the 54% of non-indigenous people who feel that they have a say in their health care.

Yuustway Healing Center exists to enable indigenous people to not only receive care, but receive culturally safe care.

We decidedly did things different for Yuustway.

We intentionally enlarged the healing rooms. 3 out of 4 of them are a little more than double the size of a typical exam room, this was done to intentionally fit entire family units and encourage traditional healing practices.

We also removed any form of gate keeper in the clinic. Instead of being greeted by an intimidating desk, patients are greeted by a welcome figure, which we have commissioned a local indigenous artist to create for us. This figure signifies being welcomed into a space, and acknowledges the territory of the people who preside on it.

We placed the majority of seating in the healing rooms, but placed some stools and a bench seat in this space for more flexible seating. We kept this space intentionally open so that patients can see the entire clinic and choose where they would like to meet with a doctor. We removed the avatar from the image so you could better see the millwork, where tea, coffee and other snacks will be served throughout the day. This area is for community, for gathering and welcoming. It is meant to be a warm space where patients feel invited into the practice of healing.

Throughout we incorporated murals by Blake Angeconeb, a Canadian Indigenous artist. We wanted to include contemporary indigenous art through out the space to create happy distractions and tell indigenous stories.

Instead of using doors to partition off the healing rooms, we have commissioned local indigenous artists to weave blankets for curtains. Blankets signify community and connection for the squamish people, and the act of sharing a blanket is a symbolic act of connection. We felt that by using a blanket to partition off a room, it signified a safe space between those inside. Using a curtain as a partition also helps those who may have experienced trauma not feel as if they are in a locked room alone with a doctor, while still providing privacy.

WOOD LOOK LVP FLOORING

TERRAZZO FLOORING

BLACK METAL ACCENTS

CUSTOM MURAL BY INDEGENOUS CANADIAN ARTIST BLAKE ANGECONEB

SILICA BY MOMENTUM FABRICS (PVC FREE UPHOLSTRY)

FLUTED GLASS INSERTS

scalar figures provided by studioalternativi

scalar figures provided by studioalternativi

scalar figures provided by studioalternativi

2022 STAPLES PROFESSIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR CORPORATE DESIGN EXCELLENCE

playclothes headquarters.

scalar figures provided by blush illustrations

third year studio, fall 2021

Playclothes, a children’s clothing store exists to provide parents with sustainable clothing, toys and accessories to encourage a playful and imaginative childhood.

Pictured here is the retail store we designed for Playclothes. We heavily focused on interactive elements for children, encouraging them to touch, climb and play with everything in the store.

For the company’s new headquarters, it was important for our program that we capture the brand’s sense of interaction and play, as this is the central feature of the Playclothes brand. As well as emphasize the flat hierarchy of the company, ensure that the office is inclusive for all abilities and neurodiversities, and be adaptable for the 10 year lease.

Flexibility + Interaction

Unassigned Desking

Our concept for Playclothes Headquarters is to provide as much flexibility and interaction as possible. We will use colour to communicate play and creativity, and we will use simple line and form to create a space that has the feeling of infinite possibilities. We will use unassigned desking to encourage this flexibility. Use wide hallways and collision zones to encourage interaction

Our concept can be distilled into a simple diagram, which demonstrates simple line, playful colour, spontaneous interaction, flexibility and the various collision zones within the space.

Wide Hallways

scalar figures provided by blush illustrations

confetti.

third year studio, spring 2022

celebrate every day

Confetti is a place to celebrate anything and everything. Confetti is rooted in chef Christina Tosi’s memories of her mom finding every excuse to celebrate and communicate a sense of belonging to all who come across her path. Patrons pass heaping plates of familiar, but indulgent, dishes, taking however much or little they want, each meal is incomplete without one of Tosi’s iconic layer cakes. The space echoes feelings of wholehearted celebration, being surrounded by your closest loved ones, and the intangible joy that only comes from a really, really, awesome dessert. Confetti celebrates the every day, recognizing that life is too short to not take a moment to recognize and be thankful for everything you have.

To create the 162-seat restaurant, we used four key strategies

1. Flexible seating; we wanted to make sure that the restaurant could be reconfigured easily and in as many ways as possible to accommodate for large and small gatherings.

2. We used oversized patterns and saturated colours to communicate joy and celebration

3. We used residential elements to capture a feeling of comfort and nostalgia. 4. We used symmetry in our space plan to provide grounding for the joyfully chaotic finishes.

We created two distinct dining spaces, a lounge and a dining room. The lounge features casual furniture, a large oversized mural by pattern maker Dylan M., and is anchored by three Bocci 28.61 light fixtures. The dining room features more muted finishes, flexible seating and 65 mirror-balls. We used mismatched chairs hinting at gathering chairs from around your house to seat everyone together at the same table. The homey finishes combined with the statement ceiling creates a feeling of celebration in your living room.

SPLIT CHAIR

AGAIN CHAIR IRONICA CHAIR

811 CHAIR PUNTON CHAIR

WALLPAPER

GUBI LOUNGE CHAIRS

MISMATCHED TON DINING CHAIRS: 811, PUNTON, SPLIT, IRONICA, + AGAIN CUSTOM TABLE

CUSTOM MURAL BY PATTERN MAKER DYLAN M.

WALLPAPER

UPHOLSTRY

BRICK WALL FINISH

MIRRORBALL CEILING

CUSTOM NEON SIGN

materials.

BATHROOM STALL WALLPAPER

BATHROOM SINK WALLPAPER

BRASS METAL ACCENTS

The Acor Family Residence Project focuses on creating a home for the Acor Family. The family recently moved from Istanbul, Turkey, to Vancouver, BC. The family has 5 kids, and are triple the size of the average Vancouver family. Their new home is located at 456 W Broadway.

This newly rejuvenated building is located near, one of Vancouver’s central bike routes, and right next door to broadway/city hall skytrain station. There are several grocery stores within walking distance, As well as several restaurants and shopping experiences.

The unit faces north and is 1368 square feet, and is a lofted unit.

The Acor family eats all of their meals on the floor, this is common in Turkish households. They gather around a circular platter called a sini and share a communal meal. Turkish families are also known for their hospitality, The family is constantly cooking and sharing meals their large extended family and extensive friend groups.

Socializing is key to their culture, and is something that this family needs to have space for.

Because the family is so large, and has a deeply engrained culture of hospitality, the family must maximize living space within their new home.

How might we create a space that maximizes the living spaces of the Acor’s apartment so that the large family can host their friends, and even larger extended family?

To solve this problem, we decided to incorporate the family;s practice of eating dinner on the floor, to all areas of their lives to minimize space taken up by furniture and maximize the occupancy of the apartment.

BRASS METAL ACCCENTS

SIMPLY WHITE BY BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT

WALLCOVERING

COUNTERTOP

LAYERED TURKISH RUGS

VARIOUS FLOOR CUSHIONS

BRASS ROUND LIGHTING PENDANTS