I am a 2024 graduate of the McEwen School of Architecture in Sudbury Ontario. The following portfolio is a compilation of work I have done in my undergraduate studies ranging from civic projects to multi-use residential.
I am passionate about creating designs that work harmoniously between the users, site and ecology. My goal in every project is to ensure I am not designing for myself, but for those who my projects will impact.
Val Caron, Ontario
Canada (705) 688-4626 allesv1024@gmail.com
EDUCATION
2020-2024
BACHELOR’S OF ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES
Laurentian University
2024-2026
MASTER’S OF ARCHITECTURE
Laurentian University
EXPERIENCE
MAY-AUG 2024
S.NO ARCHITECTURE
Student Architect
MAY-AUG 2023
KOBAYASHI + ZEDDA ARCHITECTS
Student Architect
AWARDS
2024 ONTARIO GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
2024 OUTSTANDING PROJECT FOR SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND INCLUSIVITY
2023 ERNEST ANNAU TRAVEL STUDY SCHOLARSHIP
2020 PORTFOLIO AWARD
SKILLS
PHOTOSHOP
ILLUSTRATOR
INDESIGN
AUTOCAD
REVIT
RHINO
SKETCHUP
TWINMOTION
LUMION
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH Native language
FRENCH
Fluid comprehension intermediate writing/speaking
1
BRIDGING THE GAP: HEALING THROUGH COMMUNITY
Mixed-Use Housing in Downtown Sudbury
Completed in my fourth year of undergrad alongside a partner. The assignment was to design a mixed-use, six-storey, building in the downtown core of Sudbury, Ontario with a tenure type and commercial spaces of our choosing.
This building was born through the desire to bring together the city of Sudbury and the downtown core through elimination of prejudice, integration of support systems, and celebration of skill, passion, and community. The amount of people experiencing homelessness in Downtown Sudbury has been steadily due in part to the COVID pandemic. Using the City of Greater Sudbury’s housing plan, our building focuses on supporting people from the street into affordable rental housing. The selected tenure types were transitional housing and affordable rental housing with the goal of encouraging those coming from living on the street to be motivated and graduate to permanent housing alongside their peers and neighbours.
Three pillars were chosen to guide the design: support, community, and ownership. Each pillar was chosen to ensure that residents move through the system successfully while improving their skills and quality of life, facilitating a life beyond their time spent at this project. These pillars inspired each of our commercial/public spaces: to support residents, a safe consumption site and rotational supportive professional office. To facilitate creative and life skill building, a maker’s space with various programs. Finally, to improve community relations, an art gallery where maker’s space items can be displayed and sold.
This project won the McEwen School of Architecture’s first prize for Outstanding project for social engagement and inclusivity.
First Floor Plan South-West Axo
Atrium Stairwell
Winter Passive Section
One-Bedroom Accessible Unit Plan
Slat Connection
& Cladding Connection
Section
NORTHERN LENS ON NORTHERN BUILDING
Smooth Rock Falls Civic Centre
This project was completed in my third year of undergrad and the task was to design a civic centre for the small community of Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario, as a part of the development of their waterfront. This town is located in the northern region of the province that also includes Sudbury and extends up to Hudson Bay. As a lifelong resident of Northern Ontario, I decided to take inspiration from more simplistic and traditional practices used in the north, such as balloon framing. The town deserved a design that represents and celebrates everything special about their northern heritage.
Precedents for the project from other parts of the north were taken into consideration throughout the process, such as Civic Park in Kirkland Lake that features a covered outdoor rink that is well-used by the community, and the waterfront development in Temagami. There is also an Indigenous culture room located in one of the buildings to support the nearby communities and create a safe and inclusive space for them to be represented in.
Second Floor Plan
OPENING INTO THE FLOUR MILL
Centre 3
Flour Mill Early Childhood Education
This assignment was completed in my third year of university and the task was to design an early childhood education centre in the Flour Mill neighbourhood of Sudbury, Ontario.
The neighbourhood is low-income part of the city in which buildings are often rundown and in need of maintenance. There are many misconceptions about the area and my goal was to create a building that allowed the neighbourhood to be celebrated, rather than teaching children to be ashamed or afraid of where they come from. In addition to large windows that allow many visual connections between the interior and exterior, I studied the Reggio Emillia approach to preschool design, with large open spaces, flexible programming and a scale better suited for children. There is a central piazza where children of each age can come together while still maintaining their private spaces.
South Elevation
4
BRIDGING ARCHITECTURE & ECOLOGY
Lake Laurentian Ecology Centre
This project was completed myself in my second year of university and the purpose was to design an ecology Centre on the site of Lake Laurentian in Sudbury, Ontario.
The approach I took was to analyze the ecosystem around, both land and water, and the relationships within it. Lake Laurentian is a protected area and as it is an ecology centre, my goal was to create symbiotic relationships between visitors, the building, and the surrounding environment. The forms of the building were inspired by the topography of the site, and there is a bridge that spans the incoming roadway. Gardens were placed around the site with plants that would attract butterflies and feed birds during the winter. There are green roofs on both levels that serve the same purpose, and bring wildlife to inhabit the building.
