Date Range: Fall 2026 - Summer 2018 (BCIT Interior Design Bachelors Degree Capstone Project)
Position: Interior Designer, Researcher
Completed with Thanks to: Mentor, Gerry Shinkewski, SSDG; Advisor, Darcy Keester, Upcycle Vancouver
Objectives Achieved: Design a Community Hub for Social Upcycling Processes in Vancouver, Activate a New Job Market for People with Barriers to Employment, Nurture the Upcycling Culture and Community of Vancouver, Offer Visitors Lessons and Tools to Upcycle at Home, Provide a Marketplace for Local Upcycled Products
Skills Used: Interior Design, Research, Interviewing, 3D Modelling, Construction Drawing Development, Building Code Analysis
Additional Readings, Research, Construction Drawings, and Documentation Available Upon Request
This project addresses material waste through the act of social upcycling, while proactively combatting socioeconomic issues in the city of Vancouver. Through the fluid relationships of a material bank, project lab, retail stores, and community interaction space — opportunities for innovation and problem solving will encourage zero-waste initiatives which promote local action with a global mindset. Throughout development (including Research, Implementation, Spatial Planning, Material & Furniture Selection, Millwork Design, Construction Drawings), it was made incredibly apparent that this is a facility which Vancouver lacks and can deeply benefit from. It also reaffirmed my commitment to sustainable design — pushing me to explore material life-spans in a cradle-to-cradle approach, rather than established, conventional cradle-to-grave procedures.
