Public — DAO | Algorithmic & Timber Architecture

Inspiring Community Connections.

PUBLIC

Float Spa
Sudbury, Ontario

Designed as a curated experience from the moment you walk in the door, the progression from the sensory overload of the external world to fully isolated sensory deprivation is present in the gradual elimination of stimuli as one moves deeper into the space, culminating in the float pods. The project synthesizes various hidden mechanical and electrical needs into the design framework to achieve an architecture of sensory stillness, allowing for individual focus on an inner dream state without compromise. Once the float session is complete, a slow reintroduction of stimuli is enhanced by a custom screen wall designed to gently filter light as you mindfully re-enter the public realm, easing the transition back to everyday life.

PERIOD 2016 - 2017
STRUCTURE Existing Structural Steel
SCALE 1 story
FLOOR AREA 3,000 ft2

CLIENT Bloomington Developments
TEAM Roch Belaire Architect
DESIGN-BUILD DAO (Perforated Screen)
STRUCTURAL Tall Pines Engineering
MECHANICAL SNC Lavalin
ELECTRICAL SNC Lavalin
GRAPHIC DESIGN OTA
PHOTOGRAPHY Braeden Martel

SERVICES Algorithmic Design
Record Drawings
Conceptual Design
Rendering Package
Building Permit
Interior Design
Enhanced CA
Design-Build

Glamour by Krystal Beauty
Sudbury, Ontario

The expansion of a local salon business into a new location began with the retrofit of a previous tenant’s layout, where the existing partition walls and structure were adapted into the design to meet an accelerated timeline for a Grand Opening in under 6 months. Featuring a manicure and pedicure area, private and group treatment rooms, hair styling services, coffee bar, retail area, and staff area, the programming of the space was carefully designed to separate out quiet zones for personal relaxation and indulgence. Due to the large size of the unit, care was taken to give each space its own singular identity, visually showcasing the diversity of options available to clients. Currently in operation, the salon has become a hub for local beauty and wellness in an environment uncompromisingly tailored to the user experience.

PERIOD 2024
STRUCTURE Existing Structural Steel
SCALE 1 story
FLOOR AREA 4,200 ft2

CLIENT Krystal Beauty
MECHANICAL Keith Lang Engineers
ELECTRICAL Keith Lang Engineers

SERVICES Record Drawings
Conceptual Design
Rendering Package
Building Permit
Interior Design
Phased Work
Fast-Track Approvals
Enhanced CA

Pandora
Sudbury, Ontario

Pandora has evolved from a small jewelry shop in Denmark to a globally recognized brand, available in over 100 countries worldwide. Their expansion into Sudbury was facilitated by the retrofit of an existing storefront to adequately reflect the jewellery’s design and craftsmanship, while paying homage to the Scandinavian minimalism of its origins. The clean, simplistic, and bright atmosphere reflect the company’s design standards while adapting to the available space to encourage a curated customer experience.

PERIOD 2019 - 2020
STRUCTURE Existing Structural Steel
SCALE 1 story
FLOOR AREA 985 ft2

PANDORA SPECS Little Diversified
MECHANICAL RB Engineering Inc.
ELECTRICAL EAM Engineering
CONSTRUCTION Fresco Construction

SERVICES Record Drawings
Building Permit

Helicopter Hangar
York Region, Ontario

This project was submitted as part of an RFP package to the York Regional Police for the design and construction of a new helicopter hangar. Our proposal featured a fast-track method of overlapping approvals and material fabrication to meet the 10-month deadline with the use of mass timber. A robust A-frame structure ensured the simplified integrity of the entire building and ample room for helicopter maintenance within. Offices were proposed overlooking the double-height maintenance area, and site layout considerations were made with helicopter maneuverability in mind. While this proposal did not proceed to construction, however it remains a prime example of the many opportunities and unique solutions mass timber can provide.

PERIOD 2024
STRUCTURE Mass Timber
SCALE 2 story
FLOOR AREA 5,000 ft2

CLIENT York Regional Police
STRUCTURAL Anthony Spick
STRUCTURAL Nordic
MECHANICAL Komri
ELECTRICAL Komri
INTERIOR HEIA Studio
CIVIL RA Engineering
ENERGY Ecovert
CODE CHM
SPEC Global Specification
COST Hanscomb
AVIATION Laamanen

SERVICES Conceptual Design
Rendering Package

Slag Art Gallery
Sudbury, Ontario

Drawing from personal roots in Sudbury, Patrick’s thesis project focused on the establishment of a new building for the proposed Franklin Carmichael Art Gallery, dedicated in honour of the youngest original member of the Group of Seven. The relocation from a repurposed house in the historic residential district of downtown Sudbury to a place of prominence across the railroad tracks from the City’s Elgin Greenway proposal, the new gallery would also bridge the physical division of the site from the adjacent downtown core. With a depth of material research into slag, a byproduct of the local mining industries, the overall design seeks to celebrate slag’s resilience and offer a unique opportunity to spotlight viable local construction materials.

The gallery space was designed as a rectilinear form, with an accumulation of mass along the midline to create a dense sound barrier between the interior programming and the pervasive noise from the nearby Trans-Canada Railway. Cantilevered volumes extend over the central corridor and fluctuate in size, framing a variety of artwork along the long gallery wall. Glazing between columns faces out across the tracks to the market building, enticing visitors to traverse the underground passageway and discover enrichment within the gallery space. Everything is either constructed with or augmented by slag blocks, showcasing its myriad applications for both structural and aesthetic purposes, while grounding the design into the very fabric of the landscape.

PERIOD 2011 - 2012
STRUCTURE Slag Slabs
SCALE 3 stories

ARCHITECTURE Greg Johnson
Oliver Neumann
Patricia Patkau
Brian Rudy
CONSTRUCTION Dale Craddock
Jay Drew
GEOLOGY Betsy Friedlander
Daan Maijer
Michael Parsons
MINING Michael Danielson
Joseph Lawless
Ken Scholey
PAINTINGS Frank Danielson
FUNDING RAIC

SERVICES Feasibility Studies
Conceptual Design
Rendering Package

Volcano Museum
Reykjahlíð, Iceland

Submitted to Buildner’s Iceland Volcano Museum competition in 2019, participants were tasked with “designing a multipurpose structure to feature local tourism attractions… [that] respect[s] the unique and sensitive context while at the same time [has] the potential to become an iconic tourist attraction in [its] own right.” The museum would be situated near Hverfjall Volcano, and would act as an information center and multipurpose exhibition space.

Taking inspiration from the looming dormant volcano, the proposed design centers around a compression ring roof structure that supports leaning turf-bearing panels anchored at the base by the surrounding stone mass, paying homage to the traditional turf house typology of Iceland. An inner volcanic sanctuary offers year-round respite from the sparse, exposed landscape, with a geothermally heated portal, partial canopy, and a concave form designed to amplify natural light across the open concept spaces within.

PERIOD 2019
STRUCTURE Cross-Laminated Timber
SCALE 2 stories

SERVICES Conceptual Design
Rendering Package

Water Falls
Sudbury, Ontario

Designed as part of a conceptual reimagining of the downtown Sudbury cityscape, the iconic water tower was given new life with the incorporation of an atrium that wraps around the open supporting structure below. This initial intervention prompted a broader look at the possibilities for adaptive reuse and connection across the city core, as the most prominent features of the urban landscape are defined by railroad tracks, bodies of water, and outcroppings of bedrock scattered throughout. With a more focused approach to linking the disparate urban blocks, city anchors such as the library, convention center, performing arts center, and entertainment district have the potential for interconnectedness and unification through thoughtful intervention: rail lines could be transformed to host electric short-haul train cars, providing direct downtown access to the nearby lakefront; a raised public network of greenspace over the existing rail lines could enhance the city’s industrial past and provide access to a space typically cut off from public occupation. Some of the various opportunities to enhance the current downtown core are outlined as part of this conceptual master plan, which aims to act as a foundation block for discussions regarding the city’s potential as it evolves over time.

PERIOD 2020
STRUCTURE Adaptive Reuse
SCALE 7 Stories

SERVICES Master Planning
Conceptual Design
Rendering Package

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