KATHRYN PIERRE
ARCHITECTURE IN PLACE Selected Works January 2021
Phone (905) 407-7036 Email kathryn.pierre@hotmail.com Address 2035 West Third Ave, Vancouver, BC
List of Works 01
Wellington Information Kiosk Wellington, Ontario Summer 2018
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Ecotourism on the North Island Fort Rupert, British Columbia Fall 2019
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A Market and A Parkette Dundas St W, Toronto Summer 2018
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Moss Pocket Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver Fall 2020
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Toronto’s Urban Backyard Toronto, Ontario Fall 2020
Wellington Information Kiosk Design + Build Studio Summer 2018 Instructors: Matthew Kennedy & Mark Erickson
Featured in the December issue of Interior Design Magazine A two-week design-build collaboration in Wellington, Ontario, Canada, commissioned by the local business association to provide a functional and aesthetic upgrade to the existing structure. Though wayfinding and information distribution for tourists would serve as the functional purpose of the new kiosk, the clients hoped the design would meet the larger goal of representing the rebranding of Wellington as an attractive arts and culture tourist destination. The design component was such that programmatic ideas were whittled away or combined after half-day charettes for five days continuously. The design focused on three main components; a cubic-based massing that combined interior space and outdoor sheltered space, exterior fenestration pattern based on the local quilting tradition and site specific orientation that maximized exposure and framed the lake view to the south.
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From its prominent location on the western edge of town along the only regional access road, the kiosk needed to represent the historic traditions of the town. With over one hundred painted barn quilts in the region, they encapsulate the spirit of Wellington. They are arranged on homes and businesses to create an outdoor gallery as you pass through town. By leveraging the iconic quilting patterns, we were able to combine traditional crafts with contemporary architecture creating a unique beacon for Wellington.
The kiosk was constructed of timber for the main structure and a poly-carbonate for cladding. A bifurcated construction strategy was used to best leverage the large team size during two week time-frame of the course. One team remained on campus to oversee the milling of the screens while my team started construction on site in Wellington. Photos (right) by Matthew Kennedy
Ecotourism on the North Island Option Studio I Fall 2019 Instructor: John Bass This studio took place in the remote community of Fort Rupert on the North-Eastern tip of Vancouver Island. The land is home to the Kwakiutl band, who invited our proposals for a newly purchased piece of land just minutes west of the town centre. The goal of this project was to create a building with two different programs; an inward facing program that served the community and an outward facing program aimed at attracting tourists to the unique experiences of the region. The result was a community kitchen and a boutique dining experience for foodie-tourists and outdoor lovers. Patrons will use the site as a jumping off point for a unique NorthIsland ecotourism experience. Locally, there are plenty of opportunities to engage with Kwakiutl culture, including their rich material traditions and historic sites. This proposal aims to leverage existing regional tourist networks and introduce a new central hub to bring eco-tourism to the community. Formally inspired by early photographs of the community by European colonizers in the 1860’s, the building is reminiscent of traditional Kwakiutl plank-houses. Tectonically, screens open and close seasonally to replicate the bi-annual migration patterns of the community, which left monolithic cedar frames (houseposts) to mark their homes. The photo below was taken by members of the Hudson’s Bay Company looking over the company’s fort on the shore of present day Fort Rupert and shows the aforementioned plankhouses.
Petroglyphs
The Big House
Cultural Educational Experiences All photos taken during an October 2019 site visit
Section AA and Plan both show the restaurant on the left and the community center on the right.
Axonometric drawings illustrating the opening and closing of the building depending on time of year and use
A Market And A Parkette Design Studio IV Summer 2018 Instructor: Dan Briker Partners: Emily Wildfong, Milica Zekanovic & Yara Salama
A Market and A Parkette is a proposal for an unused site in Toronto’s rapidly gentrifying Junction Triangle neighbourhood. The site is an important transportation axis and serves as a gateway to the neighbourhood from several major public transit networks including a cross-city bike path, a regional commuter train line and the only east-west subway line from downtown Toronto. The irregular topography of the site provided inspiration for experimentation with parametric modelling. We aimed to design a structure that snaked through the site’s complex sectional relationships. The market-gallery can be entered the subterranean floor or from grade at the north-west corner. The visitor is ushered through a series of spaces that are sized according to the goods sold within them. The products with the largest smell are found in the largest halls while the products with the smallest amount of scent are found in the smallest section. Between each product section there is a pinch in the floor plan and section to indicate that a new sensory experience is beginning.
Site Plan showing the junction of roads, train tracks and a bike path
Plans
-1 Plan entrance from below underpass
Ground Floor Plan entrance from grade
East-facing Section through the bakery, deli and fruit products with call-outs that detail the use of space, seating options and green space. Collaboration by Kathryn Pierre, Emily Wildfong, and Yara Salama.
Moss Pocket Structures II Fall 2020 Instructor: Annalisa Meyboom Partners: Emily Wildfong, Gabriella Poncet, Juliette Thibault
A structural study of a paviliion that reimagines social gatherings in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The design seeks to create a covered forest hideaway for socially distanced entertainment. Since the site is naturally quite flat, a raised screen and a reclined seating design ensures all parties have an unobstructed view. Under the exposed Glulam structure, guests will still feel a part of the surrounding park.   The exterior roof is clad in moss to blend in with the wooded context and provide added acoustic and temperature control benefits. The lofted form allows for minimal intervention on the site and promotes natural cross ventilation. The airy design will help guests feel comfortable with gathering in groups without sacrificing thermal comfort.
Exploded axonometric showing the building’s structural layout
An image of the exterior of the structure as you approach from the north west.
A collage of the pavilion’s interior at night.
Toronto’s Urban Backyard Vertical Studio III Fall 2020 Instructor: James Huemoller Partners: Blaike Allen & Michael Monaghan
The World Monuments Fund along with the University of Toronto hosted a competition to reimagine Toronto’s aging and abandoned Ontario Place. While the former amusement park, exhibition space and event venue was once a thriving weekend destination for Torontonians, the park has fallen on hard times brought about by years of under use. The aim create an Ontario Place for the next 50 years while adhering to strict preservation principles for the many modernist structures on the site. Inspired by the loose programming of the original 1970s plan by Eberhard Zeidler, this entry aimed to strip back the years of junk added to the site. As a move to make the site more popular with the public, buildings and programs filled the site. As each new program fizzled to failure, the structures of were one by one abandoned and taken from the public realm. By stripping the site of obsolete structures and breathing new life into the structures of historical significance we will revamp the site to suit the needs of modern city while respecting and displaying its rich cultural past as a Canadian icon. In place of these programs we are introducing and readapting spaces for free-play that are free, unordinary, interactive, and non prescriptive, that support countless activities but cater to none. This will bring the philosophy of free-play back to Ontario Place and create a fun, versatile urban backyard every Torontonian can call their own.
Preservation through Adaptation
Culturally significant structures
Deconstruct structures to increase access
Encourage public interaction under, over and around
Facilitating Imaginative Free-Play for All
Context Map
The new entrance, accessed through the Martin Goodman Trail reintroduces the public to Ontario Place as a public park first. A fun and dynamic space to explore, you can take the direct path in or meander through slowly. It serves a connection to the new boardwalk system that winds its way through newly constructed wetlands, which were designed to provide living space for wildlife and reduce the impact of extreme rain events to which the area is vulnerable. Below In the background is the dominant structure of Ontario Place, the floating pods. They have been reclad to make them appear more mysterious and approachable. They have also been recast as a flexible shell for rotating temporary exhibits and events Right A n aerial view showing the new entrance and its connection to the boardwalks as well as the existing West Commons.
In order to preserve the architectural heritage of the Ontario Place while inviting play, the silos have been blasted, painted, cut and planted. The more intimate gathering space between the silos allows for activities of varying scales in a unique setting. The Trillium Dune beach strip will attract visitors from across the west side of the city, where beach areas are currently lacking.
Kathryn Pierre
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Portfolio
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January 2021