sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
SAM CASOLA planning & architecture selected works
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graphic created by connor m. w. smith
sam casola 647-225-5018 casolasam@gmail.com twitter: @samcasola lover of cities and the people who inhabit them As a creative and action-oriented city builder, I am passionate about promoting complete communities through community-led engagement and inclusive, human-centred design. Enthusiastic about the potential of libraries, expansive and inclusive public washrooms and housing as a human right, my planning focus lies in the development of social infrastructure, adequate housing, the missing middle and equitable urban design. When exploring new cities I enjoy collecting bookmarks from independent bookstores and when I’m not on the search for local keepsakes you can find me gardening or reading a good book.
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
EDUCATION Master of Planning (MPI) in Urban Development Ryerson University
September 2020 - Present
Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) 2016 - 2020 McEwen School of Architecture, Laurentian University • Graduated with Cum Laude Honours • Studio themes: Indigenous knowledge, landscape design and urban form, adaptive reuse, mixed-use residential design • Thesis Project: Development of mixed-use living that reponds to the needs Downtown Sudbury by providing infrastructure for individuals experiencing homelessness and aging [partner project]
Experience Graduate Assistant Professor Kate Nelischer (September- December 2020) and Dr. Shelagh McCartney (January 2021- Present) Ryerson University • Facilitated weekly tutorials teaching architectural hand drawing to an undergraduate Urban Planning studio • Graded assignments and held office hours to answer student questions and provide feedback Student Volunteer October 2020 - December 2020 CP Planning • Downloaded & organized census data and analyzed official city plans with regards to inclusive engagement Graphic and Trails Designer (co-op) April 2019 - August 2019 Rainbow Routes Association • Collaborated with community and board members to develop trail programing and promote active transportation • Contributed to the design, proposal and development of new trails and elements along Sudbury’s trail network • Designed trail maps, directional trail signage and graphic material Store Clerk April 2018 - April 2019 Bay Used Books • Developed an extensive knowledge of inventory and helped customers locate items within the store • Worked independantly to organize and alphabetize books within specific genres • Built community connections through customer communication and demonstrating care as a local business
Awards • Received the Social Engagement and Inclusivity graduating award for an undergraduate thesis project [partner project] • Awarded for the design-build of a play structure that was adopted by the City of Sudbury for events [team project] • Received a certificate of appreciation from the Deputy Mayor of Sudbury for participation in the LaForest Street community revitalization project [team project]
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Indesign
Rhinoceros 3D
involvement • Designed and constructed an ice warming hut that was installed on the Ramsey Lake skate path and featured on the cover of Love + Regeneration magazine [team project] • Participated in the design and build of an urban market installation for the Sudbury Farmer’s Market [team project] • Proposed and built installations for the McEwen School of Architecture Nuit Blanche 2018 & 2019 [team project] • Undergraduate thesis project [partner project] and a variety of team projects are featured in an exhibition on the McEwen School of Architecture website curated for the accredidation of the architecture program • Participated in an interview and provided an educated opinion for an article written about the Dominion Foundry buildings in Toronto • Designed a graphic that won the merchandise competition for the Master of Planning program at Ryerson University and the design was adopted by The Ryerson Planning Alumni Association
ArcGIS
Microsoft Physical Office & construction Google Workspace
Hand drawing
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table of contents
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Neighbourhood Analysis
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Land Use Analysis
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Policy Brief
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Parks Improvement Strategy
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
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Flourish: Mixed-Use for Social Change
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Adaptive Reuse Art Gallery
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Child Care and Ecology Centre
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Other Work & Personal Interests
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neighbourhood analysis role course
Individual Project Master of Urban Development, Physical Planning and Design Fundamentals Click here to read the full report
Impact
Completed an in-depth analysis of Maple, a neighbourhood in the city of Vaughan, to gain an understanding of how defining characteristics of a neighbourhood interconnect to form a sense of place. The project involved critically analyzing the neighbourhood’s physical and spatial elements, holding a focus on its context within the greater urban fabric, the history of development, built form and density as well as the public realm.
Skills
Spacial observation and critical analysis, planning policy and land use framework, graphic and written communication, project design, InDesign, Illustrator, ArcMap
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land use analysis role course
Individual Project Master of Urban Development, Institutional & Legal Context of Planning Click here to read the full report
Impact
An assessment of the existing in-force land use regulations based on provincial policies and plans, municipal official plans and zoning regulations. The assessment includes as-of-right permissions of the site as well as an opinion on the development potential and highest and best use through an analysis of the site and its surrounding context.
Skills
Spacial observations, critical public realm and site analysis, planning policy and land use framework, research synthesis, report writing, project design, Microsoft Word, InDesign
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policy brief role course
Individual Project Master of Urban Development, Planning for Sustainability Click here to read the full report
Impact
The report is written as a policy brief and analyzes a plan. Completed a brief examining the impacts of the GrowTO plan with regards to accessibility, health, affordability and culture. The brief addresses the benefits and importance of the program while analyzing its context within the City of Toronto. It includes an opinion on the potential to expand the initiative within the Canadian context.
Skills
Spacial observation, critical and opportunity analysis, plan and policy framework, written communication, research synthesis, Microsoft Word, InDesign
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parks improvement strategy role course
Team of 3 Master of Urban Development, Planning for Sustainability Click here to read the full report
Impact
Through the lens of sustainability, developed a handbook focusing on the improvement of small parks and parkettes across Toronto. Highlighting the importance of small parks to the urban ecology, the handbook proposes design interventions that can be applied to small parks and parkettes through a targeted approach. The goal of the handbook is to take advantage of the frequency of small parks and parkettes through improving the functionality, equitable access and gain from the compact public spaces across. I was involved in the graphic design, designing the park types, objectives and intervention components as well as developing the case study concepts.
Skills
Teamwork, collaboration, spacial observation, critical public realm analysis, design response to critical analysis, graphic and written communication, element design and implementation, Illustrator, Microsoft Powerpoint
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flourish: mixed-use for social change role course location
Individual Project
Impact
Received the Social Engagement and Inclusivity Graduating Award
Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Year 4 Studio Downtown Sudbury
The project intends to respond to the needs of Sudbury’s downtown district by providing infrastructure to support low-income and houseless communities. The project provides housing for the elderly and formerly houseless, paired due to their potential for social compatibility. Urban farming provides the residents with jobs and creates learning opportunities for the city by promoting local growth and self-sustaining communities while common spaces promote community integration and engagement of the southern portion of the Downtown district. Both act as mediating spaces between public and private areas.
Skills
Teamwork, collaboration, qualitative research, spacial observation, critical public realm and site analysis, social infrastructure and demographic analysis, design response to critical analysis, architectural and site design, attention to detail, building code analysis and implementation, iterative work, public speaking, project presentation and design, graphic and written communication, 3D modelling, llustrator, Indesign, Photoshop, Rhinoceros 3D
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1 market and urban farm 2 VIA train station 3 elderly cohousing residential 4 formerly houseless residential 5 solar panels 6 underground parking entrance 7 playground 8 raised planter with seating 9 public basketball court 10 exterior market space & loading bays 11 exterior seating space 12 exterior bike parking 13 greenway plaza 14 community crosswalk 15 outdoor yoga studio space 16 exterior farming plots 17 park space with light wells to underground parking 18 park space with fruit trees 19 second underground parking entrance
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Elgin Street
A site elevation looking towards the site from elgin street B
site plan depicting the ground floor plans of the market and common spaces in the residential buildings. the common spaces include a yoga studio, secondhand clothing and furnature stores, cafe, workshop space, lounge space and counselor drop-in center
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Market The market provides a community gathering space for the community while the mezzanine acts as an urban farm, providing year-round employment opportunities for the residents on the site. Food grown in the urban farm is sold at the market and provided to the Samaritan Centre across the street. Ground floor plots are available for community members to rent and grow. Urban farming promotes local, sustainable sourcing and provides teaching opportunities for the community.
market axonometric
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sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
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A market section depicting summer lighting and cooling strategies B
market section depicting winter lighting and heating strategies
C perspective from the entrance of the market D
perspective from the mezzanine of the market
20 Residential The ground floor of the residential buildings includes common space and amenities. These amenities allow for residents from every building to interact and socialize while drawing the community onto the site. The second and third floors are residential apartments with common space. The fourth floor is a greenhouse accessible to residents only, allowing them participate in urban farming. Elderly Cohousing Residential Provides single or double apartment housing for the elderly community. The apartments provide privacy while common spaces allow for further socialization.
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elderly cohousing residential axonometric
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sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
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A elderly cohousing section depicting summer lighting and cooling strategies B
elderly cohousing section depicting winter lighting and heating strategies
C detailed elderly cohousing section
22 Formerly Houseless Residential Provides single or double apartment housing for the formerly houseless, with consideration paid to individuals as well as couples and families. The apartments provide privacy while common spaces allow for further socialization.
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formerly houseless residential axonometric
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sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
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A formerly houseless section depicting summer lighting and cooling strategies B
formerly houseless section depicting winter lighting and heating strategies
C detailed formerly houseless section
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A unit distribution for elderly cohousing residential buildings B
unit distribution for formerly houseless residential buildings
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c two bedroom unit plan d
one bedroom unit plan
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
Heating/ Cooling VRF system (heat pump with heat recovery) for every unit with individual ceiling mounted control units that are ducted to different rooms within the unit. This allows for multiple units to heat and cool at the same time. The control units main refrigerant lines connect to a rooftop unit.
Ventilation Every unit has a decentralized ERV system that connects to the duct work of the VRF system, providing heating and cooling as well as ventilation.
exploded axonometric of a one bedroom unit depicting lighting, heating cooling and ventilation
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Adaptive Reuse Art Gallery role course location
Individual Project
Impact
Built in 1907, the rich history of the building as a brewhouse is expressed through the layering of materiality. This project focuses on highlighting and exposing key material elements of the existing building that work to preserve its historic atmosphere and encapsulate a moment in time. The removal of layers on walls throughout the art gallery will expose a range of materiality, preserving moments in time while the layering of art on the existing materiality will contribute a new temporal layer to the building.
Skills
Client/stakeholder reactions, spacial observation, critical public realm and site analysis, design response to critical analysis, architectural and site design, iterative work, attention to detail, public speaking, project presentation and design, graphic communication, 3D modelling, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhinoceros 3D
Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Year 3 Studio Lorne Street, Sudbury
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THIS TOO WILL CHANGE
-HAD ME AT HELLO-
murals art galleries work by Mique Michelle Lorne Arts Center
plan of downtown sudbury depicting the location of the site in relation to murals on the site as well as existing murals across the downtown area
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B 1 vestibule 2 cafe 3 kitchen pantry 4 circulation 5 rental shop and art rental gallery 6 retail shop stock room 7 permanent collection gallery 8 public locker and cloak room 9 public washroom 10 administration 11 copying/ storage/ washroom/ kitchenette 12 mechanical/ electrical 13 tech facility
A floor plan, ground floor B
floor plan, second floor
C floor plan, third floor
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staff lockers/ mail cubbies/ coat racks custodial services closet communications/ IT server temporary exhibition storage collection storage (new media) exhibit case/ prop storage crating/ uncrating educaional program storage equiptment storage isolation room collection storage (works on paper) collection sorage (oil paintings) collection storage (sculpture)
27 shipping and receiving 28 collections loading dock security booth 29 curatorial examination room 30 dirty workshop 31 clean workshop 32 storage 33 table and chair storage 34 elevator 35 temporary collection gallery 36 experientian collection gallery 37 artist resource centre and library resource centre 38 permanent outdoor installation new walls
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existing state of materials
c peeling paint tiles concrete red bricks
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A perspective of the brewhouse turned into the local artist corner B
perspective of the temporary gallery
red bricks
paint/plaster tar & cork black bricks
tar black bricks
paint/plaster tar & cork red bricks
tar red bricks
paint/plaster tar & cork concrete red bricks
tar & cork concrete red bricks
c perspective of the artist resource centre and library d
restoration of materials
the existing state of materials compared to the materiality that will be restored
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
section of the brewhouse depicting the permanent gallery and cafe
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child care and ecology centre role course location
Individual Project
Impact
Designed as a response to the ecology in the park, this building not only acts as a child care centre but also an exploration of local ecology for children. In contrast to the harsh mining past that the town bears, the centre has been designed to encourage children to learn and experience the growth of plants, care of animals and the importance of the environment through firsthand interaction and observation facilitated by the space.
Skills
Spacial observation, critical public realm and site analysis, public speaking, iterative work, architectural and site design, ecologically conscious design, attention to detail, project presentation and design, graphic communication, 3D modelling, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhinoceros 3D
Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Year 3 Studio Copper Cliff, Sudbury
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N poplar birch silver maple cedar red pine fir spruce
site plan depicting the buildings location within the city park
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
Gray Jay
Squirrel
food oak, red pine
food oak, red pine, silver maple
shelter oak, spruce, fir
chickadee food red pine, spruce shelter spruce, fir, cedar, birch
shelter oak, red pine, silver maple, birch
Monarch butterfly Will lay eggs on underside of milkweed leaves and only eat milkweed Drink nectar from other flowers, but do not eat
studies of trees within the park that provide food and shelter for local animals, [ the community of Copper Cliff is an industrial mining town where the natural environment has been vastly damaged due to the industry, over the past forty years, environmental revitalization has become a widespread effort from the mine and community members ]
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36 1 vestibule 2 lobby 3 reception 4 office 5 sick room 6 freezer 7 pantry 8 kitchen 9 gross motor/nap/lunch room 9 animal supply storage 10 IT room 12 maintnence workshop 13 mechanical and electrical closet 14 toddler activity room 15 toddler quiet room 16 toddler garden area
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A perspective view of the kitchen, where children are able to feed animals through feeder ledges B
section 1, depicting the teaching room, courtyard and kitchen
17 pre-school activity room 18 pre-school quiet room 19 pre school garden 20 infant activity room 21 infant sleep room 22 infant garden 23 outdoor deck 24 outdoor play area 25 laundry room 26 classroom 27 janitor closet 28 staff room 29 recieving 30 storage cubbies 31 stroller storage 32 barrier free washroom
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floor plan, the form of the building followed the location of the trees within the park
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A perspective view of the hallway, which has large windows, encouraging the children to view the outdoors B
perspective view of the quiet rooms, where animals can nest in the walls and children are able to see them through pocket windows
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
c section 2, depicting the play rooms, quiet rooms, hallway and courtyards
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design-build
other work & personal interests
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Designed and constructed an ice warming hut that was placed on the Ramsey Lake skating path in Sudbury. Posed with the challenge of designing a warming structure only using 2x2’s, we were able to design and build a tall, curving warming hut. Using the length of the wood to our advantage, our goal was to use the structure to cause a break in the horizon. Designed and built in the first year of my undergraduate degree by a team of 15 students, I took on the position of group director and was involved in constructing every aspect of the warming hut. Our warming hut was chosen to be featured on the cover of Love + Regeneration, an architectural magazine.
sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
In a team of 12 students, designed and constructed a structure for a children’s croquet play day in a park in the third year of my undergraduate degree. Our goal was to engage children’s senses, such as hearing, touching and seeing through our engaging version of the game croquet. The structure is composed of seven arches connected by modular triangles. Weeping tile begins at the entrance and weaves through the structure. Children placed the ball in the weeping tile at the beginning of the structure and were able to hear the ball travel through the tube on the grooved surface. I was involved in the design of the structure, sewing of fabric and constructing components. The structure was purchased by the City of Sudbury for children’s events
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Designed in a team of 2, the graphic was entered in a competition for merchandise design. The goal of the design was to represent Toronto. Rather than focusing on the skyline as depictions of Toronto often do, the design intends to shift the narrative by taking a local lens and showcasing the weird and wonderful spaces and places that Toronto has to offer.
graphic design
The graphic won a merchandise competition for the Urban Development program at Ryerson University and has become the official Master of Planning merchandise. The Ryerson Planning Alumni Association has also adopted the design.
san sam
other work & personal interests
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sam casola // planning & architecture selected works
A cabin/pavilion designed for year-round use within a neighbourhood park. In warmer months, the south side of the building completely opens to the outdoors, unifying the space with the surrounding environment. It acts purposefully to connect people to the park while allowing them the comfort of shaded space. During the winter, the cabin can be fully enclosed to allow for indoor use of the space.
Designed as a gift for a lover of willow trees, the map illustrates the location and species of all willow trees on public property throughout the City of Toronto. The map was composed using ArcGIS, Toronto’s Open Data Portal and Adobe Illustrator.
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thank you casolasam@gmail.com 647-225-5018