Sam Casola Portfolio: Planning & Architecture Selected Works

SAM CASOLA planning & architecture selected works

sam

647-225-5018

casolasam@gmail.com

twitter: @samcasola

passionate about 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 affordable housing, the missing middle, public engagement, and social infrastructure my planning focus lies in the development of adequate housing, equitable design & justice-based cities.

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.

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.

Research Assistant - Aging Together: LGBTQ2S+ Communities Prof. Victor Perez-Amado , September 2021 - August 2022

Toronto Metropolitan University

• Researched and analyzed articles to identify the gaps in housing, society and services for the LGBTQ2S+ community as they age

• Compose a literature review critically exploring the information found and gaps identified which guide the project

• Collected data and mapped LGBTQ2S+ housing within Toronto which is compared to services, affordability and income distribution

• Analyzed best practice case studies for LGBTQ2s+ housing based on family structures, kinship and seniors

• Participating in the facilitation of focus groups with LGBTQ2S+ seniors to gather first hand knowledge surrounding experiences and needs within the aging community

Graduate Assistant Prof. Chris Alton, September 2021 - December 2021

Toronto Metropolitan University

• Developed content and graphics and facilitated tutorials highlighting the design of maps, sections and graphic representation in Illustrator, as well as document layout in InDesign

• Held office hours to provide students with further assistance on projects

• Attended class work sessions to provide additional help with the design, layout and critical analysis of space

Wastewater Epidemiology Research Assistant Dr. Pamela Robinson, May 2021 - August 2021

Toronto Metropolitan University

• Analyzed literature to identify emerging key themes in relation to the planner’s role in wastewater infrastructure

• Identified organization advocacy and active citien science with regards to wastewater infrastructure and access

• Gathered citizen developed public washroom maps and a list of municipalities that have progressive public washroom infrastructure

Student Transition and Community Engagement Programmer

Toronto Metropolitan University

May 2021 - August 2021

• Developed a guide of planning-related and supportive resources that focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion of underrepresented groups within the School of Urban and Regional Planning, X University, Toronto and beyond.

• Formed a database of internships in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet utilizing survey information provided by students

• Created a survey to gather first-hand information on internship experiences, program feedback and methods of improvement

• Assisted with the development of the Graduate Internship Program through providing a list of recommendations for improvement

• Created a list of outreach and engagement methods to promote the development of new internship opportunities and connections

Northern Indigenous Housing Researcher Dr. Shelagh McCartney, April 2021 - May 2021

Toronto Metropolitan University

• Gathered resources, drawings and traditional knowledge identifying traditional Yellow Knives Dene First Nation structures

• Analyzed the methods of building, evolution of traditional built form and housing types of the Yellow Knives Dene First Nation

• Researched best precedent case studies of modern Indigenous housing projects in Northern Canada that have a strong focus on respecting traditions, cultural and community inclusion

Graduate Assistant Prof. Kate Nelischer & Dr. Shelagh McCartney, September 2020 - April 2021

Toronto Metropolitan University

• Facilitated weekly tutorials teaching architectural hand drawing to an undergraduate Urban Planning studio

• Held weekly office hours to provide further support and encourage students to explore questions that have emerged

• Graded assignments and provided feedback through written and verbal communication

Engagement Assistant and Graphic Designer (internship)

Rainbow Routes Association

• Worked with community and board members to develop trail programing and promote active transportation

April 2019 - August 2019

• Collaborated with the Rainbow Routes team to coordinate and plan events, engagement sessions and community walks

• Contributed to the research, analysis, design, and development of new trails and elements along Sudbury’s trail network

• Coordinated, organized and designed trail maps, directional trail signage and graphic material

EDUCATION

Master of Planning (MPI) in Urban Development 2020 - 2022 School of Urban and Regional Planning, Toronto Metropolitan University

• Studio themes: City of Toronto hospice housing and services plan, Municipality of Meaford Official Plan & policy review

• Thesis Project: Identification of themes and key ideas related to residential geographies, typologies and kinship formations of queer and trans individuals in Toronto through the use of primary data in forming socio-spatial maps of LGBTQIA2S+ households

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 designing infrastructure for individuals experiencing homelessness and aging [partner project]

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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• Wrote an article highlighting the use of oral history within the project Aging Together: LGBTQ2S+ Communities (Principal Investigator, Victor Perez-Amado, Assistant Professor TorontoMU – SURP) published through the University of Toronto’s LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory

• 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

• Participated in an interview and provided an educated opinion for an article written about the Dominion Foundry buildings in Toronto

• 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

• 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]

Awards & achievements

• Invited to present my Graduate thesis project to the Boston Society of Architects

• Received the Social Engagement and Inclusivity graduating award for the undergraduate thesis design [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 Sudbury’s Deputy Mayor for participating in a community revitalization project [team project]

role course

Graduate Thesis

Individual Project

Completion of Master of Urban Development Degree

Click here to read the full thesis

Impact

This research project explores the locations beyond The Church-Wellesley Village in which LGBTQIA2S+ individuals inhabit, including the neighbourhoods in which they reside, the housing typologies in which they live, and the ways in which identity and kinship influences inhabitation of space and place. Primary data representing the residential geographies of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals was collected, coded in an Excel spreadsheet as a database and utilized in forming socio-spatial maps of households across Toronto. These maps included respective information related to geographic location, dwelling type, identity and kinship. They were then analyzed through a comparative approach to identify location-based themes and patterns. Resulting information was then formatted into a report and represented through both maps and charts.

Skills

Extensive research, primary data collection, spacial observation and critical analysis, planning policy, graphic and written communication, project design, InDesign, Illustrator, ArcGIS Pro

Gender & Ethnicity/Culture/Race

The terms used to describe ethnicity, culture or race are primarily overarching terms which are used to group a variety of more specific identities. The terms BIPOC, Black and Brown were only used as categories for individuals who identified themselves using those terms.

The map depicts the gender identities and ethnicity/ race/culture of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals living within the identified dwellings. Considering ethnicities/cultures, almost all individuals who identified as Middle Eastern, Brown and Indigenous individuals identified as TGNC. A higher number of individuals who identified as Black and Latinx identified as TGNC than cisgender. In addition, individuals seemed to reside with people who shared at either the same gender identity or ethnicity/culture. Folks primarily chose to live with individuals of the same gender identity and a mix of ethnicities/cultures.

Rent & Number of People Per Dwelling

The map depicts the approximate monthly rent paid per person in each dwelling, overlaid with the number of people who live together in one dwelling. It was found that generally, a higher number of individuals per household reduced the cost of rent per person. All instances of rent costing $1500 or more were entire apartments for rent for individual living, rather than shared living situations. In these cases, rent was nearly double that of individuals who lived with others.

role course

neighbourhood analysis

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

land use analysis

role course Skills

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.

Spacial observations, critical public realm and site analysis, planning policy and land use framework, research synthesis, report writing, project design, Microsoft Word, InDesign

role course

policy brief

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

role

parks improvement strategy

Team of 3

Master of Urban Development, Planning for Sustainability

Click here to read the full report

Impact

course Skills

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.

Teamwork, collaboration, spacial observation, critical public realm analysis, design response to critical analysis, graphic and written communication, element design and implementation, Illustrator, Microsoft Powerpoint

role course location

flourish: mixed-use for social change

Individual Project

Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Year 4 Studio

Downtown Sudbury

Impact

Received the Social Engagement and Inclusivity Graduating Award

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 modeling, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Rhinoceros 3D

site elevation looking towards the site from elgin street 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

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 section depicting summer lighting and cooling strategies perspective from the entrance of the market market section depicting winter lighting and heating strategies perspective from the mezzanine of the market

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

A

elderly co-housing section depicting summer lighting and cooling strategies elderly co-housing section depicting winter lighting and heating strategies detailed elderly co-housing section

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.

formerly houseless residential axonometric

A

formerly houseless section depicting summer lighting and cooling strategies formerly houseless section depicting winter lighting and heating strategies detailed formerly houseless section

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

role course location

Adaptive Reuse Art Gallery

Individual Project

Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Year 3 Studio

Lorne Street, Sudbury

Impact

Built in 1907, the rich history of the building as a brew house 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 modeling, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhinoceros 3D, ArcMap

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THIS TOO WILL CHANGE

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

murals art galleries

work by Mique Michelle Lorne Arts Center

27 shipping and receiving

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

peeling paint tiles concrete red bricks

existing state of materials restoration of materials 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

perspective of the brew house turned into the local artist corner perspective of the artist resource center and library perspective of the temporary gallery the existing state of materials compared to the materiality that will be restored

tar & cork concrete red bricks

section of the brew house depicting the permanent gallery and cafe

role course location

child care and ecology center

Individual Project

Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Year 3 Studio

Copper Cliff, Sudbury

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, ArcMap

Ai Ps Id

poplar

birch

silver maple

cedar

red pine

fir spruce

site plan depicting the buildings location within the city park

food oak, red pine

shelter oak, spruce, fir

food

oak, red pine, silver maple

shelter

oak, red pine, silver maple, birch

food red pine, spruce

shelter spruce, fir, cedar, birch

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 ]

Gray Jay Squirrel Monarch butterfly chickadee

perspective view of the kitchen, where children are able to feed animals through feeder ledges section 1, depicting the teaching room, courtyard and kitchen

floor plan, the form of the building followed the location of the trees within the park

perspective view of the hallway, which has large windows, encouraging the children to view the outdoors perspective view of the quiet rooms, where animals can nest in the walls and children are able to see them through pocket windows

c section 2, depicting the play rooms, quiet rooms, hallway and courtyards

design-build

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.

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

graphic design

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.

The graphic won a merchandise competition for the Urban Development program at Toronto Metropolitan University and has become the official Master of Planning merchandise. The TMU Planning Alumni Association has also adopted the design.

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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.

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.