Meet at Shore
CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION COMPETITION
Project Overview
Role: Project Designer, Architectural Designer
Type: Academic work, course work, individual work, architecture
Team members: Yidan Wang, Quinn Li, in association with Prof. Terri Boake (University of Waterloo).
Program: Pavilion, steel assemblage
Site: Waters of Lake Ontario
Timeline: June 2020 - August 202
Description
Taking advantage of the beautiful view, Meet at Shore is a grand market project situated next to the waters of Lake Ontario. Its architectural design derived from the geometric autonomies of a sailboat/ship, it is the assembly of three elements that fold, overlap, and connect into each other in an origami type fashion to represent the fabric sails of a sailboat and the remaining wreckage of a vessel. A solid mass touching the ground houses the services and a cafe for permanent annual usage, and extending from it are two sets of steel canopies with different opacities of glass panels allowing a play of light and shadows underneath the structure. The open space beneath may hold various types of gatherings, events, and exhibitions, as well as its main programming of an outdoor marketplace. Transformative to house activities of different scales, the openness of the structure invites in the naturescape beyond, providing intermediate access all around and a connection to the surrounding landscape and urban fabric; a mediator between the two.
The solid volume cladded in corten steel with missing panels for window openings represent the reminiscence of a ship wreck, whereas the triangular steel canopies mimic the shape of sails that are held up by tension cables attached to masts, then the overall frame is tied down back into the ground, a direct translation of the working elements of a sailboat.
In an attempt to create contrasting perspectives of heavy versus light to emphasize the bulkiness of a vessel compared to the weightlessness of a sailboat, the enclosed volume elicits a heavier atmosphere through its solid form and darker materials. Whereas the steel canopies are suspended to lift off the ground and as light filters through displaying changing patterns, it presents a much lighter feel. With a huge range of viewing distances from the ground going up, details and connections vary in AESS qualities for the best user experience while taking into consideration costing, time, and labor required for different elements.
