Located on the grounds of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, this housing proposal offers affordable housing to students and families alike. Acting as the gateway to the campus, the two concrete volumes are skewed to create view corridors between the two buildings. Sightlines to the surrounding woods creates a connection to the greater landscape beyond.
The buildings pay homage to the work of Arthur Erickson, who's influential campus masterplan and subsequent individual buildings continue to influence the form and character of the university grounds. The rigorous concrete grid with battened wood infills, brings rhythm and order to the streetscape, while the meadow-inspired landscaping of the urban garden provides users with a sense of calm and serenity at the pedestrian scale.
The combination of studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom units not only provides housing to users of varying financial positions, but creates interaction between people of all stages of life. The quiet and restrained architectural expression serves as a mute background to the animated lives of students, young couples, and families alike. The housing proposal sits confidently but quietly on the university grounds as an extension of the historical architecture of the campus.