Page 55 - Designing Ways 238

The president of the University of
Calgary, Dr. Ed McCauley, describes the
project as “a wonderful example of the
creativity and talent among our students
in the School of Architecture, Planning,
and Landscape. The 9 Block initiative
launched near the start of this year with
the goal of strengthening a key area in the
downtown core. We wanted to address the
issues surrounding safety and vibrancy,
and we wanted to create solutions that
reflected the characteristic energy and
can-do spirit of our city”.

Technical Sheet
• Official Project Name: 9 Block Project
• Location: 616 Macleod Trail SE.
Calgary
• Client: The City of Calgary
• Architects/designers: Mauricio Soto-
Rubio
• Project Manager: Mauricio Soto-Rubio
recyclable material that does not emit always mirrored and nested in standard • Design team: Guy Gardner, Jonathan
toxic emissions. 4’x 8’ sheets sizes producing no leftover Monfries, Shelby Christensen, Yuxin
The canopy is part of a year-long material. Liu, Ji Sun.
study aimed at identifying the potential The project demonstrates how design • Collaborators: Calgary Municipal Land
of fast-tracked, low-cost, architectural schools can actively collaborate with local Corporation, Mercedes-Singh
interventions to strategically improve government agencies to target real-life • Engineers: Entuitive
the perceived sense of safety in urban issues affecting cities. Jonathan Monfries, • Suppliers: Upper Canada Forest
settings. The City is conducting a survey an architecture student who participated Products
to determine how the area was perceived in the project, described this experience • Lighting Designer: Guy Gardner
before and after the completion of the as fundamental. “As students, being able • Project sector: Student Project
design intervention. to work through various iterations of the • Budget: 75,000 CAD
The team developed an innovative design, to make real-world decisions, and • Project completion date: Nov 2020
connection system, because of the to work with contractors to assemble the • Photographer: Neil Zeller, Riley Brant
temporary nature of the project that design we proposed provides a learning dw
allowed the canopy to be installed on the opportunity not possible in a classroom,” sapl.ucalgary.ca/9-block-canopy
building without permanently altering its Monfries says.
façade. The custom-made steel brackets
rely exclusively on friction without the
use of mechanical or chemical anchors.
This system facilitates the possibility for
future designs to be attached to existing
buildings in an attractive, seamless
manner - independently of building
protection requirements or heritage
status.
The wooden canopy was also built
taking into consideration the extreme
conditions of Canadian winters.
The cantilevered parallel-strand-
lumber beams support a series of
undulating slats made with plywood
specifically made for long-term outdoor
use. The ¾ inch pressure-treated poplar
plywood is both lightweight and weather
resistant. The slats also adapt to the
existing location and size of the urban
trees present on-site allowing them to
continue to grow without interruption.
These pieces were fabricated following a
strict zero-waste policy where forms were

dw • Issue 238 55