The competition sought to innovative mixed use designs for four Metro Vancouver communities Surrey, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, and Vancouver. Some 44 proposals were submitted from across the country and beyond, including Iran, India, and the US. The competition concluded with an overall winner and runners-up, decided by a panel of architects, planners, and an entrepreneur, in addition to a Planners’ Prize, decided by a panel of urban planners.
We were thrilled with the creativity and ambition of the submissions we received for The Mixing Middle. The winning submissions imagine innovative uses for single-family residential areas in ways that increase social engagement, inclusion, and affordability at the individual and community levels. These designs are coming at a time when many municipalities are in the process of updating their city plans. We hope that the results of The Mixing Middle will not only empower communities to dream big, but also encourage cities to explore new forms of development.
Following deliberations, two panels of jurors selected the winners of Urbanarium’s second design competition.
● 1st Place, $10,000 prize: ‘Lots in Common’ (North Vancouver site) by Team Contingent’s Nicole Sylvia, Roy Cloutier, Lőrinc Vass
● 2nd Place (Shared), $4,000 prize: ‘Co-Living Quadplex’ (Coquitlam site) by Altforma Architecture’s Cedric Jacques Yu and River Hughs; and ‘Mixed Modal’ (Vancouver site) by Team VIA_Re:Discover’s Anne Lissett, Catherine He, Claire Schumacher, Stephanie Coleridge, Bonnie Vahabi
● 3rd Place, $3,000 prize: “Simple Small Things First” (Surrey site) by Cr Design’s Taylor Castañón-Rumebe and Vince Castañón-Rumebe
● Honourable Mentions, $1,500 prize each: “module X” (Coquitlam site) by sxla, “Biophilia” (Vancouver site) by AirStudio, “Do It Yourself Together” (Surrey site) by Parley Collective and “Octopus Architecture” (Vancouver site) by Jessica Little and Michael Knauer
Many of the proposals we reviewed were thoughtful in their approach, but what stood out for us about Lots in Common was that it challenged the idea that individually owned land is best. The submission proposed a network of shared spaces and called into question a fundamental tenet of land use in B.C., offering a paradigm shift in the way we look at ownership, not just zoning.
Catarina Gomes, Jury and Vancouver Park Board PlannerThe Planners’ Prize was tied between the same two submissions that won second place overall. The teams will split the $10,000 prize.
Both submissions showcased a combination of gentle density, commercial uses, and thoughtful consideration of scale. We have a big planning program happening right now in the southwest of Coquitlam, so these ideas and conversations are extremely relevant to us today.
Genevieve Bucher, Director of Community Planning, City of Coquitlam