CREATING A CULTURAL HAVEN IN VERNON
Buildings are designed for people. It sounds like a simple truth, but it's an easy one to forget when you hear architects talk about their material choices for a building, their use of natural and artificial light, the lengthy consent process they've had to wade through, and how they've tweaked a building design to suit the land it's sitting on. Ultimately, buildings are designed to attract and encourage people to stay for a while.
For architect Venelin Kokalov of Vancouver-based Revery Architecture, people are his first and last consideration in any project, he says. Revery has received international acclaim for projects in Canada, the United States and Asia. From luxury towers to cultural hubs, the buildings Revery has designed prioritize the human experience, and this resonates with people around the globe.
ON THE GO LOCALLY
In Vancouver, buildings Revery has designed that are currently under construction or about to commence include the luxury mixeduse tower, The Butterfly building (by developer Westbank Corp.), which will likely be completed at the end of this year, and the new PNE amphitheatre.
New on the books is a design concept for the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre. This building will be located in the heart of downtown Vernon and will house the Vernon Public Art Gallery, Greater Vernon Museum and a Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre theatre.
WHY THE NEED FOR THIS BUILDING?
As the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre will be located in downtown Vernon, the idea is that it will attract people and help regenerate this part of the city.
A beautiful building (and outdoor area) with a lot of interesting stuff going on in and around it should draw locals and tourists alike, says Kokalov.
“We are so excited to work on this one because we're creating a place for people to get together.”
The Revery team has spent some time in Vernon, meeting with the groups involved in the cultural centre, who they've found “very humble,” says Kokalov.
“They're very nice people. Great to work with. We changed our concept to adapt to their needs.”
OVERCOMING CONSTRUCTION COSTS
Construction costs have risen a lot, and they're definitely a factor for people considering building anything these days, says Kokalov.
In designing this cultural centre, Revery has had to be creative about how to meet all the requirements of the different groups who will operate out of this — not huge — building.
The site itself is around 32,500 square feet and is located across from Vernon's civic centre.
At this stage, the cultural centre will include a gallery and museum, a gift shop, a theatre with around 150 to 200 adjustable seats, educational classrooms, a meeting and community room, a courtyard garden, administrative spaces, and common areas, among other things.
In the back of the building, they've designed space for storage and processing, says Kokalov.
One of the challenges for Revery was to bring these three main groups together in this one building and have them agree on where the separations within the building would fall and where the movement between the different spaces would happen. So far, it's gone really well, says Kokalov.
The plaza in front of the building is another important space in the cultural centre's overall design, as it will be used for different activities, like weekend festivals, says Kokalov.
SETTING THE STAGE FOR FUN
“Our work is about bringing joy and creating spaces and atmosphere that stimulates people and encourages them to come back,” says Kokalov.
“We create spaces for life to happen.”