Embedded Files
Challenging the way that a community centre serves its community. Proposal for a ‘shelter-first’ tent city and community centre that provides supportive services for the unhoused, and resources to the greater community.
This project proposed a cost-effective, human-scale response to homelessness, focusing on supportive services rather than simply temporary shelter. By creating stability and access to resources, it aimed to interrupt cycles of displacement and foster autonomy, connection, and personal growth.
Site in the City
The chosen site was a vacant waterfront parking lot in Vancouver that includes the derelict 1950 Wilkinson Building, already informally used for shelter. This area has long been a gathering place—from First Nations hunting and fishing grounds to shared grazing land—but today lacks shelters, soup kitchens, and support services despite citywide revitalization efforts.
location
False Creek Vancouver, BC
year
September 2016 - April 2017
program
Support for Tent Cities + Community Centre
role
Designer with Dalhousie University
supervisor
Sarah Bonnemaison + Frank Palermo
university/year
Dalhousie University/Thesis
photography + graphics
Kara Burman
Warehouse Tent City
The proposal used the Wilkinson Building as an immediate shelter hub, adapting it to host a tent city and provide essential services. Minimal upgrades such as plumbing, electrical, washrooms, showers, laundry, outlets, and secure storage would make the warehouse safer and more functional while a new community centre is built alongside.
Community Centre
Rather than a traditional recreation facility, the community centre was envisioned as a place for dwelling, skill-building, and meaningful contribution. It would form part of a larger network of support, offering both resources for unhoused individuals and programs for the surrounding neighborhood.
Program
The ground floor accommodates public and large-group activities: a community bike shop linked to the nearby bike lane, a market spilling toward the waterfront path, and a soup kitchen with an adjacent courtyard near the warehouse shelter. The upper floor offers private and small-group spaces including work booths, counseling rooms, a donation closet, and a discreetly accessed safe-injection site.
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