Team: Ivan Au, Cody Jew, Daniel Szymanski, Winston Yuen

Area: 20 m sq

Partners: Habitat for Humanity, Edmonton Native Plant Group, Edmonton Bicycle Commuters, Jelly Parrot Trash Crafts

Photography: Cooper & O’Hara Commercial Photography

Barn(E) was our winning entry to the UrbPrk 2016 competition hosted in Edmonton, Alberta. The project was located on the corner of 82nd Avenue and 109 Street. The project brief was to design and build a urban parklet spanning two parking spaces which could accommodate a variety of programs, ranging from public gatherings to acting as a small performance stage for buskers. The project also was to address issues of sustainability throughout its life-cycle and eventual disposal at the end of the summer season. The budget was also limited to $2500 for the design, construction and disposal of the structure.

Designed primarily as a shaded public seating area, Barn(E) features a series of benches which are shielded from the street and sun via the main structure. The structure features a series of angled slats which regulate the amount of sunlight entering the space as well as provide a secondary level of visual interest through the generation of a moire effect. The project also includes bike parking, planters, night time lighting and a pedal powered generator capable of charging a cell phone or charging the batteries which provide night time lighting. 

As a public project, a core part of the design was to engage the community in order to both promote the project and to engender a sense of ownership with the surrounding community. Throughout the design-build process, we worked closely with a number of sponsors to realize the ambitions of the project. The reclaimed barn wood used to clad the structure was kindly donated by a homeowner who was looking to demolish a structure on his property. The pedal powered generator was built in collaboration with the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters and Jelly Parrot Trash Crafts. The planters were filled by the Edmonton Native Plant Group. Lastly, disposal of the structure was handled by Habitat for Humanity, which was able to resell the lumber used to create the structure at their recycled materials store. 

The site was located just off the intersection between 109th street and 82nd avenue. The area is well known as a pedestrian hub, with many local stores and restaurants creating a lively ambiance throughout the area. 

We were able to salvage the majority of a 90 year old barn for seating and cladding materials. The barn was already slated for destruction, and the project allowed us to give the material new purpose.

Throughout the duration of the project, URBPRK hosted a series of DJ's and buskers in the space.