Architecture as community service: Action Lab in Vanier

The Vanier Hub, designed and built by the Architecture Action Lab at Carleton University to bring people together, officially opened on November 20 with a community celebration.

There were speeches, a ribbon cutting, a DJ, candy floss, and hot soup. Indigenous drummers accompanied a song by Grandmother Irene, a local Elder.

“This has become a new, permanent piece of architecture for the Vanier community to call theirs, and we are so happy to have been able to co-design this project with them,” says Associate Professor Menna Agha, director of the Action Lab.

The site is a 40-by-29-metre former parking lot at the corner of Montreal Road and Marier Avenue. It now provides a stage for performances, spaces for outdoor cooking, a playground, a nine-metre-long table for sharing, and a variety of places for relaxation and socializing.

All outdoors, the diverse elements are held together by the idea of a house. A roof truss spanning part of the site gives a sense of enclosure. The area is watched over by a life-sized plywood carving of a bear. Representing protection, the bear was a non-negotiable element for Indigenous Elders who participated in the design process.

“The whole concept was that we are going to build a public house here that brings everybody together,” says Dr. Agha. “The concept was home.”

See drawings for the project here.

Built over six months, from May to November, the project brought together over 150 volunteers who contributed more than 12,000 hours of work.

Architecture Action Lab is a research group at the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism that promotes public interest architecture. Established by Agha, professor of design and spatial justice, it carries out community service through research, advocacy, and design-build. Participation is open to all students at the school, as volunteers or paid research assistants.

“I’m so proud of my students and how they did this, and they never wavered,” says Agha. “The biggest compliment was the kids jumping around and using every single piece of equipment and not wanting to go home even though it was freezing.”

Among them was eight-year-old Samuella, who attended with her family. Here, she says, “we can find new friends, learn new games, and meet new people.”

The project is a collaboration between Action Lab, Vanier Community Services Centre, Vanier Business Improvement Association (BIA), and residents of Vanier, a neighbourhood in east Ottawa.

“Menna is a force,” says Nathalie Carrier, executive director of the Vanier BIA. “The spark that comes out of her is unbelievable. Menna was like, ‘We’re going to do this, Nathalie. It’s going to happen.’ Here we are three and a half years later, and it’s a reality.”

Principal designers included graduates Sally El Sayed, Shelby Hagerman, Josh Eckert, Sam Lane-Smith, and students Olive Lazarus, Stephanie Opdebeeck, and Klariza Juntilla.

Part of the process was a two-year design and consultation that started in Agha’s third-year community engagement studio in 2023-24 and included the Action Lab team.

“We conducted many community engagement sessions, bringing our ideas, hearing what the community wants to see in this space, and applying as much as we possibly can into the final design,” says Agha.

“What they want are spaces to be together. They want solidarity spaces and safe spaces for their children.”

For example, there is a living room furnished with a cross-laminated timber couch and tables. The children’s room contains toys, including a play kitchen, cubbies, and storage for books.

The kitchen area encompasses places to cook, assemble, and serve food. It is anchored by a long community table to gather around, eat, and play built-in board games, such as checkers, chess, and backgammon. “We especially have the senior citizens in mind,” says Agha. “They bring their play bits, and they can have a nice public space where they socialize.”

Activity rooms surround a main assembly space with a floor mural and a stage. A big Vanier sign serves as a grounding element for gatherings and events, including summer camps run by Vanier Community Services Centre.

“When it’s camp day, the kids are going to be having their lunch on the table, and they’re going to be playing in the back,” says Agha.

Behind the stage is the “backyard” or play space. It is equipped with a professionally installed playground, play elements, such as agility bots and a climbing structure, a ping pong table, a seating area that converts into a hammock in the summer, and a back wall with games. Along the back edge are carved silhouettes of a bear, cubs, and trees.

“This is what community is all about, and it is very inspiring,” said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at the opening.

The transformation of the parking lot was made possible by a $188,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant and the support of Ottawa businesses, including Wood Source, Capital Yard Works, Season’s Consultancy, Rona Nepean, Rymar Rubber, and Harvey and Kells. The Action Lab fundraised $120,000 and negotiated about $100,000 worth of discounts and in-kind donations.

Sonia Xu, a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies program and now at McGill University, worked on the project. She returned for the opening.

It was her first experience of seeing something which she had a hand in becoming real. She observes with delight, “I remember making that table! I dug that hole! In addition, assisting people in need through architecture reinforced her desire to pursue an architectural practice that serves the community directly, rather than working solely for those with means.

“I know that this is possible now,” she says. “I know that you, as an architect, can be in public service and can be somebody who builds for the larger good.” 

The idea for the Hub began seven years ago, when staff at the Vanier BIA and the Vanier Community Services Centre noticed that kids in nearby shelters had nowhere to play. They offered their parking lot for skateboarding once a week after convincing a local skate shop to provide a ramp and skateboards. A grant allowed them to purchase shipping containers to store equipment for further activities.

Associate Professor Benjamin Gianni, a Vanier resident deeply committed to assisting community improvement, became involved in discussions for the future of the space. He introduced Agha and her Action Lab to the conversation.

“I think it’s important for architecture to be an act of service,” says Sally El Sayed, who served as project manager. “Not to save the community, but to build on the things that they already have been doing.

“They’ve been using the space when it was just shipping containers in a parking lot. So, the architecture is allowing them to do more with the space than they were able to do before.”

Master of Architecture student Stephanie Opdebeeck was involved in community engagement and design for Vanier Hub and volunteered over the summer on the construction site.

“It is extremely rewarding to be able to co-design projects with the community,” she says. “It was unreal being able to go on site and see the spaces full, kids playing in the kids’ room, and people gathering on top of the Vanier floor mural under the roof we built.”

Working outside the university on a practical project offered many useful lessons for students participating. Adaolisa Emuwa, a third-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies student, learned about paint and power tools, and perhaps more importantly, about “working in a team …. and learning when to ask for help.”

Vanier Hub is the Action Lab’s third completed project. An outdoor gym and play space called 1700 spot opened last year in Russell Heights. In 2022, the group built a structure for a community fridge and pantry called Public Foods in Centretown.

Anne Bordeleau, director of the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, said doing hands-on projects that serve the public interest distinguishes Carleton among Canada’s schools of architecture. It is one of the qualities that brought her to the school.

“I was happy to hear that a lot of what was appreciated was the ability of the group to work from what was already here, to integrate the stories that have meaning and have accumulated over the years,” she said at the opening.

“It’s a great lesson for all of us in listening and really making sure that we build something that has meaning for the community.”

See the media coverage here:

Ottawa Citizen story

Vanier Hub: From parking lot to vibrant community space

CBC story

Vanier’s new gathering place a true community effort