9 Jan 2026

ARIDO Award: Reina

Reina offers a ground-breaking value proposition by being the first residential development in Canada entirely led by women across all disciplines. This reorients how we conceive of leadership, authorship and collaboration in the built environment.

Category: IMPACT

Interior Designer: Sunhwa Kim, ARIDO
Design Firm: BDP Quadrangle
Design Team: Marcella Au, ARIDO

Photographer: Tom Arban

Spacious and bright front desk area featuring curves throughout, mainly white slatted walls with black detailing, and green and brown furniture adds pop of colour in the space

By implementing a participatory design model engaged by a broad spectrum of voices, including multigenerational families, community members, youth and future residents, Reina reimagines the development process through the lens of lived experience, empathy and inclusive consultation.

A multi use room with a large table in the centre and diagonal shelving in the back, meant for crafting, reading, hanging out. The entrance to the room is made of 2 metal arches

The ideology of inclusion drove imaginative design outcomes with interior amenity spaces being programmatically inventive, offering features like a sound-buffered music room, a hobby “mess” room, and a snack shop designed with input from Girl Guides.

A little play area for kids that looks like 3 attached small play houses each meant for a different activity, reading, drawing and sitting

The adjacency of a glass-walled gym and playroom directly responds to the caregiving realities of modern families – a configuration rarely, if ever, seen in condominium design.

Next to the kid play area is this kitchen area with a long bar table and bar stools, with red pendants hanging above

By centering underrepresented voices in both the process and profession, Reina challenges industry norms and redefines what makes a space livable, lovable and truly community-first. It is an imaginative and scalable blueprint for inclusive, future-facing interior design.

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