BID Projects – Yorkville University

For the third year in a row, ARIDO would like to celebrate the class of 2022 from Ontario ARIDO-recognized schools and ensure their work is shared within the ARIDO community and beyond.

 ARIDO has worked with these schools to promote a selection of 4th year BID student work on BLOG//ARIDO and will be posting the work each Wednesday during May and June.

Anna Gurina The Beacon – A Multicultural Youth Community Centre

The Beacon is a Multicultural Youth Community Centre that is located in a residential neighbourhood of Markham, Ontario and welcomes children and youth 9-17 years old – middle to high school. The centre primarily works with children of newcomers and refugees and helps their smooth adaptation to the new country. Many of these children have are learning English; many suffer from psychological traumas caused by moving to another country, financial difficulties or even war conflicts in their native countries. The Beacon Centre supports them and addresses their needs.

This Multicultural Youth Community Centre is a beacon of trust, support, and joy, and provides an inclusive and engaging environment by promoting physical, social, and mental health. It is a safe space for children to play, learn, spend their free time, get counseling and mental health help, engage in community activities and find friends. 

The Beacon Centre is a place where everyone feels they belong; it is a community that supports children’s new beginnings and teaches them to appreciate other cultures and cherish their roots and traditions.

Michelle Booy – The Conscious Mental Health Centre

The Conscious Mental Health Centre is a wellness centre used for healing and promoting mental health. It is designed to engage the community through services like counseling, exercise programs, naturopath doctors, meditation, spaces to engage with nature, community gardens, a community cafe, and research facilities.

The facility will share a common goal in health – the individuals’, the communities’, and the earth’s. The design of the building will focus on the psychology of design to create a user centred, calming, nature connected environment. The space will utilise principles of biophilic design to support sustainability and to educate users on how we can use and connect with nature.

Rose Hopkins – Library of the Future

Today’s libraries are underutilized and undervalued. Yet if designed mindfully, they can engage, excite, and provide tools for success. Disrupting the existing library model can allow libraries to evolve into multi-use spaces where creativity and inclusivity is paramount. 

The goal of the Library of the Future is to design a sustainable and future-oriented space, which connects the community through innovative programs. The focus is on blending the past, present, and future to create a cohesive and inclusive learning environment.

Inspired by an iceberg submerged in water, the reception hub radiates outwards into rows of bookshelves resembling Stonehenge. The main floor contains the hard copy book collection, child and teen spaces, lounges, meeting rooms, a technology lab, a study hall, an auditorium, and a restaurant.

The mezzanine is equipped with a large creation space, two innovation stations, a collaboration corner and the creation cafe. This allows competitions, brainstorming events and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) based learning to be accessed by anyone.

Shanen Corook – The H.O.P.E Centre

Helping Our People Everyday Centre aims to eliminate any barriers and improve the quality of life of people coping with physical disabilities. The Centre is  dedicated to helping people with various special needs, including mobility, hearing, and vision impairment, and is therefore designed using accessibility and human centred design principles to create the best possible experience for the user.

The proposed centre and its light-filled interior designed to be warm and inviting will provide various services such as support programs covering employment, social support, training, and workshops. All these will focus on skills and educational development and help each user feel empowered and confident.

You can view more projects by all Yorkville University grads here .