Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1123432
6 | J UNE 2019 space2place design inc. Space2place design inc. shakes up traditional design thinking by NATALIE BRUCKNER | photography + renderings courtesy space2place design inc. J eff Cutler, principal of Vancouver-based space2place design inc., has golf to thank for helping him discover a passion for landscape architecture and taking him on a journey that resulted in him running an extremely successful, award-winning landscape architecture firm. "I initially wanted to design golf courses," explains Cutler. "I had worked extensively in the golf industry throughout high school and my university days, which is what drew me to landscape architecture in the first place." However, much like golf, unexpected winds can alter your course. "Through my studies at Guelph I was exposed to the diversity of landscape architecture, including the complex interrelationships between people and nature, which really opened my eyes. "When I graduated in 1994 I wanted to explore other aspects of the profession. At the time the economy was strong in B.C. and I ended up getting a job for Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg in Vancouver, where I worked for six years. It was there that I gained my first professional experience with a focus primarily on large public parks, which built upon my experience designing and constructing golf courses." In 2001, Cutler saw an opportunity for a new voice in Vancouver and decided to take the leap and start his own firm. "I originally partnered with a contractor with the vision of adapting a design-build approach. However, while we tried that for a couple of years we soon realized that the differences that we thought would comple- ment each other didn't really align and we went our separate ways," says Cutler. While, like many start-up landscape architecture firms, space2place initially began by working on higher-end single family home projects, Cutler found himself almost naturally transitioning back into public projects. He credits this transition to having won a few bids to work on skateboard parks. "One of my original projects in Vancouver, while working at Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg, was Hastings Park. As part of this project we built one of the new generation skateboard parks. I had found a skate park designer who was himself a skateboarder and could design the geometry, so when I went on my own I called him up and said we should work together. We ended up designing a number of skateboard parks across Canada," says Cutler. Hardly a traditional route for a landscape architect, and yet working in this field gave Cutler great experience in public engagement, resolving complex technical challenges, and perhaps, more importantly, gave him a greater insight into work- ing with youth and the role of safety. This would give him a unique perspective and expertise to springboard into a wide variety of large-scale public projects. Angle Of Approach Metro Skate Park, Burnaby, B.C. Kinsmen Park, Saskatoon, SK.