Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1408886
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 57 Women and Families Centre Expansion – Union Gospel Mission R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E SY N S DA A RC H I T EC T S WOMEN AND FAMILIES CENTRE EXPANSION – UNION GOSPEL MISSION by ROBIN BRUNET T he Union Gospel Mission's new UGM Women and Families Centre in Vancouver is notewor- thy on several fronts, one being that it is the UGM's largest expansion project in more than 80 years. More importantly, the seven-storey mixed-use project provides a host of services under one roof: community outreach, afterschool care and meet- ing rooms; and a total of 63 housing units (27 sleeping units for women in stabilization and recovery, 18 for indi- vidual women, and nine for mothers with infants, as well as 36 support- ive housing units. Two daycares are located on the seventh floor, one with 12 spaces for infants and toddlers and another for 16 older kids. The design plan also includes a courtyard on the main level, decks on the second and seventh floors, and a drop-in centre. Nadia Tchoumi, manager, media relations and communications for UGM, says, "The new facility replaces our old women and families facili- ties and fills a void in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, where it has been estimated that women make up 25 percent of the homeless popu- lation. It was important during the early stages of the project that we create a warm, welcoming, and safe environment for the women and chil- dren living here." Tchoumi adds, "By 2018, fund- raising for the $35.5-million project had begun in earnest, with planning and research around evidence-based programming having begun years before. The original building at 601 E Hastings was designed by Orbis Architecture Inc.; we worked with NSDA Architects for the new facility." Brian Dust, principal at NSDA Architects, says, "The building also had to be efficient and convenient for staff to facilitate their programs, so to achieve all these goals we worked closely with Bill Mollard, Dan Russell, Tara MacDonald, Rev. Candice Harper, and Rudy Loewen, UGM owner's representative." The form of the UGM Women and Families Centre emerged from a desire to develop a strong urban street definition at the Cordova and Princess thoroughfares. The "L" shape results in a large south facing communal courtyard along the lane. Internally, the man- date was to design a straightforward, efficient layout with clear circulation. Dust located the outdoor amenity areas to have a southern exposure on the ground level for the drop-in centre. The palette of materials for LOCATION 616 East Cordova Street, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER Union Gospel Mission / BC Housing ARCHITECT NSDA Architects CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Darwin Construction Ltd. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Kor Structural MECHANICAL CONSULTANT TD Systems ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT AES Engineering CIVIL ENGINEERING Binnie TOTAL SIZE 77,000 square feet TOTAL COST $35.5 million