Introducing Lion, Our New Vancouver-based Project Architect!

Lion Urrego joined Gravity as a Project Architect in April 2024, bringing 18 years of experience and an innovative, motivated mindset to our Vancouver office.

Lion’s journey in architecture began in his childhood, inspired by his father's work in residential construction and fueled by his own passion for creating and building. This early exposure to construction sites and his hands-on experiences with wood projects ignited a curiosity and led him to pursue a career in architecture.

He is deeply fascinated by architecture because it continuously challenges his learning and involves building strong client relationships. His passion for people drives him to find innovative solutions to problems, creating opportunities for further design innovation.

His dream project would be to design a zero-carbon eco-village, harnessing green technology and site resources to create an environmentally friendly housing development. This self-sustainable community would focus on zero-waste living and eco-minded policies, enhancing the quality of life for its residents.

Throughout Lion’s 18 years in the industry he has made significant milestones and worked on various notable projects. His portfolio showcases a diverse range of projects, from single-family homes to multifamily high-rise residential buildings, industrial facilities, institutional structures, and large commercial buildings.

 Click the button below to visit Lions biography and learn more!

Joyce Mixed-Use Feasibility Study!

Our Joyce Mixed-Use feasibility study for Vancouver’s Renfrew-Collingwood community is ready to present!

This Mixed-Use design includes 60 residential spaces with a mix of apartment and townhouse units. Our proposed development takes advantage of the significant grade by terracing new commercial, amenities, gardens and allow private residential access throughout the site. The north corner of the plaza would include a cafe for residents to enjoy and to attract visitors who are commuting near the area.

Located in close proximity to Vancouver Kingsway Street, a significant commerical corridor, the site offers convenient access by foot, just a half kilometer southwest from the Joyce-Collingwood Skytrain station. Its positioning near the transit station enhances its appeal, making it an optimal location with excellent accessibility. With large commercial developments to the north and established single-family homes to the south, the site becomes a major connector for surrounding communities. Our study on the Joyce Mixed-Use project identifies substantial opportunities for both commercial and residential development!

To read more about the Joyce Mixed-Use study and how we responded to various aspects of the site, click the button below.

Meet David, our New Architectural Technologist in Vancouver!

Dave’s passion for architecture started back in high school when he picked up a book called, A History of Architecture… and well, the rest is history!

Dave began his career 12 years ago and acquired his registered architect certificate in the Philippines. He began working in Canada in 2021 with two of those years being in the Lower Mainland and has since worked on various residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional projects. Some of him notable work has been on the FedEx Ground facility in Nanaimo, B.C and the BC Housing Apartments and Townhouses Project in Prince Rupert, B.C. He has also contributed to the Logel Sage Townhouses project in Alberta.

From Dave’s impressive global experience and commitment to deliver quality work, he offers invaluable insights on the unique opportunities and challenges that are found in architecture. Dave has the ability to navigate any obstacle with a keen-eye for detail and strong collaboration with our clients and consultants.

His thoughtful and positive deposition does not go unnoticed, and Gravity looks forward to more exciting developments in BC with him as our trusted Architectural Technologist!

Our 2023 Year in Review

Gravity is proud to announce occupancy of 268 residential units and 10 commercial units last year.

These numbers are meaningful to us as they represent both the businesses and the individuals who now call these spaces home. Our ongoing transition from designing small-scale projects to being the architect for larger and more complex developments indicates our growing commitment to address the housing crisis that is having major impacts on all the communities we work in.

We recognise the housing challenges faced by many Canadians, and our goal is to continue to acknowledge this and find solutions that allow developers to produce high-quality, livable housing as efficiently as possible. As architects, we have a social responsibility that goes beyond just quantities. While we continue to work with developers to solve their practical problems with their projects, we are also focussed on design solutions that squarely meet each community needs.

Major cities like Vancouver are also facing hardships from a loneliness epidemic—meaning it is crucial that organizations seek out compassionate solutions to help support these efforts. Gravity is passionate about pushing the boundaries of what housing looks like, and the well-being of those who reside within it. With this in mind, our team is dedicated to contribute intuitive designs that offer residents not only spacious and light-filled rooms, but accessible and people-centred community that allow for human connection.

In addition to our commitment of addressing housing concerns, we are committed to designing more NetZero developments. It is important for our clients to know that we are not just thinking about the climate crisis, but taking action when it comes to sustainable housing.

We are proud of the achievements we made in the last year and motivated to continue to expand this work. Our 2024 approach will remain the same, as these challenges are not something that can be solved overnight but require an ever-evolving approach that aims to foster community engagement, encourage economic growth, support client success, and involve neighbourhoods in a more sustainable future.

We’re looking forward to 2024!

Inspiring Conversations at Vancouver's Fireside Housing Conference

We are at a pivotal moment in addressing the housing crisis in British Columbia and Alberta, and the recent Fireside chat event hosted by ULI BC with Minister Ravi Kahlon is a testament to this. A significant takeaway from last Thursday night's dialogue was Housing Minister Rav Kahlon's emphasis on resilient communities starting with robust housing solutions.

Minister Kahlon's discussion on the government's initiatives to build homes near transit, enable small-scale multi-unit homes, and reform outdated zoning practices, reflects Gravity’s objectives. Our recent work with Avalon Master Builder has been aimed at creating NetZero energy and NetZero energy-ready townhouse developments that are forward thinking and give multi-generational and middle-income earners an opportunity to participate in the journey towards sustainable housing.

We are motivated to continue this type of work as is are crucial for democratizing sustainability and accessibility without compromising quality of life. As design professionals our role is to proactively make our buildings future-proof in a meaningful way, offering more choices to individuals and families. 

Despite the recent snowfall in Vancouver causing some delays, the turnout at the event was impressive. The inclement weather did not discourage many eager professionals and was a fantastic opportunity for our team to learn and collaborate on future innovative housing solutions. Thank you for having us ULI BC!

You can find more information on this event here.

Introducing Aivee Gososo, our BC-based Project Manager

In March, while driving around West Kelowna looking at upcoming project sites, we were also on the phone negotiating with Aivee Gososo to join our team. Our portfolio in BC was (and is) growing, and we needed an experienced project manager to help with the workload.

Aivee was bringing over a decade of professional experience with her. Aivee’s portfolio featured an extensive array of project types such as residential, industrial, commercial and institutional. As well, she had strong knowledge and experience in securing municipal/city approvals for different types of development in and around the Lower Mainland.

Aivee is a graduate of the Architecture program at Technological University of the Philippines. Immediately after completing this program, she embarked on her career and worked with one of the sought-after firms in the Philippines. Immersing herself in both architectural design and project management, working with different teams of consultants and engineers for commercial, healthcare and institutional projects.

In 2011, Aivee achieved her professional certification as an Architect in the Philippines. In the same year, she moved to Canada where she started working with MQN Architects in the Okanagan.

Born and raised in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, Aivee missed the liveliness of the big city and decided to move to the Lower Mainland in 2015 where she then worked with Aplin & Martin Consultants as one of the pioneers in the Architectural Department.

Luckily the negotiations went well and Aivee signed up with Gravity as a Project Manager! She’s been spearheading a wide range of Gravity’s BC projects ever since.

Hey Vancouver, we've moved!

Hey Vancouver, we've moved!⁠

You can now find our team working on your projects in our new Coal Harbour office.

Gravity has been operating in British Columbia since 2019. It was challenging to start up in a new market during the pandemic, but we nevertheless managed to meet some great clients and have some exciting BC projects underway. With our growing BC team, we decided it was time to invest in a new office.

With thanks to Cam Bertsch at JLL, we were able to find a perfect space at #820 1199 West Pender Street! Furniture was delivered last week and the network was set up over the weekend. There are still some finishing touches to take care of, but we're up and running there this week.

Hopefully the team can get some work done without getting distracted by the view of Coal Harbour!

Gravity Welcomes New Marketing Coordinator Charlotte

Gravity is excited to announce Charlotte Aksenchuk has joined Gravity as our Marketing Coordinator.

Before she joined the team, she held marketing positions in various sectors. She chose a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies from the University of Calgary. Throughout her final year and a half of her degree, Charlotte interned at Harvest Builders, a Calgary-based startup tech incubator. She learned and honed her marketing skills under a very experienced team. Since then, she has worked in environmental monitoring, tech, and the architecture industries. The skills she developed in these positions translated well into becoming the Marketing Coordinator for Gravity.

Charlotte moved to Vancouver in the middle of 2021 but continues to enjoy returning to Calgary to visit. She proudly remains a Calgary Flames fan and enjoys watching hockey games with her husband. On rainy days (which are very common now that she lives in Vancouver), she enjoys making breads, desserts, and elaborate meals. On not-so-rainy days, Charlotte can be found outside enjoying the fantastic views of mountains and oceans, or playing a round of golf with her husband!

Open for Business, by Appointment

During these uncertain times, Gravity Architecture remains committed to the safety and well-being of our staff and visitors, while continuing to provide responsive solutions to our clients. With Alberta and BC’s new COVID-19 restrictions in place, access to our studios will be by appointment only.⁠

Please touch base with us prior to popping in. ⁠

Ontario Street Schematic

We recently completed a schematic design for a row of properties on Ontario Street in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant area. The proposed scheme is a three storey building with approximately 1,503.18 m2 gross developable area. Parking is provided on a single lower level as well as with a few surface stalls off of the lane.

Even minor interventions into the urban fabric can result in some loss. To recognize the northernmost remaining houses on Ontario Street that this building will replace, images of these houses and their surrounding trees have been represented on the curtain wall with fritted glass.

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