As the weather in Vancouver gets warmer, one of the most popular attractions during the Spring season is the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. With 43,000 cherry trees across Vancouver, cherry blossoms have often become a source of inspiration for a vast range of artists. In the spirit of celebrating art and encouraging inclusion within the community, the Festival features many diverse artists and community-building events annually. Last fall, the Festival invited BCIT Architectural Science students to participate in a design competition for a pavilion to be built for this year’s events – a place to foster friendship under the cherry trees.
Six teams competed for a chance to have their design featured at the 2023 Festival. Congratulations to BCIT students Dominick Kasal, Anna von Euw, and Brandon Ambros for having their ABLOOM design selected! Additionally, commendations to BCIT alumni and artist, Kaori Kasai, who designed the striking floral print art for the ABLOOM design. The proposal had to adhere to the client’s parameters: made to last for 5+ years, offers weather protection for a small group of visitors, all pieces fit in a cube van and can be assembled by volunteers with no building training, installed on a hard or soft surface with no foundations.
Starting in October, this team of BCIT Architectural Science students worked with professionals from Revery Architecture, Fast + Epp, Abaton, and DKL to make their design a reality. The project was funded by Festival sponsors, including material donations from local supporters. To fabricate the wood elements, BCIT Joinery instructors guided the students how to program each piece for computer numerical control (CNC). On March 25, the build was first installed for an event at Sunset and Fraser. The rain during that day provided an excellent way to test the pavilion’s weather resistance!
Thank you to the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival for providing the opportunity for BCIT students to showcase their knowledge and skills in a real-world application. As well, thank you to the BCIT School of Construction and the Environment faculty for collaborating with the students to create a successful pavilion build for the Festival.
Have you subscribed? Sign-up to receive the latest news on BCIT.
Lovely, amazing group effort. What these students can do! Striking floral print design is by former Kaori Kasai, working artist and BCIT grad. Please don’t omit their credit as the unmentioned element in this fine team.