Britannia Community Services Center Critical Eye Analysis

8/7/2019 Britannia Community Services Center Critical Eye Analysis

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Commercial Drive to the west and

Specically, the site in focus is the w

of the Senior Center and Gym D

from William Street and Grandview

south to the main square of Britann

CONTEXT

Nestled south of the Burrard Inlet and north

of Broadway Street between Clark Drive

and Nanaimo Street, the Grandview-Wood-

land neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia,

is a mature and lively neighbourhood and is home

to a wide group of people and activity. Known for its

main retail street, Commercial Drive, Grandview-

Woodland is lled with a vibrant mix of heritage

homes, cooperatives, ethnic restaurants, coffee

shops, and annual celebrations. Grandview-Wood-

land began developing in 1891 when the Vancouver-New Westminster interurban railway opened and

made a stop on what is today Commercial Drive. The

provision of city water to the neighbourhood in 1904

encouraged further development. After the First

World War, Italian, Chinese, and Eastern European

immigrants arrived into the area, with a second

wave of Italians arriving after World War II.

Anchoring the middle of the Grandview-Woodland

neighbourhood is the Britannia Community Cen-

tre (BCC). The BCC is located between Venables

Street and William Street to the north a nd south,and McLean Drive and Commercial Drive to the west

and east. The BCC is the true center of the

community, since the site contains a library,

elementary school, secondary school, child

care facilities, recreational facilities like an

ice rink, a senior center, a youth center, and

an information center.

The BCC was built in the mid-1970s by the

Britannia Community Services Centre Soci-

ety, which sought to coordinate government

services and integrate a wide range of pro-

gramming to meet the interests and needs

of the residents. The non-prot society is

run through a locally elected Board of Management,

which develops and facilitates the educational, rec-

reational, library and social serv ices for the commu-

nity.

The main entrance to Britannia along Napier Street

from Commercial Drive opens into a square where

the library, information centre, elementary school,and senior centre are located. At rst glance, the

square feels underwhelming and confusing; how-

ever, over time the centres low, painted cinderblock

buildings offer a certain sort of legibility and charm.

Much of the activity in the Britannia square is cen-

tred on the library during weekends and afternoons

and the elementary school during school hours.

However, when the school and library are closed, the

recreational and social centres of Britannia, like the

senior centre, become more lively in the most unpre-

dictable ways.

The focus of this analysis, hereby referred to as the

site, is the area within Napier Street and William

Street to the north and south, and Cotton Drive and

Contents

Site Analysis.............

Use Analysis..............

Problem Defnition....


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SITE ANALYSIS

Alley

To Grandview Park

ToM

ainEntrance

To Square, Info Centre, Library,Elementary School

glimpsed in small part, but is mostly obscured by thechild care centre.

The site is in remarkably good repair, with no graf-ti and small amounts of litter. This may result from

community pride in Britannia, but also from thetransient population within Britannia, who glean

recyclables and other discards.

Senior Centre

The Senior Centre is most readily accessible fromthe main entrance and the alley behind the Com-mercial Drive retail. On Sunday afternoons andMonday evenings, jazz and carnival band musicpours out of the senior centre while people of allages stop to partake in the music or just to listen.Pauses are brief, however, as there is no suitablegathering place outside of the senior centre.

Tree planters and benches indicated on the plan areuncomfortable resting spots as the benches are oftendamp, uncovered, and cold. They are also more than1 meter below the entrance to the Senior Centre, dis-couraging interaction with events going on there.

Experiencing the site fromGrandview Park to the Square

Walking north along this pathway, the

most prominent feature of the site is the19-meter tall expanse of cream-colored

cinderblocks painted Gymnasium D. The distrac-tion of this wall detracts from the view of downtownVancouver to the west, visible in the winter beyond achain-link fence and roof of the elementary school.

Looking northwards, a dark and oppressive cov-ered walkway between the gym and the elemen-tary school avert the eyes from a spectacular viewof the North Shore mountains, which is especiallyimpressive when the piste is lit in the winter. Walk-ing south from the Senior Centre and the Britan-nia square towards Grandview Park, the dominantfeature of the site is the Gym D wall on the left anda tall wooden fence to the south. The park can be

The ramp in front of the entrance to the seniorcenter was likely intended for people with mobil-ity challenges, but it is frequently used by cyclists,parents with strollers, and surprisingly, nearly allcaucasian men aged 40 or older.

Gym D

While few people stop and pause to admire the mo-saics outside or check the gym schedule, most eitherpurposely enter for a class or they pass by the gymcompletely to head towards the park or the square.

The gyms entrance is conveniently located undera covered walkway that connects it to the elemen-tary school. This passage is used frequently duringthe school day, especially by the younger children.However, the walkway obscures the entrance to thegym and to the square itself. Trees in planters out-side Gym D further disguise this portal and make

the entrance feel blocked.

Gym D Exit

This exit is hardly used, except by children around

N

the age of 12 to 14 years old duringthe doors swing out, it is an approp

Child Care Centre

No activity occured at this site durtion periods, perhaps because it is gency exit below the Child Care Cechainlink fence blocking the exit. Tbetween safety of Britannia users to keep transient people out, as thestairwell is a sheltered area.


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USE ANALYSIS

2 to 4 pm Note: On the pie/donpeople come from is t

the middle and their d

donut around it.

10 to 11am 8 to 9 pm

WHO USES THE SITE

Children attending school New immigrants to Canada Mature, long-term residents of Britannia Transient population Examples: Russian immigrant attending acrobatics class, homeless man smoking mari-

juana, people playing in the carnival band, older woman going to the gym

WHO IS MISSING FROM THE SITE

Young hipsters who are just moving into Commercial Drive area

Aboriginal people

These people are far more visible on Commercial Drive at all times of the dweek, but they are noticibly absent from the site


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USE ANALYSIS

Analysis of this area indicates that people usethe corridor between Grandview Park and thelibrary mainly as a means of getting elsewhere.

The above diagram illustrates that few people enterthe buildings, but many more people use the path totransverse Britannia.

Although there are few behavior traces, such as trash,cigarette butts were found near the entrance to the

Senior Center in the evening. Single-serving yogurtcontainers, typical of school lunches, were also foundoutside the Gym D Exit.

Throughout the Britannia Centre, signage dictatesappropriate behavior, though the rules are not fol-lowed closely. For example, at least two dozen people

were observed riding bicycles, often down the rampsin front of the Senior Centre, despite the fact that nocycling signs are painted on almost every building. Some people choose to walk their bicycles up the

stairs along Napier as the ramp is non-contiguous.

The emergency exit for Gym D is blocked by a lockedchainlink fence. The fence was likely erected to dis-suade homeless people from seeking shelter in thestair well. This complicates the use of the exit andseparates out who the centre serves.

Many signs are posted on the inside of windows, asthe tape residue remains. This makes the signs feeltemporary and unimportant.


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PROBLEM DEFINITION

PROBLEM

Site lacks tastes and smells

GOAL

Provide a food-focused space for people tosocialize and engage all of their senses inBritannia

DIRECTION

1. Develop a coffee roasting facility and

coffee shop in Britannias square

2. Build a bakery or relocate UprisingBreads close to Britannias square

3. Grow an aromatic herb and butterflygarden along the elementary schoolfence, opposite of Gym D

4. Foster local food production so the cof-fee shop can serve healthy and localfood, like sandwiches

Observation of the site and the people who interact in it show that there are a variety of non-conformities, problems, conicts, and oversighdesign and management of the site. The main problem is the perception of safety and attractiveness of the site. Safety can be improved bypeople a place to spend time and socialize that is less intimidating and boundless compared to the square. Attractiveness can be improved

fordable seating arrangements, faade improvements, festive lighting, smells and tastes, and vegetating the monolithic walls of Gym D.

PROBLEM

Many users of the site are caucasian andmature. High school youth tend to in-timidate other users, such as parents withsmall children and senior citizens. Youngadults, who are moving to Commercial

Drive in droves, are noticably absent fromthe centre.

GOAL

Create a safe-feeling space to relax and so-cialize that is open to everybody

DIRECTION

1. Build a cafe-type establishment thatserves food and alcohol in a relaxedatmosphere which is open early in themorning for school parents and late at

night for hipsters2. Improve signage on Commerial Drive

to point the way to Britannia in orderto attract new residents

3. Place eye-catching and small hand-outs with schedules of programmingin Britannia in Commercial Drivesbusinesses to encourage more people toattend classes and use the facilities

4. Establish classes that focus on craft-ing, like knitting or felting, to at-

tract more young adults in the neigh-borhood

PROBLEM

Older users of Britannia tend to complainabout drug dealers and homeless people.While transient people are a significantuser of Britannia, activities such as in-stalling gates in front of emergency exits

both create an unsafe environment andmarginalize the population.

GOAL

Foster the feeling of safety for all users ofBritannia

DIRECTION

1. Train community guides or police toshow people around the site and answerquestions in the daytime and makeBritannia feel safer at night

2. Discouraged homeless people fromstaying on the site by installing videocameras and programming more loudactivities late at night

3. Build a clean and sober hostel some-where on the site, but not near thesquare, to house transient populations

4. White fairy lights can improve thenighttime lighting of the site withoutbeing too intrusive or glaring

PROBLEM

The site lacks comfortableso people pass through thepause to listen to music or ter. This may be a design reof drug dealers and the ho

GOAL

Create a comfortable and atizing area in the site in cosafety improvements

DIRECTION

1. Improve sheltered sittinare dry year round asummer

2. Design attractive andting areas. These could

bos or garden benches

3. Replace the elementarylink fence with a leafy

4. Soften the cinderblockduce the heat-island effing the walls of Gym Dmethod is to grow vinesquicker alternative is ttated lattices

5. Replace the covered waGym D and the elementa more transluscent that brings together tand serves as a portal

PROBLEM

Users cycle despite its prohibition

GOAL

Create paths that are safe for cyclists andpedestrians

DIRECTION

1. Replace bollards on Napier with plant-er boxes and potted trees

2. Use strategically-placed planters toforce cyclists to slow down

Documents

Britannia Community Services Center Critical Eye Analysis