Clara Boulanger Couture, Philippe Chabot, Véronique Boulet, Gisèle Fraser, Luc Bélanger, Olivier Lebrun, Stéphane Sarian, Karine Audy, Camille Bernard, Marie-Hélène Cliche, Gabriel Coughlan (Missing: Geneviève Guimont). Photo by Marie-Noelle Cloutier
A parka is warm and enveloping, promising protection on a human scale. It?s an ideal name given the aspirations of Luc Bélanger and Geneviève Guimont, who co-founded PARKA Architecture & Design in 2013. ?We wanted our name to give the sense of what we aim to do, without sounding too architecty,? says Bélanger, 41. Their one-stop-shop strategy has paid off, allowing the 13-person firm to thrive as an architecture firm while also pursuing product design.
ARKA is currently designing the Base de plein air de Sainte-Foy, Quebec. Rendering by Étienne Dumas PARKA looks for work based on three principles: Is it fun" Is it creative" Do they have the resources to design it to a high level of quality" In the past few years, this has led them to take on complex projects in the $20-million range, but also small renovation and branding jobs.
The team?s graphic sensibility extends to the sharp geometries of the Saint-Apollinaire Multipurpose Centre in Quebec, which includes a double gymnasium and four community rooms. Photo by Jessy Bernier
Of late, three disparate projects have their creative juices flowing. The firm is restoring and renovating a former fire station, Caserne No5, as a hub for start-ups, and desi...