[USA Today - December 31, 2021] As we move into 2022, after another tough year, there's no doubt that change is at the forefront of thought. You likely have personal New Year’s resolutions in your pocket, but what about for the place that you've been spending the majority of your time? Every home can use a refresh, and there's no better time to do so than now, whether you just need to change up the look of your living room, replace a [...]
[CEO World Magazine - July 18, 2021] Feng Shui is a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation about the flow of energy (chi), and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when sitting and designing buildings. Feng shui uses five elements that according to the Chinese practice have to all be present in order for the space to be balanced. The elements it uses are water, earth, fire, wood, and metal. The role of each [...]
[Globe and Mail - February 15, 2021] Cory Cook’s initial plan was to build out his backyard deck. But as the pandemic drags on, he’s looking to overhaul his entire basement. “The renovated basement would generate rental income and offer financial security in the event of a job loss,” says the 43-year-old Toronto father of two. To fund his home improvements, Mr. Cook, who helps businesses invest in energy efficiency, took out a $300,000 home equity line of credit (HELOC). After [...]
[Best Health Mag - November 18, 2020] Expert Jamie Gold shares the small changes you can make to your home optimize your physical and mental well-being. It’s hard to find a trendier word these days then "wellness." The pursuit of optimal mind and body amazingness is baked into everything from the turmeric lattes we’re supposed to be drinking to the forest bathing we forgot to do because we were too busy counting our steps and wondering if showering counts as self-care. That [...]
[Western Investor - November 27, 2020] Outdoor elevators, touchless doors, zero-recycled air and changes to open floor plans among design reactions to COVID-19 Vancouver developer Qualex-Landmark is among the first to implement a number of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in two new residential projects, part of a trend that is gaining traction across North America. “Just as the Spanish flu gave us the vanity room, which originated as a hand-washing basin immediately inside the front entry of a home, [...]
[Daily Hive - October 28, 2020] Daily Hive Urbanized provided the first glimpse of Concord Pacific’s proposed redevelopment plans of the Molson Coors brewery in Vancouver in December 2019. And now, additional details and renderings show the true breadth of the massive mixed-use redevelopment of the 7.6-acre industrial property, located at the south end of the Burrard Street Bridge. The developer intends to build a redevelopment with a total floor area of 1.8 million sq ft, including 300,000 sq ft of office [...]
[Globe and Mail - October 21, 2020] Paul Sangha has run a busy architectural landscape business for most of two decades, but by the end of 2019, business was “dead quiet,” and Mr. Sangha was preparing for a rough year. He had to lay off four staff. When the lockdown hit in mid-March, Mr. Sangha began paying staff their salaries in advance to give them a sense of certainty. But then something strange happened. Business suddenly picked up. By May he [...]
[Washington Post - September 17, 2020] Six months ago the coronavirus pandemic turned the entire nation into homebodies. Now architects, builders and interior designers are addressing the pain points that emerged when our homes became our offices, schools and entertainment venues. It’s a little too soon for completely new model homes to be built that take the new normal into account. Still, incremental changes in floor plans and interior design have been made that point the way to the future. “While there are [...]
[Globe and Mail - August 8, 2020] In early April, about a month into the COVID-19 lockdown, Daniel Rotsztain, an artist, writer and cartographer living in Toronto, built what he calls a “social distance machine". Imagine a giant hula hoop, jutting two metres in all directions, worn around the neck like an Elizabethan collar, minus the Shakespearean ruffles. As Rotsztain filmed, his friend Bobby Gadda donned the contraption and tried to walk around downtown streets, sidewalks and parks. Invariably, his device bumped [...]
[The Zoe Report - June 17, 2020] A mirror facing your front door, a bed placed under a window, and a cluttered desk all have one thing in common: According to the Chinese practice of Feng Shui, they all disrupt the good energy flow — or qi — in your home. But don't stress if any of these describe the current state of your pad. Just as easily as you've unknowingly blocked your qi, you can get it flowing again, [...]
