Kits Camera Building.
The Kits Camera building was built in 1971 in Vancouver, B.C. Previously, residential above commercial had become unpopular and abandoned. The Kits Camera building reintroduced this building type into Canada.
Built on a steeply sloping site, the parking level is located above the retail and creates a “new ground level” for individual compact townhouses to be built on the “ground” with large private open terraces. The units are accessed via a landscaped courtyard which doubles as a community space.
Beth Hamidrash Synagogue.
The Synagogue was built on a 33' wide inner-city lot in Vancouver, B.C. for a 100-family Sephardic community. The development of this project involved a complex approval process in which, based on the fact that the majority of the community live within walking distance of the Synagogue and do not drive to Synagogue, the City agreed to the major concession of reducing on-site parking from 26 cars to 3.
Although the lot is only 33' x 110', 7,500 sq. ft. of useable space has been provided. Also, despite its small size, by utilizing 30' high ceilings, capped by a continuous skylight, the Sanctuary is bathed in changing light and a grand sense of scale and volume. Gallery seating is built in the upper level, overlooking the sanctuary,.
In addition to the sanctuary, the building includes a reception area, Rabbi's office, and a classroom/library. In the lower level, there is a a large multi-purpose hall for dining and meetings. A commercial kitchen also has been provided.
Cloverdale Shopping Centre.
The building was designed with all the stores surrounding a large, skylit, central "City Square", filled with kiosks. The City Square design creates a very lively "Meeting Place" with much of the effect of old European market squares. Built in 1971, this design represented a departure from the traditional linear Mall.
Fairways Hotel
This 200 room hotel was built as part of the main Village Center in Whistler. The hotel overlooks a golf driving range and the ski-slopes. The restaurant is separated from the main building to provide it with a presence of its own. The hotel and restaurant are linked by an underground tunnel which doubles as a place where the guests store their skis. Affordable employee housing is located above the restaurant.
105 W18th Ave Vancouver B.C. Canada V5Y2A6 P 604.338.7400 F 604.736.2402 info@katzarchitecture.com
Dobney Foundry.
To be built on the old Dobney Foundry site in Victoria, B.C. this project will contain 200 Live/Work Studios in two buildings seperated by an internal landscaped courtyard. The buildings will be only two blocks from the waterfront and a 10 minute bicycle ride to downtown. By mixing work and living, the LiveWork studios provide new options for how we live and work and will serve as a "bridge" between the existing light-industry and future uses.
