When Kelsey from the Architecture Foundation of BC (AFBC) first reached out to us about this contest, we were immediately excited to be involved. We didn’t know exactly what it would entail, but we’re always eager to take on creative projects that push us beyond our day-to-day builds.
The Winning Design
Once we officially signed on, we hit the ground running. The AFBC team had already received countless impressive submissions, and we worked closely with them to help select a winner. The brief was simple: design a lemonade stand that would serve as AFBC’s booth at the Vancouver Interior Design Show and at their launch event for Vancouver Design Week.
Stefan and Abbi’s design quickly stood out. It struck the perfect balance between bold design and practical buildability, a combination that made it an easy choice for all of us.
With materials and expendables generously supplied by Kerrisdale Lumber, we were ready to get started. Working primarily with plywood isn’t something we do regularly, but it proved to be the ideal material for this project.
Along the way, there was plenty of R&D. We experimented with different techniques for bending plywood without cracking it and worked through multiple approaches to achieve vibrant, stain-like colors that allowed the wood grain to remain visible. The goal was never a painted finish, we wanted the natural character of the material to shine through.
Before long, the pieces we were building grew beyond our ability to easily move them around the shop. That led to some creative problem-solving and a few engineered moving contraptions that may have rivaled methods used to build the pyramids.
After many late nights and plenty of back-and-forth collaboration with the design team and AFBC, we completed everything just in time for delivery on the morning of the event. That evening, we attended excited, exhausted, and eager to see the first reactions to something we had been living and breathing for weeks.
The event was sold out, the weather held up, and it was the perfect setting to showcase the finished build. We even had some relatives in town, which made it especially meaningful to share what we do for a living.
A huge thank you to all of the sponsors and contributors who made the event possible: Duchess Cocktails, Fisher & Paykel, Kerrisdale Lumber, and event sponsor Pacific Art Stone.
And finally, a big shout-out to the entire team at AFBC for including us in such a fun and creative project, and to Stefan and Abbi for giving us something truly creative to build.
Event photos by Luis Valdizon @whentheyfindus
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