Commercial & Multi Family
thinkGiraffe has designed a number of Commercial Projects including an addition to a Repair Garage, a Chiropractic Office, an Animal Clinic, an Addictions & Pain Clinic, a Dermatologist Clinic, X-Ray Rooms for a Dental Surgeon, two daycares, a kids indoor play area, various offices including spaces for Keller Williams Real Estate and IMS (Inquiry Management Services).
Multi Residential Projects include four-storey loft style apartment buildings on the river in Brantford and an eight-storey apartment building in Burlington currently in the Site Plan application stage. We also designed townhouses and a series of homes for a sub-division development. Smaller scale residential projects include applying for Change of Use permits and Variances for a number of duplex, triplex and 4 or 5 unit residential buildings. We converted 2nd floor office space in a mixed residential building to 8 studio apartments. We hold a Small Building and Large Building BCIN and can design Part 9 buildings up to three storeys and 600m2 Area.
We are a “one stop shop” with connections to all the consultants required to rezone land, apply for site plan approval and we issue drawings for site and structural engineering and landscape design. thinkGiraffe Design Inc salutes the Commercial and Residential Consultants who work with us to obtain Zoning and Building Approvals. Thanks to Joe Seymour P.Eng Structural Engineering, Tacoma Engineers Structural Engineers, AT McLaren Limited (Surveyors), Alexandre Amend P,Eng, Adele Pierre Landscape Architect, Upper Canada Consultants (Civil Engineers & Planners), S Llewellyn & Associates (Civil Engineers), T. John Consulting Group Ltd. (Urban Planners) Jaro Hajek MSc., PEng (Mechanical Engineering), Peto MacCallum Consulting Engineers, GLS HVAC Design, Paradigm Transportation Solutions, Premier Environmental Services Inc, Margaret Klaver 3D Design, G2S Consulting Inc. (Hydrogeologists), Kuntz Forestry Consulting, Seguin Archaeological Services, Michael R. Plowman GLN Farm & Forest Research Co. Ltd., LRI Engineering Inc. (LRI) Building Code & Fire Protection Engineers, Derek Morningstar, M.Sc. Myotistar Senior Ecologist, Soil-Mat Consulting Engineers (Geotechnical Investigations)
Commercial & Multi-Family Project Showcase
Keller Williams Real Estate Loft Style Offices
We recognize that with many commercial projects, our clients are the heroes when they tenaciously strive to offer their staff exceptional workspaces despite the effort and cost it takes. We had a nondescript plumbing warehouse to work with and retained the exposed high ceilings with webbed steel joists and exposed tongue and groove lumber. We applied rooftop insulation not visible from below. Where possible we kept the concrete floors, and the owners agreed to multiple industrial skylights and large windows where possible. Our concept was to build an “office inside the warehouse” and all shared and private offices have a 9’ high lumber and plywood “roof” while the corridors are “streets” in the larger warehouse space. The reception area shares space with a coffee shop space where agents can choose to work if they need a break from private office space. Spaces with harvest tables or couches provide more alternative work areas. The coffee shop opens to an outdoor area with a barbecue and picnic table.
Repair Garage Tire Storage & Office Addition
Being the owner of a commercial building in a historical area comes with a unique set of responsibilities. The two-level office and tire storage addition to this 1950’s concrete block car repair shop won an award for enhancing the surrounding Village Core zoned area. The owner gets the credit for being willing to add factory finished wood siding and a truss roof with good quality single hung windows to the budget. Our project partners, Tacoma Engineering, specified core slab for the 2nd floor to support the weight of tires stacked eight high. We installed a tire lift to move the tires from ground level to the 2nd floor.
Loft Style Apartments on a river bank
The consultants who worked with us on this project often would refer to the owners as a breath of fresh air because of their sincere intent to create the best possible interior and amenity spaces for tenants. Our concept for this development was to have it appear as if we converted an existing 3-storey riverside industrial brick loft and added a 4th storey in corrugated steel. Since the development is in a residential area, great care was taken to make the building appear as low as possible, despite the 10’ interior ceiling height. Both buildings have rooftop amenity spaces, but the owners wanted each apartment to have a balcony that stretches the full width of each apartment. We designed steel and concrete balconies that “hangs” from the exterior of the building and since the demising walls between units were 6” core ICF, our engineers could use the cores to anchor the balconies. The site plans of both buildings are connected with bike and pedestrian paths that lead to the river.
Summer Camp Leader In Training Centre
Since one of my sons was an avid camp counsellor, it was a pleasure to design this Leader in Training Centre for 15-year-olds on Lake Heron. The camp directors were adamant that the building should be barrier free, and we designed an interior ramp as a focal point. Despite a tight budget, the building had to be versatile so that it could be used in the winter months for adult retreats or even as a place to stay for wedding guests at camp weddings. We designed four dorms for the 15-year-olds and a series of studio apartments with a shared kitchen for the staff. Wrap around decks on two levels provide sufficient space for the camp goers and staff to relax at night.
