An Interview with Lindsay Zelensky
We’re so happy to have had the opportunity to work with Lindsay Zelensky, a local Calgary designer, on our recent renovation and buildout at The Boys & Girls Club of Calgary. Lindsay has years of experience shaping interiors as Partner and Director of Design at Within Interiors Inc. and received her Bachelor of Applied Interior Design at Mount Royal University in Calgary. We first met Lindsay in 2013 and had done a few projects with her over the years, so when we began work on The Boys & Girls Club of Calgary it was apparent we’d need to have a design professional involved and we suggested her! The Boys & Girls Club of Calgary was a very meaningful project to us and we’re thrilled that we were able to work with her to bring it to life, she sat down with us to talk about her process, her choices for this project, and what it all meant to her.
RMC: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary is a wonderful organization! What did it mean for you to do this project for them?
Lindsay Zelensky: I think, for us, knowing that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary is a charitable organization was a big thing. They call themselves a “community supported organization” but they really do so much for the community, and they are such a cornerstone to so many in our City, from people who are born and raised in Calgary, to newly landed families, to the LGBTQ2S+ and Indigenous communities. They act as kind of a safe haven, if you will. Being able to give this organization a more thoughtful and efficient space to support them in the selfless work they do every day was very inspiring.
It's amazing how much a facility and amenities, or lack thereof, can affect a person physically and mentally, so being in a position to create an environment that really showcases what the company stands for and how they see and value the community they serve—that means everything to us.
How did you learn about the Boys & Girls Clubs in order to come up with your design concept?
A lot of listening. Just a ton of meetings with a lot of different people with a lot of different views and perspectives; we absorbed a lot of information. We knew a little bit about the organization going in but were really humbled when we researched the work they that they do right here in our community. Their roots in Calgary began in 1939 so they have a deep history here.
We interviewed every different group that was to be housed within that space to understand what their work was and how long they spent both within the facility and externally, what kind of meetings they had, how long they were, with how many attendees, etc. We did that to really understand what their needs were individually, departmentally and inter-departmentally to identify consistencies or conflicts between groups. This programming exercise allowed us an inside view of BGCC, how they operate and what they value. We discovered our concept would unfold to reveal a real sense of purpose and belonging through making the best use of their existing resources with people, efficiency and adaptability in mind.
What is your process from the beginning of a project to its completion? Do you design it first? Or does the contractor pull the walls down and then you figure out what you have to work with?
We almost always propose design up front. This means understanding the client’s goals and objectives, then planning, designing and specifying to suit, coordinating all of the mechanical and electrical engineers, getting all the permits, etc. in place with the city and project costing. Doing this work up front sets clear expectations and direction for the contractor to then take that package and run with it to bring the vision to life.
This particular project had a very aggressive timeline, and the BGCC needed certain spaces to be operational before others so the project was ultimately broken up into three phases with room for some design evolution along the way. A space that was quite fun to design was the daycare space that they have on the main floor. That took priority just in terms of being able to attract new families coming into the neighborhood so they could open in September with those services. That space was done as its own set of drawings and design ahead of everything else so that they could start work on that area of the building first. The remainder of the building followed, and, lastly, one significant room, which we called the “Circle Room,” to wrap up the project.
There were some spaces that were still being used the whole time by the Boys & Girls Clubs?
When the daycare space was under construction, yes. Because the second phase of the project touched most of the building, the staff was temporarily relocated, although, they still ran some programs on the hangar side of the property. The building was fully operational while the last room was being completed.
It must have been interesting to build a space for both adults and for children.
Yeah! And that piece of feedback was prevalent as staff began to see the space take shape throughout construction; it's a fun, fresh space and we wanted it to appeal to both audiences at the same time, especially because many of the spaces are intended to be multipurpose. It doesn't feel like it's for little kids. And it doesn't feel like it's a stuffy corporate office either. The space is a great blend of approachable sophistication and fun energy, a true reflection of the BGCC and the community.
How did you find out about this project?
Through Karen Ryan! We've worked with Ryan Murphy Construction for, I want to say six years, on projects throughout the city. Ryan Murphy had a previous working relationship with the CEO when he was with Accessible Housing Calgary. Then, finding out how big of a scope they were looking at undertaking, that warranted bringing in design and engineering professionals. So, she introduced us, and we started having those conversations and just found the project to be a really good fit. We're not unlike Ryan Murphy—a smaller company. We have that kind of agility to respond to a client like the Boys & Girls Clubs who had a general mandate going into it, but also a real sense of evolution throughout the design of the project.
Is it like projects where the client thinks they know what they want and then throughout the course of the project they decide, "Oh, maybe I actually want…."?
That can happen, yes. But I think in this instance, because of the fast pace of the overall project timeline, certain key concepts they really strived to include in the project were developed later in the process but were really critical to the overall success of everything. Because we had already established the concept and design foundation, weaving these concepts of inclusivity and belonging, honouring the past and celebrating progress fell into place really well, even after construction had already started.
How did you do that, specifically?
A challenge for us was building meaningful design elements into the building to reflect both the LGTBQ2S+ and Indigenous communities and we thought, “How do we showcase those ideologies in the built environment”? We wanted to make sure it really felt like part of the whole design and not just a relegated to one room or area. So, we designed iconography, such as the pride, transsexual and transgender flags, and gender pronouns, for example, in unexpected ways into the built environment as much as possible so that for the people that understood those elements, it had a really strong impact. And for people that didn't know anything about it, it was interesting and exciting enough for them to ask questions to learn more about it, to spark dialogue. The intention was to have the users almost take those design elements and then grow with it and around it and adapt them as times change, without redesigning the whole space.
The Circle Room specifically incorporates the traditions of Indigenous peoples. How did you come up with the design idea and how did it evolve?
That one was originally intended to be a little bit more of a multipurpose space in that it was to honour the Indigenous Peoples and land, and double as one of their programming spaces. But I think over the evolution of the design and the programming of this space, it took on a little bit more significance than we originally had thought and ended up being really successful. This space, for the BGCC, played a role in reconciliation, and we were tasked with blending key traditional elements with the western contemporary built environment to break down barriers and to give back.
Can you describe this space, what specifically you did to capture those elements?
Being an existing building, we had constraints to work around: structural elements like posts in the middle of all kinds of things and electrical that we had to work around. It ended up working out really well to conceal a lot of these things by incorporating one of the early concepts of creating a re-imagined tipi, central to the main-floor layout. We were fortunate to have the engagement of the Elder’s council throughout, so between our research internally, working closely with BGCC and listening to the Elders, we were able to plan this space into the floor plan early on. Elements like the east-facing doors, a blend of spruce, pine and cedar studs to represent many Indigenous regions, using natural materials and authentic tipi poles in a modern way, and incorporating a visual nod to local geographic elements are just a few key examples of how we were able to honour and represent many Indigenous Peoples in a meaningful and dynamic way.
What an amazing opportunity to work with these groups on something so important to all of our communities individually and collectively.
I would say this is probably one of the most significant projects that we have been a part of, because it holds so much meaning for the BGCC in how we’ve positively impacted their day-to-day operations but also has ripple effects to the greater community.
How was it received by the Elders group?
Great! I was fortunate enough to attend the final ceremony, at which they gave their blessings and gifted the BGCC with an Indigenous name for the space, which was a very big deal. It is officially named Pookasks awa mii piyoo tsii saa (in English this means “children coming together.”). To see how well received and meaningful the space was for them was pretty next level.
Was that a challenge?
Having had the Elders involved very early on was key to our success. It gave us the tools to take what could have been a kitschy theme and turn it into a respectful expression of a well-defined concept.
It's notable that the washrooms are gender neutral.
Right. We're seeing it more and more, particularly in corporate office design. In this instance, it was really to allow anyone, any gender, to utilize those facilities in a way where they felt safe. It also was the most efficient way to incorporate those facilities into the limited footprint we had to work with.
Are there other spaces within the building that you really enjoyed designing?
Another space that was fun and a key space to work on was the entry lobby. It separates the hangar that's been there for decades and decades, and the newer office building that they have completed the renovation in. That space was a real point of contention for everybody when we first arrived; it just didn't do anything for anyone and yet, was the first impression of BGCC in that facility. It was very frustrating for families dropping kids off or looking for some specific place in the building or person to meet with. They had a reception desk once inside the office building, but it wasn’t easy to see from the entry lobby as it was beyond two sets of nearly solid doors. There was no real directory and there was no obvious intention to the space. It literally just acted as a sheltered main entry that joined one building to the next. So we had the opportunity to create a much more vibrant and definitive first impression to welcome guests into the space with lots of colour, directional signage, and again, implementing some of those aspects of inclusivity and land acknowledgement front and centre.
How do you find working with Ryan Murphy Construction?
We've worked with them for many years, and they continue to be one of our favourite contractors for lot of reasons, but mostly because of their communication. It is a critical piece of the puzzle with a project of any scope and scale, really, and we never have any apprehension in that regard. They have a great mutual respect when working with designers, and there's always an open dialogue between the two of us, which is nice because you don't always find that. Sometimes there's a bit more of an adversarial relationship between contractors and designers, and I'm not really sure why or how that came to be, because in the end, you know, we're all working in the client's best interests to make their project a success, and it’s much easier to make that happen when we work as a team. They understand that.
The other thing we like so much about working with them is how collaborative they can be. For this project in particular, we worked with them to confirm what the best way to phase some of these areas would be and were able to issue the drawings correspondingly.
And then, generally, if there are any questions that do come up, we work hand in hand with them and their trades throughout the whole construction phase. We all put our heads together when faced with an unforeseen challenge, appreciating all perspectives, and make sure that the best outcome can be implemented on site.
Would you recommend working with Ryan Murphy to other designers that you know?
As much as I would like to keep them to myself, yes, I 100 percent would recommend working with them!
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