Welcome (Concepts)

Gate Concept

This concept explores a contemporary gate for Punjabi Market. It explores themes of arrival, passage and heritage. The archway is composed of two wheat forms that curve inward to create a gate. Integrated lighting is housed within the head of the wheat, while the base draws from an archway language I’ve been developing across past projects. The original brief was simple: the community wanted lighting for safety reasons. This brief led to a functional welcome feature that offers light and seating. This concept offers illumination while paying homage to agricultural roots, migration, and the Punjabi diaspora’s history in Vancouver.

A larger gate was once proposed along Main Street but never realized. This concept scales that idea back and re-situates it on Main Street and 50th Ave, a location I felt was perfect for its sightlines, pedestrian flow, and a quieter point of entry into the neighbourhood.

This work is purely conceptual and represents an independent design study based on research and development carried out from 2022-2024.

Wheat Feel Concept

A bundle of wheat emerges from the map of Punjab at the base, with each stem symbolizing the various districts/cities. The font itself references one of the earliest shops to open in Punjabi Market, borrowing its vertical typography, which perfectly fits and holds the bundle of wheat.