Life Section Studio

Life Section Studio

portfolio of works by Elisabeth Vitswamba


The design for the Wheel Motion Center responds to the question of how one's experience of the built envoronment might embody the experience of overcoming a struggle - particularly that of experiencing a form of physical disability and learning a new form of mobility - and making the journey something to be celebrated. The building is a terrain that has a cyclical narrative and serves as a training ground for someone learning how to use a wheelchair.

At the entrance there is a slight descent into a dense podium of more intimate spaces that house the private program. The terrain then unfolds to reveal open yet protected spaces, and then ascends up onto a weightless public podium. The two main elements of the building are a light roof that sits on a dense base. Inside and outside spaces flow into one another, offering perspectives of the Grand River and bringing greenery and natural light into the building.