Winners

Olga Iacovlenco is a Master of Architecture student in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pure and Applied Mathematics from Concordia University and previously worked in software development. This background shaped a lasting interest in systems thinking and in understanding how complex forces interact to shape the built environment.

Through her architectural studies, Olga has become increasingly attentive to the environmental pressures facing contemporary cities and the need to rethink how urban space responds to them. She is particularly interested in how streets, landscapes, and public spaces can work with natural systems such as water, climate, and topography, allowing everyday urban environments to support both ecological resilience and vibrant public life.

This project investigates how climate adaptation can be designed directly into everyday urban space. As cities face increasing rainfall and flooding, water management is often addressed through infrastructure that remains separated from the public spaces of daily urban life. The research explores how streets, parks, and public landscapes can instead function as civic environments that support both environmental resilience and social life.

Through field research in Copenhagen and Malmö, cities known for integrating stormwater management with streets, parks, and urban neighbourhoods, the project examines how public space can function simultaneously as civic infrastructure and lived environment. Using observation, analytical drawings, photography, and mapping, the research will document how landscapes, streets, and surrounding urban blocks manage water while supporting everyday activities.

The findings will be synthesized through drawings, photographs, and comparative analysis to identify spatial strategies for integrating water management into public space. These insights will inform a design framework that Canadian cities, including Vancouver, can use to guide climate-adapted urban environments.

The jury commented on how solid Olga's application was and liked the focus and realistic expectations of what she wants to accomplish. They also liked the strong urban alignment, which was the focus of Joyce’s work and that Olga's topic is particularly relevant to contemporary practice.  They also commented on the strength of her intent in bringing learnings from abroad to the Canadian context. They felt that there are lots of opportunities in her application to go in-depth.