Hapa Collaborative

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Hapa Collaborative Hapa Collaborative is a landscape architecture and urban design practice established with placemaking, attentiveness and collaboration in mind.

At Hapa Collaborative, we see each project as an opportunity to partner, dream big and synthesize ideas wrought from many, often opposing, influences. Our goal is to evoke the poetry of the place and in doing so reveal something delightful but perhaps previously unseen. Most of all, we consider Hapa to be a contemporary voice for landscape architecture and a small, agile and fresh alternative to traditional firms. Hapa Collaborative works within the full breadth of scales from master plans to pocket parks, civic spaces to private residences, streetscapes to green roofs. However we specifically enjoy addressing the leftover spaces between buildings, applying the principles of landscape urbanism to city-building, site design and community consultation. We like to explore new methods and materials, forge new relationships and ultimately create places that people remember. Hapa means many things: half, mixed, or hybrid; originally a pejorative term for someone of part Asian ethnicity and, by extension, anything shaped by the collision of cultural influences. Hapa can be defined as an intentional disturbance – an explosion – that creates space for something new. It is an apt description of Vancouver’s cosmopolitan complexity and an emblem of our own profession’s mixed pedigree: landscape and architecture, art and science, nature and culture. Hapa is also a Japanese word for ‘leaf.’

Our studio of ten designers is a daily collaboration between people with different backgrounds and training, and a mix of skills and specialization. We love the fact that this mix is present in our design process and is often realized in the final design direction in our work. Read more about each of our Hapsters here: http://hapacobo.com/team/

What if a neighbourhood park felt a little more like home?We’re excited to share our design proposal for the New Park at...
10/16/2026

What if a neighbourhood park felt a little more like home?

We’re excited to share our design proposal for the New Park at 34 Hanna Avenue in Toronto’s Liberty Village, developed in collaboration with MJMA Architecture & Design, Polymetis, and Heather Schibli!

Imagined as a living room nestled within an urban woodland, the proposal transforms a former parking lot into a vibrant public space where community, ecology, and history come together.

A lush oak-hickory woodland wraps around a shared gathering space, offering moments of shade, play, connection, and quiet retreat. Inspired by the comforts of home, familiar elements like a rug, sofa, curtain, and hearth are reimagined as playful landscape features that invite people to gather, linger, and make themselves at home.

Rooted in Liberty Village’s industrial past and ecological future, the design celebrates the everyday moments that bring a neighbourhood together.

A living room for the community, and a little more room for nature. 🌿

🔸 Today marks the 2026 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In preparation, we’re sharing resources on events happ...
09/30/2026

🔸 Today marks the 2026 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In preparation, we’re sharing resources on events happening in and around Vancouver, as well as across BC.

👉 Copy and open the link below to explore upcoming events and opportunities to learn, reflect, and take part.

[ https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation/list-activities.html ]

👉 Tap the link in our bio to learn about the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.


Announcing the 2026 PUBLIC SEAT Design Challenge Winner: EKKO! 🏆We’re excited to share EKKO by Alejandro Laos and Arkgo ...
09/26/2026

Announcing the 2026 PUBLIC SEAT Design Challenge Winner: EKKO! 🏆

We’re excited to share EKKO by Alejandro Laos and Arkgo Chen as the winning proposal for this year’s PUBLIC SEAT Design Challenge — a playful and inviting take on the everyday public bench that explores how a simple place to sit can spark connection, conversation, and new ways of experiencing the city.

Presented by Hapa Collaborative + Green Theory as part of Design Vancouver Festival, PUBLIC SEAT invited designers, students, and creative thinkers to rethink public seating in Mount Pleasant — not simply as a place to rest, but as an opportunity for gathering, interaction, and community life. We received 100 submissions from across the globe including Turkey, USA, Malaysia, Romania, Italy, Thailand, Iran, Ethiopia, Germany, London, Hong Kong, Philippines, Pakistan, Greece, Japan, Australia, Puerto Rico, India, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Ecuador, Nepal, Costa Rica, UAE, and Serbia.

Inspired by the ripple of an echo, EKKO begins with the idea that one small interaction can unfold into new encounters, experiences, and relationships. Its rounded form welcomes people from every direction, while its low profile and generous platform create a relaxed, playful place to pause, gather, stretch out, or simply watch the neighbourhood go by.

Designed with adaptability in mind, EKKO combines a timber platform with a curved aluminum backrest that can become a canvas for colour, metalwork, planting, and local artistic expression — allowing the seat to take on a life of its own within Mount Pleasant.

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted their ideas and shared their creativity with us. We were inspired by the many ways each proposal imagined a more welcoming, social, and playful public realm.

Congratulations to EKKO — we can’t wait to see this idea ripple into the neighbourhood. 🌊

Stay tuned as PUBLIC SEAT takes its next steps from design challenge to public space!

🎉 Happy 10-Year Anniversary at Hapa Collaborative to Lukas Holy! 🍾For nearly 10 years, Lukas has been an integral part o...
09/14/2026

🎉 Happy 10-Year Anniversary at Hapa Collaborative to Lukas Holy! 🍾

For nearly 10 years, Lukas has been an integral part of our team, leading some of our most meaningful projects with dedication, intention, and care. From qapoje Park to Radium Hot Springs Municipal Hall, he consistently brings creativity, craft, and a deep commitment to thoughtful design.

We’re so grateful for everything he contributes.

Thank you and congrats Lukas!

As part of this year’s Design Vancouver Festival, we’re inviting you into the Hapa studio for a peek behind the scenes.C...
09/11/2026

As part of this year’s Design Vancouver Festival, we’re inviting you into the Hapa studio for a peek behind the scenes.

Come meet the Hapsters, see what’s on our desks, and explore projects in progress—from early ideas and drawings to the stories, conversations, and collaborations that shape the places we create. We’ll be sharing a little about how design, engagement, and storytelling can build stronger connections between people, culture, and place.

Whether you’re a fellow designer, student, neighbour, collaborator, or simply curious about what landscape architects get up to all day, come say hello. We’d love to have you!

🗓️ Saturday, September 26
⏰ 10 AM – 4 PM
📍 #403 – 375 West Fifth Avenue, Vancouver

See you at the studio!

Fall is settling into Vancouver—leaves are turning, landscapes are shifting, and fresh ideas are taking root at Hapa. 🍂🌱...
09/04/2026

Fall is settling into Vancouver—leaves are turning, landscapes are shifting, and fresh ideas are taking root at Hapa. 🍂🌱

Please join us in welcoming Thea Johannus to the team as our fall semester intern! We’re excited to have Thea along for a season of learning, collaboration, creativity, and all things landscape architecture.

Welcome to the team, Thea!

UPDATE: Hapa Collaborative, Green Theory, and Design Vancouver Festival invite designers, students, and creative thinker...
09/04/2026

UPDATE: Hapa Collaborative, Green Theory, and Design Vancouver Festival invite designers, students, and creative thinkers to reimagine the everyday public seat.

PUBLIC SEAT is a design challenge exploring how a simple piece of public furniture can do more than provide a place to rest — creating opportunities to pause, gather, connect, and engage with the neighbourhood.

We’re looking for thoughtful, creative proposals that respond to the context of Mount Pleasant and explore how temporary interventions can activate the streetscape, strengthen neighbourhood identity, and contribute to a more vibrant and inclusive public realm.

The winning design will be unveiled during Hapa’s open studio on September 26 and brought to life as a public installation in the neighbourhood.

🏆 Winning proposal (individual/team) will receive:
• $1000 Honorarium
• Winner will have their seat design fabricated by Green Theory at an estimated cost of up to $4000
• Prize pack provided by DVF, including DVF tote bags
• Tickets to Design Vancouver Festival Closing Night
• Design exposure through DVF and DVF social media

🗓️ Submission deadline: September 20, 2026, midnight

For the full design brief, submission requirements, and competition details, follow the link in our bio.

We look forward to seeing how you imagine the PUBLIC SEAT.

All entries (local & international) are welcome to apply.

UPDATE: Hapa Collaborative, Green Theory, and Design Vancouver Festival invite designers, students, and creative thinker...
09/03/2026

UPDATE: Hapa Collaborative, Green Theory, and Design Vancouver Festival invite designers, students, and creative thinkers to reimagine the everyday public seat.

PUBLIC SEAT is a design challenge exploring how a simple piece of public furniture can do more than provide a place to rest — creating opportunities to pause, gather, connect, and engage with the neighbourhood.

We’re looking for thoughtful, creative proposals that respond to the context of Mount Pleasant and explore how temporary interventions can activate the streetscape, strengthen neighbourhood identity, and contribute to a more vibrant and inclusive public realm.

The winning design will be unveiled during Hapa’s open studio on September 26 and brought to life as a public installation in the neighbourhood.

🏆 Winning proposal (individual/team) will receive:
• $1000 Honorarium
• Winner will have their seat design fabricated by Green Theory at an estimated cost of up to $4000
• AFBC tote bags for each team member, up to 4 people
Access to the 2026 Design Vancouver Festival Launch & Interior Design Show
• Design exposure at DVF & IDS and on AFBC social media

🗓️ Submission deadline: September 20, 2026, midnight

For the full design brief, submission requirements, and competition details, follow the link in our bio.

We look forward to seeing how you imagine the PUBLIC SEAT.

*Information on the website will be updated soon.

DesignCompetition

Hapa Collaborative, Green Theory, and Design Vancouver Festival invite designers, students, and creative thinkers to rei...
08/28/2026

Hapa Collaborative, Green Theory, and Design Vancouver Festival invite designers, students, and creative thinkers to reimagine the everyday public seat.

PUBLIC SEAT is a design competition exploring how a simple piece of public furniture can do more than provide a place to rest — creating opportunities to pause, gather, connect, and engage with the neighbourhood.

We’re looking for thoughtful, creative proposals that respond to the context of Mount Pleasant and explore how temporary interventions can activate the streetscape, strengthen neighbourhood identity, and contribute to a more vibrant and inclusive public realm.

The winning design will be unveiled during Hapa’s open studio on September 26 and brought to life as a public installation in the neighbourhood.

📆 Submission deadline: September 20, 2026, midnight

For the full design brief, submission requirements, and competition details, follow the link in our bio.

We look forward to seeing how you imagine the PUBLIC SEAT.

Summer is construction season, and a few of our projects are taking shape across the Lower Mainland.Site visits are an i...
08/21/2026

Summer is construction season, and a few of our projects are taking shape across the Lower Mainland.

Site visits are an important part of our process. They’re a chance to step away from the drawings, get our boots on the ground, and see how the details we’ve worked through on paper are translating into built form. Materials meet, grades become tangible, and spaces that have existed for months—or years—as lines on a page begin to reveal their scale, character, and possibilities.

There’s something especially rewarding about this stage: watching many hands and disciplines come together to turn an idea into a place.

This summer, we’ve been out checking in on Eastern Avenue Park in North Vancouver, Menno Hall at University Endowment Lands (UEL), and Aurora at Talistar in Richmond. Each is at a different point in construction, but all offer the same reminder that design doesn’t end when the drawings leave the studio. It continues on site, through collaboration, observation, problem-solving, and care.

We’re looking forward to seeing these spaces settle in, come to life, and eventually become places for people to make their own.

Address

#403/375 West 5th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V5Y1J6

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16049094150

Website

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