MArch - Masters of Architectural Design with 8 Month Co-op
2019 - 2024
Carleton University, Ottawa, ON
BAS - Bachelor of Architectural Design with 16 Month Co-op
2015 - 2019
Lockerby Composite School
Sudbury, ON Highschool Diploma
Achievements
September, 2025
Club Montessori Travel-Study Scholarship
September, 2024 & 2025
Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award
September, 2024
Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Scholarship Award
June, 2023
RDNO Housing Design Competition Design plans sold to the public
CurriculumVitae
About Me
Hello! My name is Dana Simeoni, and I am an Master of Architecture student at Laurentian University. I was born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, until my first year of University when I moved to Ottawa, ON I chose Carleton for its teaching of architectural history, the program's connection to urbanism, and its location within the larger city of Ottawa.
I often find that my hometown influences my design strategies, as they involve connections with nature and the topography they are built from I choose to design with compassion and critical thought and think of the spectator experience within the atmosphere of the spaces I form. I enjoy telling the story of how I first experienced architecture when people ask why I chose a career in it Around the age of 6, I had all of my toys lying on the floor, to my mother's dismay. My father told me to draw a "hotel" for all of my toys, and he would build it for me out of wood. I grabbed my markers and pencils and scribbled a tornado-shaped design with an elevator and many colourful rooms My father's laughter and warm smile told me I had done an excellent job. He began constructing a hotel, which looked nothing like my original! However, once completed, he presented it to me to decorate Although this innocent story shows the love of a family, I realize that I was thinking of spaces and architecture even from the start. I sometimes think of this memory when I struggle with a concept today and remember that I can sketch my ideas directly to the paper
Work Experience
2025
Centreline Architecture
Co-op Student (8 Months)
Worked on various projects within the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional building categories to take on new responsibilities and challenges of larger square footage projects with precision and adaptability to learn Part 3 OBC code
2024
Luciw Boudreau Architecture
Summer Intern (4 Months)
Revitalized educational facility interiors into modern and high tech spaces to meet client needs.
Coordinated Architectural with Electrical, Mechanical and Structural Engineers on large scale ICI projects.
2022 - 2023
Centreline Architecture
Co-op Student (16 Months)
Tasked to complete designs from site measurements, design development, construction drawings and submission to the city
Modelled existing and new projects in Revit
Skills Related to Architecture
Autodesk Revit
Adobe Cloud
Drafting
Twinmotion Rendering
Matterport Scanning
Feildwire
Photography
01
Amisk Indigenous Community Centre
Winter 2024 - Studio 7
ACSA Steel Competition: Category II
Institutional Building for Immigrant Arrival, Accommodation, & Training Centre
05
Home Renovation - Theatre, Golf Simulator, & Wine Cellar
Winter 2025
Centreline Architecture Co-op
Sudbury, ON
Community Centre and Temporary Stay Residences - Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON 06
02
Sonder Gardens - Sparrow Hotel
Fall 2023 - Studio 6
Housing, Community, City Building and Placemaking
Adaptive Reuse Hotel and Urban Site1500 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON
03
Studio Beyond
Winter 2024 - Charette Competition
The Operative Feilds of Architecture: House for Music
Educational Studio - 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON
04
Earlton ON
Fall 2024 - Studio 9 Laurentian U
Craft and Tech Design Studio
Barndominium New Build
Winter 2025
Centreline Architecture Co-op
Sudbury, ON
07
Acrylic Paintings
The Night Owl 2023
The Colosseum 2019
Senior Housing and Community - 6 Ave
Earlton, ON th
Amisk Indigenous Community Centre
Winter 2024 - Studio 7
ACSA Steel Competition: Category II
New Build - Parliament Hill, Wellington St, Ottawa, ON
Partnered with Hannah Robertson, Oksana Tkach, and Tanis Warne
Historically Ottawa is a significant site to the Cree, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabeg Nations, who would interact with the Chaudiere Falls for its strong spiritual energy The building was inspired by an artwork of a beaver by the Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau. Coined as the creator of the Woodlands Style of painting, Morriseau uses “spirit lines” to draw connections between all living things; the movement of the building we created employs a curvilinear facade to expand boundaries of occupied space, letting in the natural world and blurring the lines between exterior and interior.
The use of the beaver references
Anishinaabe intellectual traditions that place great value on humans’ responsibilities and obligations to our planet. The beaver motif is also internationally recognized as a symbol of Canada, and so we intend that newcomers to Ottawa, who often arrive by plane, will become immediately aware of the natural laws and treaties established since time immemorial on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Territory.
Our building is massed in tiers, embedded into the side of Parliament Hill, while also echoing existing pathways from the riverside walkway to the Parliament. A playful meandering circulation implores users to explore the whole building to reach the celebrated space. Some spaces are designed to allow rock to creep into the interior The use of wood and Corten Steel integrate traditional building materials of both Indigenous and settler cultures. Considerable glazing offers users substantial natural light and a constant view to the river which acts as a wayfinder, further anchoring the users’ reliance on the natural elements
Building Model
Level 1
Level 2
Level 5
Level 3
The upper floors of the Amisk Community Center are mean to resemble the back and tail of the beaver. Within the tail, and located at the highest point of the building is the celebrated space The double height space is intended to be a gathering space for indigenous visitors. The diagrid steel structure frame encompasses the space and allows for 270 degree views towards the water and surrounding trees on the mountain. The main supports of the diagrid are to resemble trees growing from the ground and used to form shelter, just as trees do in nature.
Level 8 features double height spaces
To our advantage, we used these high ceilings to allow for units to have lofts. As occupants might travel with their families, it is intended to be able to accommodated more than 4 people per room The floor plate of the lofts follows a curved form, mimicking a journey and the lines throughout the entire structure.
Sonder Gardens Sparrow Hotel
Fall 2023 - Studio 6
Housing, Community, City Building and Placemaking
Adaptive Reuse - 1500 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON
Partnered with Hannah Robertson
The Housing Studio (6) asked students to take the former CBC Headquarters located in Ottawa at 1500 Bronson Ave and bring densities of housing, commercial spaces, and most importantly, new and diverse communities to the site through placemaking. The site's proximity to Carleton University meant it could offer students housing. Additionally, its proximity to the newly developed Mooney's Bay LRT station also meant that it could be easily accessible to residents by train. The site's location shaped the demographics of our development because we could build higher without tailoring to the requirements of the car alone Pedestrian pathways and cyclists were crucial concepts in the development of our project. Our approach began by addressing the heritage rights of the former CBC, specifically its protected views. I chose an adaptive reuse of a hotel for the former CBC building, which I will now refer to as the Sparrow Hotel
Existing Site Plan
Preposed Site Plan
We began by placing massing circulating the Sparrow, which would act as housing developments; however, because of their massive sizes, we needed to elevate or move elements of these buildings to, at minimum, provide glimpses of the Sparrow. Please see the diagram that elevates the central core of our main housing development, titled the Skylark, so that passersby can view the Sparrow from travelling on Bronson Ave
As the hotel's appearance was bound to its protection rights, I was permitted to provide an addition. I chose to add an addition that did not invade the sightline of the Sparrow but instead used the existing topographical elevations of the site to conceal partial elements of the addition itself.
The restaurant is ac through interior stai connected to the fir Sparrow The first le as an entrance, gue concierge, and pub to the second floor conference spaces The second floor is rooms, each arm of symmetrical
Hotel rooms differ by being a single king-size bed, two queen-size beds, and accessible rooms There are approximately three accessible rooms per floor, but this could be changed to six per floor if requested. Floors three through six remain the same.
The final rendering displays the restaurant's outdoor patio space formed from the radial core of the addition attaching to the Sparrow.
Senior Community Centre & Housing
Winter 2025 - Laurentian Studio 9
Craft and Tech Design Studio
New Build - 6 Ave Earlton, ON th
Partnered with Roxanne Doucett and Bernadette Chamberlain
The design focuses on "right-sizing" within a home for seniors Earlton‘s population consists of 36% of people over the age of 55, meaning that its need for senior housing is increasing. The project represents four one-bedroom units, measuring 830 ft.² each, with an additional 300 square feet of attached garage Each unit features a loft that can function as the user desires, such as storage for overnight guests. These units allow for independent living while being fully barrier-free on the main floor. The units were designed in accordance with prefab bio-based wall assemblies to attempt to minimize design and build costs and promote healthy interior living conditions. By saving money per square foot through a pre-fab construction system, the overall project budget can potentially be less. The time to construct the houses will also be significantly faster This means that the rent per month charged to the user can be decreased compared to typical monthly rates in the area.
The township of Earlton reached out to the McEwen School of Architecture for assistance on designing a new four-unit housing complex. Their requests included the following:
Design Brief:
•Senior Housing Development with Goal of “Right Sizing”
•Quantity of Units: 4
•1 Bedroom Unit
• 830 Sq. Ft Per Unit + 300 Sq. Ft Garage
•Loft / Flex Space
•Saving Cost Per Sq. Ft
⚬Cost Recovery (Save on Overall Build
= Saving Cost for Tenants)
•Availability of Social Interaction
⚬Yet Still Allow for Privacy
Historical Collage Earlton
Solar Shingles
Asphalt Shingles
Fibre Cement Siding, Hardie Shingle Siding
Fibre Cement Siding, Hardieplank Lap Siding
The site as a commun driving forces:
Social Connectedne
Site to Function as a C
Levels of Privacy Network:
•Senior to Senior
•Senior to Neighbourhood
•Neighbourhood to Community
•Senior to Generational
Walkability
Health & Wellness
Physical Activities - Multiple Seasons
•Easy access for seniors to connect between the buildings on site and the gr
•M
Comfort & Environmental Conditions
Connection to Nature / Site
Shelter vs. Exposure
Passive Strategies
•The well-being of occupants within their homes and environment Conceptual Approac
Home RenovationTheatre, Golf Simulator, & Wine Cellar
Winter 2025
Centreline Architecture Co-op
Sudbury, ON
My co-op began with a luxurious home renovation, to feature a new garage, golf simulator, wine cellar, at-home gym, and second-storey living spaces I worked over 100 hours on the project to complete a full permit package, including plans, sections, elevations, framing plans, details, and building assemblies. Due to the diverse equipment featured in the house, I was tasked to design electrical, lighting, and auditory plans in the package as well The project required the use of a hollowcore slab, in order for the entertainment spaces to be located below the garage. The slab can support itself, without soil underneath. This architectural feature required precise detail drawings and drastic attention to the finer details.
Pictured is the at-home theatre design, featuring a built-up floor which allows for better viewing of the screen. The screen doubles as a golf simulator, hence the green faux grass below
Construction started three weeks before this image was taken. I completed this drawing package at the beginning of my co-op, and the house has already begun cnstrucion prior to the end of it It hsows the persistence and ideal planning of a timeline of a coordinating architecture firm and contractor.
Before the project I had never heard of a hollow-core slab, thus, I relied on Dan’s knowledge and explanation to help me draw the foundation connection details. The project featured custom millwork within the wine room and library spaces, something that was also a first for me I took this project as a learning curve and attempted everything myself before asking for assistance. It represents my ability to push the boundaries of a standard residential house design and work within these unique spaces As the project continues, I will complete full construction administration or management of a project, which includes monitoring construction, communicating with the owner and contractor, and could entail acting on the owner's behalf
Barndominium New Build
Winter 2025 Centreline Architecture Co-op
Sudbury, ON
This project challenged me in every sense of the word. I was tasked to design a barndominium for my clients, two young sisters, each with very different personalities, resulting in very different requests for their half of the home Each side of the barndominium was for a single sister, and the centre was meant to be a communal area. These architectural requests had to be met while maintaining equality in the design, in scale, and symmetry on the outside of the entire project Although it was a challenge, I enjoyed every moment of this project, and the final result expresses a house I would be proud to call my own.
Because of the vast scale of this project, the framing came with severe challenges Its vast scale and open spaces resulted in steel pre-engineered beams to carry the loads, exceeding the OBC tables. The interior of the barndominium features a catwalk to allow for a connection from one side of the house to the other This allowed framing to be minimized as the walls for the laundry room and bedrooms could be load-bearing, while maintaining the cathedral ceilings inside the open concept living room spaces. I discovered through this project that sometimes, open concept spaces are hard to design within when placing furniture It is significant to have anchoring points in rooms to ensure flow and circulation.
Acrylic Paintings
The Colosseum 2019
A Scottish Castle 2019
The Night Owl 2023
Seeing the world from the ground up makes everything look larger than life. The sun filtering through the ceilings and tops of history casts long, downward shadows that eclipse the photographs. Painting was my way of serenity. I find peace while my brush is against the canvas. I have loved art my entire life, and art through the lens of architecture gives it more meaning than simply a beautiful image I've enjoyed gifting my paintings to people who have influenced and helped me. The Night Owl was a gift to my former boss, The Colosseum was a gift to my art teacher, and A Sottish Castle was a gift to my mom. Each work is proudly displayed and a reminder of the fantastic people I have in my life
