Metro Vancouver Cityscape Puzzles

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Nov 18

Written By Guest User

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Project Overview

Client: Metro Vancouver

Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Duration: 2025-2026

Scope: We designed two interactive puzzles in collaboration with Metro Vancouver that translate regional planning challenges into simple, hands-on experiences. Snakes & Ladders: Race to a Climate-Resilient Region guides players through climate impacts and adaptation strategies, while City Builder lets users assemble key elements of a sustainable community, from housing and transit to green spaces. Through clear graphics, durable materials, and intuitive mechanics, the installations make complex planning concepts accessible, engaging, and easy to understand for a wide public audience.

BRIEF

Metro Vancouver sought an engaging and accessible way to help residents understand the region’s long-term challenges around climate resilience, population growth, and sustainable development. Instead of relying on dense reports or presentations, the goal was to create interactive tools that could turn complex planning concepts into approachable, memorable experiences suitable for public events, workshops, and community engagement sessions.

Our task was to design installations that sparked curiosity, encouraged conversation, and helped users grasp abstract ideas through simple, intuitive play. The challenge was to balance educational clarity with visual appeal, ensuring the content was accurate yet not overwhelming. The pieces also needed to be durable, portable, and inviting for repeated hands-on use across diverse audiences.

Considerations

Material Choices:
We combined solid wood with steel to create pieces that feel warm, sturdy, and built for constant public use.

Design Cohesion:
Simple shapes, clear graphics, and the same wood-and-steel palette keep both puzzles visually connected and easy to navigate.

Educational Motifs:
Icons and forms based on transit, land use, and climate themes help tie the gameplay directly to Metro Vancouver’s real planning challenges.

Durability and Finish:
Sealed wood, durable steel finishes, softened edges, and reinforced hardware ensure the puzzles stay safe, clean, and long-lasting.