Joanna Babadilla

Advisor: Terri Fuglem

Street scene illustration with a vintage tone, depicting people gathering near a taqueria.
Back-alley perspective facing toward the courtyard gathering space, showing food truck vendors, a pedestrian crosswalk, and a vehicular loading zone for musician and instrument drop-off
Collage-style image showing blurred figures on an escalator in warm tones on the left, and people near a modern building structure in cool tones on the right.
Main staircase within the junction space, framed by heavy vertical and horizontal steel beams
Architectural sketch showing two elevation views of a building. The design includes orange-brown tones, prominent windows, and modern aesthetic enhancements.
Illustrations of the project’s north (top) and west elevation (bottom)
A dimly lit club scene with groups of people silhouetted against brick walls featuring music-related graffiti. Conversations in speech bubbles imply anticipation and curiosity.
Series of comic-style elevations of the speakeasy lineup, musicians’ loading zone and the underground jazz club
Architectural floor plans of a house, divided in two: left shows the ground floor on a beige background, right is the basement on a dark brown background.
Ground level and basement level floor plans
Architectural model showing a building with large windows, arched structures, and a vertical sign.
The restored “Club Morocco” blade sign paired with street-level vegetation and planter conditions along Langside St.
Cardboard architectural model shows a building's interior and exterior.
Series of images revealing the interior conditions of the physical model, where extended landings positioned between stair sets act as elevated viewing platforms

The Silent Horns in the Vibrant City: Improvisation as an Architectural Method

This architectural thesis reimagines the historic Club Morocco building as a contemporary cultural and entertainment hub rooted in the spirit of jazz improvisation. Once one of Winnipeg’s most vibrant nightlife destinations, Club Morocco becomes the foundation for exploring the relationship between architecture and jazz: both disciplines operate within structures of order yet thrive through moments of disruption and improvisation. The project asks what the architectural equivalent of a jazz solo might be. How can architecture follow rules while bending them just enough to create tension, rhythm, atmosphere, and surprise?

Positioned at the corner of Portage Avenue and Langside Street, the proposal introduces a layered public environment composed of boutiques, cafés, rooftop dining, workshop spaces, and a courtyard performance venue, all anchored by an underground jazz club hidden beneath the city. Twelve-metre-high steel columns rise through the project, dulled into deep ochers of reds, browns, and yellows, grounding the building in a heavy industrial rhythm reminiscent of Winnipeg’s warehouse district and the smoky ambiance of historic jazz venues. Scaffolding becomes an active architectural element throughout the performance spaces, allowing the architecture to feel unfinished alongside the life of the jazz club itself.

Marquee signs, blade signs, and billboard signage become central architectural devices throughout the project, recalling the visual language of jazz culture and the historic presence of Club Morocco. These illuminated elements activate the street edge. Along Portage Avenue, long lineups begin to form beneath the glowing signage, signaling the entrance to the underground jazz club below and reintroducing nightlife back into the urban fabric. More than a reconstruction, the proposal re-imagines a new civic condition for Winnipeg: a place where music, architecture, and public life intersect.