Daly Co. had a unique opportunity to be part of an important new development in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in the conversion of an old police station into a community hub that included cultural space, coworking, workshop space and offices. We were asked to contribute design concepts to a range of spaces within the building but landed on the 2nd floor welcome desk which housed the co-working space. The building built in 1953 with detailing of its time was stripped back to its concrete skeleton. What remained was the square tiled external facade and the marble-clad stairwells with bronze fixtures. We wanted this desk to feel as if was grown from this space, and part of the new life that was being breathed into this concrete structure. Inspiration for the design came from the idea that this project was all about community and togetherness, and like many other projects, they are built brick by brick. The desk is made from an organic array of 350 square Western Hemlock cubes, with integrated cabinets and a solid surface countertop. We worked with James Spouler to develop formwork for installation that could be used to translate the geometry of the 3D model into real space. This formwork was CNC cut, then installed and each prefinished block was fixed in place one by one and removed to reveal the dynamic shape of the desk. The U-shaped countertop was CNC cut in sections to fit perfectly into place and finished to look seamless. The material sourced for this project came from discarded Hemlock beams that were used for structural testing and became aged while they sat outside. This resulted in a wide range of blocks, each with its own diverse appearance. All blocks were arranged with their engrain facing the same way, as a subtle indicator that a community of diversity, with aligned values can move in a direction together.