In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Supreet Barhay, Principal at WZMH Architects, shares her perspective on transforming underutilized retail spaces into vibrant, future-ready community assets. Leading the firm’s Retail Team, Supreet brings a practical, people-centred approach to reimagining large commercial footprints—from former department stores to aging anchor spaces—and turning them into hubs of activity, innovation, and long-term value.
As Principal at WZMH Architects, Supreet Barhay leads the firm’s Retail Team, guiding projects in retail, retail banking, residential, and mixed-use intensification from concept through completion. Known for her clarity, precision, and collaborative leadership, she ensures client expectations are met while navigating complex approvals and coordinating multidisciplinary teams.
A LEED® Accredited Professional (BD+C) since 2007, Supreet integrates sustainable design into every project. She joined WZMH through its 2015 merger with Pellow + Associates and became Principal in 2019. Beyond practice, she mentors through the WZMH Academy, SOSA, and the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), fostering growth, inclusivity, and excellence in the profession.
WZMH Architects has been at the forefront of reimagining large-scale retail spaces, including the concept study on former Hudson’s Bay stores. What inspired this initiative, and what design principles guided your team’s vision for adaptive reuse?
WZMH’s initiative to reimagine vacant Hudson’s Bay stores was inspired by the growing number of large, underutilized anchor spaces across Canadian malls, which, while no longer viable for traditional retail, hold immense potential to drive renewal. We wanted to move beyond demalling and explore how these sites could become future-ready assets within their urban and suburban contexts.
Our role, as architects rather than owners, is to propose solutions that balance community amenities with revenue-generating opportunities, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Our design approach emphasizes flexibility, integration, and future adaptability: reducing oversized footprints, unlocking no-build zones, improving connectivity, and exploring vertical mixed-use where feasible. We considered concepts that enhance foot traffic, generate long-term value, and respond to community needs: food halls, education hubs, wellness centres, entertainment complexes, or tech-focused reuses.
Ultimately, the goal is to reposition underutilized retail assets into vibrant, future-ready destinations that bring new life, purpose, and value to the communities they serve.
The closure of major retail anchors often leaves voids in communities. How can adaptive reuse strategies transform these vacant structures into vibrant, multi-functional spaces that foster social connection and economic vitality?
Vacant anchor stores not only create empty buildings but disrupt the social and economic fabric of their communities. Adaptive reuse can transform these spaces into multi-functional hubs that reconnect people and services. Large floorplates can accommodate education hubs, food halls, or wellness campuses, while underutilized areas can be converted into data centers, co-working spaces, or cultural venues.
These interventions foster social interaction, attract new foot traffic, and support local businesses, generating both economic and social vitality. By combining multiple uses within a single anchor, these spaces become more resilient to market shifts, creating continuous engagement rather than one-off destinations.
The goal is to design spaces that reflect evolving community needs while remaining economically viable, ensuring that once-empty anchors contribute meaningfully to urban and suburban life.
From a design and planning perspective, what are some of the most innovative or unexpected uses you’ve envisioned—or seen successfully implemented—for underutilized commercial spaces?
Some of the most innovative reuses combine economic utility with meaningful community impact. A notable example is CF Lime Ridge, where Tesla opened its largest Canadian showroom, pairing front-facing retail with service and repair spaces in the remaining anchor box. This approach demonstrates a creative use of large floorplates that performs well commercially.
Beyond this, we’ve envisioned anchors transformed into STEM learning hubs or satellite university campuses, making education accessible in central, transit-connected locations. Data centres and high-tech manufacturing are another unexpected but productive option, leveraging existing structures while creating stable employment.
Mixed-use senior living integrated with wellness, retail, and social amenities also shows strong potential, fostering intergenerational vibrancy. Complementary uses include immersive entertainment, cultural installations, and food halls, all of which activate large spaces in ways traditional retail cannot. The most successful transformations balance commercial performance with civic value, repositioning underutilized spaces as flexible, community-focused, and economically resilient hubs.
Revitalizing urban and suburban areas often requires balancing commercial feasibility with long-term sustainability and community benefit. How does WZMH achieve that balance while ensuring projects remain both profitable and purposeful?
At WZMH, we approach adaptive reuse projects with a holistic and pragmatic mindset, recognizing that owners must prioritize commercial viability, operational needs, and long-term asset value.
Early in the planning phase, we analyze transit access, demographics, zoning, code requirements, structural capacity, and surrounding context to explore a range of potential uses, including education, wellness, and recreation to tech, senior living, offices, and refreshed retail. This helps owners understand how different combinations can function spatially and operationally while integrating with the broader site.
Our designs are adaptable, able to evolve with market dynamics, tenant expectations, and community needs. By integrating diverse uses, we support steady activation and long-term relevance. Sustainability is inherent in adaptive reuse: optimizing existing structures, reducing embodied carbon, and improving environmental performance without new construction. Scalable, context-specific solutions allow owners to meet their goals while generating lasting value for the surrounding community.
As a leader and mentor promoting inclusivity and growth within the architectural profession, what message or advice would you like to share with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) aspiring to create lasting community impact through design and innovation?
My advice to SMBs is to approach design and innovation with both curiosity and purpose. Start by understanding the community you serve. Consider their needs, aspirations, and challenges, and let that guide your solutions. Don’t be afraid to challenge conventional approaches; some of the most impactful ideas come from rethinking traditional models.
Collaboration is key: engaging stakeholders, partners, and local experts can translate bold ideas into practical, scalable outcomes. Think long-term. Projects that integrate economic, social, and environmental benefits create lasting impact, building trust and loyalty in the communities you serve.
Design is more than aesthetics. It shapes experiences, connects people, and generates meaningful change. Leading with empathy, clarity, and sustainability ensures that your projects, and your business, create lasting, positive value for the community.
