Project Tag: Mixed Use

Coquitlam College Master Plan

A part of Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan, the Coquitlam College site will deliver a variety of housing types and tenures within a 10-minute walking distance from Lougheed Station. Envisioned to be a Transit-oriented precinct, the master plan aims to achieve a high-density, mixed-use development with strategic ground-level retail, employment uses, and a high-quality pedestrian-focused public realm.

Connected squares, plazas, greenways, and other outdoor open spaces throughout the site contribute to a distinct character. The site presents an opportunity for daylighting Austin Creek and creating improved walking and cycling connections to Brookmere Park to create a place of respite and natural beauty in a high-density urban environment.

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Phase A Inlet District

The first phase of the Inlet District Development is comprised of a 15-acre land assembly east of Ioco Road, spanning from Barnet Highway to Guildford Drive, close to the Inlet Centre SkyTrain Station. Two high-rise residential towers of 28 and 29 storeys, and a 9-storey residential mid-rise, sit atop a mixed-use 4-storey podium containing new retail spaces to activate the prominent street frontage, as well as a grocery store, drug store, and childcare facility. The architecture is expressed through a series of heavy horizontal datums or ‘infinite planes’ to mark important changes in the building use and program, in an abstract reference to the local geology.

Along Ioco Road, a grand stair draws people up to a public park from street level. The corner mid-rise building acts as an anchor and gateway to both the development and Port Moody as a whole, employing natural textural materials to create a tactile and warm pedestrian experience that grounds the project. A tonal gradient in the materiality reinforces this feeling of grounding, with darker elements at street level, mid tones at podium levels, and lighter tones on the towers.

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6800 Lougheed

Located in the new Burnaby Lake Village Master Plan near Sperling SkyTrain station, this mixed-use project integrates significant retail frontage along the street with just over 500 residential units (20% of which are adaptable). The form is split into three distinct towers connected by a podium, allowing for enhanced permeability with the creation of two south-facing courtyards. At the ground level, the prominent connection corridor – which links the three residential lobbies and provides access to indoor amenities and courtyards – is envisioned as a meeting place where all occupants can cross paths and socialize.

Along the south edge, and outdoor promenade links the two courtyards to future public pathways, creating a gentle transition between public and private space. The upper floors of the podium and towers are set back to create terraces, softening the form and allowing more light into corner conditions. On the east and west facades, balconies are arranged in a playful ‘checkerboard’ pattern to create variation and depth, helping to break down the long planes into smaller scale elements.

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Arbutus Centre Redevelopment

The redevelopment of the Arbutus Centre Shopping Plaza resulted in a highly mixed-use urban village. The new buildings incorporate major retail uses including a supermarket, liquor store, and banking at ground level, a neighbourhood house facility, dance studios, and more, paired with a significant number of new rental and social housing units above – all sharing an underground parkade. Shepherding both the first two phases from rezoning to development permit, we reconciled complex programmatic demands into a form that celebrates the street-level experience with active street edges and a new plaza space.

Each residential portion is focused around a highly-landscaped courtyard space and both buildings provide shared rooftop patios for residents. Projects like the Arbutus Centre Redevelopment showcase the interplay with the public realm and careful attention to the public/private transition.

For Arbutus Centre Phase 1 and 2, Adrian Politano was co-designer, working on design development and entitlement documentation.

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CBC Building

The renovation of the CBC building in Vancouver focused on connecting various CBC functional components, such as the newsroom and the summer concerts, to Hamilton and Georgia streets. Significant underground renovations were made, as well as planning of the private residential and retail lands on Robson Street. The newsroom was designed to engage with this significant public intersection and a public area was created to watch CBC programming at the entry.

The concrete structure was augmented with structural additions and new public and retail spaces.

Alan Boniface was principal in charge and design partner. He led the early design process and the Development Permit process for the residential
and retail lands.

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Lot P

The project is located in the Mount Pleasant Creative District, near the Great Northern Way-Emily Carr SkyTrain station and the Great Northern Way Campus shared by UBC, SFU, BCIT, and Emily Carr University of Art + Design. This emerging district is ideal for transit-oriented mixed-use development, including housing, workspace, retail, and public space.

The redevelopment, in consultation with Host Nations, contributes to the “Cultural Ribbon” concept proposed in the Broadway Plan, showcasing Coast Salish peoples’ history and culture. The proposed development integrates active ground-level retail commercial use, a podium containing office workspace and an amenity rooftop, four residential towers of mixed tenure including hotel, secured market rental, below-market rental, and strata live-work dwellings with below grade vehicle and bicycle parking.

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Langara

Situated in the unceded traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), this project represents a unique partnership between local and First Nation stakeholders. The development will feature a variety of housing types, a community YMCA, an inclusive public realm, and pedestrian links to Langara College, the golf course, and the transit station. Guided by the wisdom and traditions of the Musqueam people, the project aims to create a unique intersection of community and inclusive living.

The design incorporates cascading gardens and gathering places, engaging residents and visitors in high-quality public spaces. Views to the south and the Fraser River visually connect the site to its elevated position. The design integrates Musqueam culture and history, culminating in a south-facing gathering place that enhances the pedestrian experience and links to Langara College.

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Parcel 30

Located in Vancouver’s River District near the Fraser River, Parcel 30 is composed of two residential towers with a podium extension, joined by a single shared parkade. In response to its geographical context, this project is imagined as a tree sitting along the bank of the Fraser River, with a simple core ‘trunk’ and the slabs as ‘bows’ extending out to a lightened point. Like a misty morning on the riverbank, the building is shrouded in lightweight and lightly coloured screens and corrugated materials that obscure the structure behind with different levels of transparency depending on the perspective.

At grade, both buildings provide residential amenity space fronting the courtyard, while commercial retail spaces in the east building and ground-oriented flats in the west building further activate the streetscape. Masonry in warm, natural colours is used at lower down on the building to offer a more tactile and human-scaled experience, while the towers primarily employ cool-toned metal and glass to reinforce the mist-like effect.

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Fraser Mills

Designed as an 82-acre mixed-use development, Fraser Mills is comprised of major employment nodes and light industry, as well as up to 5 million square feet of mixed residential uses, highlighted by a three-block Main Street leading to a waterfront pier at the Fraser River Edge.

Flood mitigation and river edge rehabilitation is a major part of this design. The project was focused on two kilometres of continuous publicly-accessible waterfront and a two-acre park.

Alan Boniface was principal in charge and lead designer/planner.

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Planning Projects

(1) Cowichan First Nation
(2) Diamond Ave
(3) Bowen Island Seymour Landing
(4) Leq’á:mel First Nation Deroche
(5) Westbank First Nation Kelowna

Urban design and planning are essential to the creation of healthy vibrant cities. Because of this, we believe in focusing our practice on the large and small city-making undertakings that truly make a difference. We combine this with our core architectural practice to continue our goal of creating locally focused vibrant communities. In our work we have also found that smaller oftentimes forgotten, communities, especially some First Nations communities, benefit greatly from this wholistic approach.

We believe that the best urban environments are vibrant, sustainable, walkable, and designed to grow with the community itself. We work closely with our clients and partners to bring their vision to life, creating joyful, livable neighbourhoods and connected communities.

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