The proposed development has been designed considering the Official Community Plan, DPA 7 – Multiple Family Residential.
The existing terrain grades conditions dictated the location of the building on the site, considering building siting and massing following the natural topography as much as possible to minimize the use of retaining walls and blend with the site contour lines.
The topography and the concept of clustering the development to be set back from and preserve natural areas pushed the building to have 1 parkade level, which is partially exposed on the rear side of the lot.
The same reasons above, pushed the building to be 6 storeys with residential units on top of the parkade, having a 6 storeys presence to the front side of the lot.
The building lobby and elevators are located facing Shoal Way, to create a glazed architectural element with a sloped roof that covers the elevators overruns that denotes the building entrance connected with the open landscaped areas. With the purpose of offering a quality space to the residents and community framed with an architectural landmark.
The angled position of the building on the site, comes from a response to various functional aspects.
This angled position allows to maximize the number of units with views of the golf course and the Sechelt Inlet.
The south sun exposure is also distributed better to the units.
The shadows from the building are casted mostly on its own site.
The angled building runs almost parallel to the contour lines therefore minimizing retaining walls and keeping the exposed parkade area at the rear of Shoal Way.
This angled position creates a considerable landscaped area in the corner, that serves as a natural green buffer, that partially screens the building and the surface parking on this corner from Shoal way and Lighthouse Ave. reducing the presence of the building to the street to one of the smaller sides of the building.
This corner and the position of the building considers visual importance of trees, retaining as much as possible the trees and vegetation, to create a high-quality environment that respects and integrates with the natural surroundings of the area.
The height calculations show the building at 21.3 m but is important to consider that this is calculated from the midpoint of the roof corner element that covers the elevators overruns, to the average finished grade.
The slope of the site pushed the average finished grade to be almost 1.5 storeys below the street level. These two situations give the impression of a tall building with the number 21.3m, but the actual impression of the building from Shoal Way is 6 storeys with a 15.2m to the flat roof and 17.2 m to the sloped roof.
The parking requirements have been fully satisfied, based on the current by laws.
The building has a mass variation and individuality feeling concept, that goes together with the proposed materials and colors, this architectural expression is exposed to the different frontages, engaging, and responding visually with the surrounding context, therefore creating aesthetically pleasing frontages.
The building has mostly flat roofs with different parapet walls heights that articulate and break the mass of the building together with the different siding materials. Wood look siding is used in the proper balance to highlight the main pieces of this architectural composition, an important local material which is reflected in the proposed architecture.
The site plan and siting of the building has been designed to ensure mobility and connectivity to surrounding areas through road design and pedestrian routes. That will consider careful coordination with landscape and civil consultants.