The vision for this project is not just a proposed replacement of the existing Marie Sharpe Elementary School in downtown Williams Lake. Instead, the master plan envisions the new school together with an Indigenous Cultural Centre and indoor fieldhouse on the same site. The plan is a result of a close working partnership between School District 27, Williams Lake First Nation, the City of Williams Lake, and Cariboo Regional District, and marks a major step towards reconciliation.

The goal of the new campus is to provide better education services and opportunities, along with enhanced recreational, athletic, and cultural programming. The school design includes extensive use of wood with undulating roof forms to echo the surrounding mountain range. The roof garden of the Cultural Centre is also designed as an extension of the landscape with spiralled access from the ground up to an elevated public space, complete with a view towards the downtown area. The fieldhouse is planned to have dual access, allowing it to be used by the school during school hours and by the community afterhours for training, recreation, and community events.

The Pacific Highway Port of Entry is the busiest commercial crossing in Western Canada.

Busiest in two-way traffic volume and trade. And busiest in two way traffic of passenger vehicles. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this border crossing processes commercial and passenger vehicles, as well as, buses. It also has Free and Secure Trade (FAST) and NEXUS lanes.

The task? Modernize this 30 year old port. Programmatic functions and operations have advanced throughout the years. And the site had had numerous upgrades and alterations over the years.

One problem was that pedestrian, vehicular and commercial traffic  conflicted with each other throughout the site. Proper visibility from the operations buildings to the PIL booths and inspections area was limited and presented a functional challenge.

The solution? The Functional Program identified the current and projected functional requirements of the Port of Entry and assessed the current facilities and how they met the required program. CTA carried out master planning exercises to address the programmatic, operational and physical deficiencies identified in prior studies. The Master Plan developed the option that provided the most benefits to stakeholders, the least disruption to operations and considered the financial implications including capital and life-cycle cost.

The Surrey City Development Corporation had a unique ask.

Come up with a plan to develop the 25 arce site in Campbell Heights North into a Clean Energy Technology Park. A visionary master plan was developed to provide a hub for research, manufacturing and commercial use for the clean energy sector and other associated supporting technology sectors. This unique tech park will be a living lab for the advancement of Clean energy technology. It will also promote healthy working and living lifestyles And inspire potential for collaboration.

The Masterplan we provided is characterized by the Energy Plaza which is an urban green space with these features. A geothermal field provides the alternative energy source for the commercialization centre.

Storm Water Management is provided by a detention pond. Perforated paving material is used for the pedestrian walk and bike path. A recycle depot is on site and centrally located. There’s a district power plant that can tie into the geothermal field if it expands to service the entire park. For recreation, there’s a basketball court and a volleyball court. Extensive walking and bike trails connect to the pedestrian walkway.

The final green touch is the use of native plants to cut down on irrigation needs and maintenance.

What used to be a Marine Tech Park is becoming so much more.

University of Victoria Properties Investments (UVic Properties) is developing the 17 acres into a building space for scientific, research and commercial use for the ocean and marine  industry sectors. Named Ocean Innovation Park, this unique research park will become a focal point for ocean science research on a national and international level. The gathering together of people and organizations of similar interests will reinforce potential synergy. The park will be a self-contained community with all necessary supporting infrastructure for the daily activities of its users. Sustainable features include storm water control, green roof, geothermal heating, energy sharing loop, and orientations to maximize natural ventilation and exposure to natural light. To enhance the work experience the park will have indoor and outdoor amenity space, a walking trail, and sports courts. So the work force will be as healthy as the site design.