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.

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.