River Rock Casino Resort
Completion date: 2005
Budget: $200 million
Overview
Perched on the banks of the Fraser River in Richmond, the River Rock is loosely themed on a Rocky Mountain lodge. It includes a 70,000-square-foot casino, a marina, five food and beverage operations, a swimming pool, fitness centre, day spa, theatre, hotel, and conference facilities. The theatre features adjustable seating formats that provide flexible configurations including a single-level floor, terraced dining, and stadium seating.
The DA Difference
The project evolved from the relatively modest expansion and renovation of an existing building, to the grand resort that was ultimately built. To meet the client’s continuously evolving vision, DA maintained close and constant communication with the client, design team, and builder. The result: interior and exterior spaces work to provide a variety of carefully planned experiences as pedestrians move through and around the spaces. The architectural features are supported by the thoughtful landscape elements and interior decor.
Vue
This mixed-use project in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant community includes four storeys of residential condominiums with downtown skyline views, ground-level commercial shops, planted roofs, and a landscaped public walkway that provides welcome greening in this pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood.
St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church
North Vancouver, BC.
This church recalls and expands on the spiritual and liturgical qualities of the historic Catholic Church through the expression of ecclesiastical building elements associated with northern Italy, the birthplace of Saint Pius X. In a sense, the forest edge and nearby residential buildings replace the “city surround” – the Church and Rectory containing their own public and social gathering place.
Vancouver College Campus Enhancement
Completed 2007. Vancouver College is a kindergarten to grade 12 Catholic boy’s school in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver. The College’s objective was to provide new academic, athletic and spiritual facilities for their students. This major expansion of the campus accommodates state-of-art science classrooms and a superlab. A performance theatre, comprehensive weight room and gymnasium facilities are also included.
Parkgate Civic Centre
Completion date: 1995 & 1999
Budget: $11 million
Overview
Located off Mt. Seymour Parkway in North Vancouver, Parkgate offers visitors a wide range of recreational facilities, a branch library, childcare, youth, and seniors centres, health care services, and a public square. The complex was designed to harmonize with its natural and residential surroundings, and to maximize available natural light and views of an adjacent forest.
The DA Difference
The greatest challenge presented by this project was to design a large complex while maintaining a pedestrian scale. Its brick-and-stucco exterior and pitched metal roof reflect the surrounding low-density residential neighbourhood, and convey a welcoming, home-like quality.
SFU Student Residences and Dining Hall
Completion date: 2004/2005
Budget: $24 million
Overview
Located in an area of the campus occupied by older, low-rise student residences, the project consists of a two-storey dining hall and three eight-storey U-shaped concrete residential towers. Social spaces were incorporated into the interior and exterior design, with a central lounge on each floor of the residences, and outdoor plazas and gardens nestled among the buildings. The complex is situated adjacent to the older residences, and is architecturally compatible with the rest of the campus.
The DA Difference
The challenge of this project was to provide 500 student residences that could be built in phases. The result was a series of three buildings – all of them south-facing – which will accommodate the proposed future expansion of a multi-level parking structure to the immediate north. The residences and the dining hall function as a unit, with a covered pedestrian walkway connecting all four buildings to provide weather-free ease of movement.
Westin Bayshore Hotel, Renovation and Conference Facility
Completion date: 2000
Budget: $27 million
Overview
For almost 50 years, the Westin Bayshore has been a waterfront landmark and one of Vancouver’s preeminent hotels. In 1998, DA was commissioned to oversee the revitalization of its conference and hotel facilities, a well as a seismic upgrade. Enhancements included a new conference centre, an expanded lobby of slate and marble, and an immense glass-and-steel porte-cochere. This project strongly influenced the character of other buildings that followed.
The DA Difference
Our teams are skilled at guiding large-scale renovations and design additions that respect and add value to an existing building. DA provided an innovative design solution to the complex challenge of accommodating a large conference facility on a small site. With the construction of a new seawall that borders the complex, the Westin Bayshore has taken on a more public face. The hotel is now fully integrated with the neighbouring residential buildings, and its exterior public spaces are enjoyed by both visitors and locals.
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