River Rock Hotel & Parkade

October 30th, 2008

Completion date: Parkade – August 2009, Hotel – December, 2011
Budget: $100 Million

Overview

The 5 storey, 192 room River Rock Hotel will be perched on top of a 700 ft. long, 7 storey, 1520 car parkade with offices and retail. It will be connected to the River Rock Casino resort to the north with a bridge across River Road. To the south there is another bridge connected to the new Canada Line skytrain station and bus loop.

The parkade opened in August 2009 coinciding with the completion of the Canada Line, and serves the park and ride patrons during the day and the casino patrons on evenings and weekends.

The DA Difference

The architectural design recognizes the emergence of a new entertainment precinct. The massing of the parkade is broken up by graphic screens, glazed stairs, trellises and canopies. The design intention of the hotel is to defer to the original Casino Resort while providing a variation on the theme, in what will be perceived as a family of thematically related buildings.

Lift Bar and Grill

October 25th, 2008

Completion date: 2004
Budget: Not Available

Overview

This restaurant is situated on a pier extending over the waters of Coal Harbour, and offers outstanding views of Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains beyond. The building’s curved roof is derived from boat hulls and wave forms, and the cladding materials reference the neighbouring metal boat sheds. The interior space fully embraces the site and opens itself to the wonderful views, with features such as folding glass walls and a rooftop terrace. This project presented the opportunity to design a building that is very expressive, using a variety of high-quality materials and finishes. Distinctive features include metal shingles in the shape of fish scales, and teak and glass detailing.

The DA Difference

The Lift project faced some exceptional design constraints: a compact concrete pier for a construction site, and strict height limits and building setbacks. It also met with strong objections from neighbouring residents who were concerned that the building would obstruct their scenic views. DA developed a design that not only met the client’s programmatic requirements, but also convinced the neighbours that the building would be an asset to the community. Lift has established itself as a popular gathering place for area residents, as well as for tourists.

The Triangle

October 01st, 2008

Completion Date: Current

Overview

The concept for this Port Coquitlam, BC development is to provide a retail destination (260,000 square feet) that includes a significant residential component (400 units). The retail portion comprises street oriented mid-size users (5,000 to 10,000 square feet) and a few larger users (food store, fashion anchor, drug store).

The DA Difference

This project is a regionally sensitive evolution of the Lifestyle Centre concept. The residential component consists of approximately 200 units located above the retail users along the street and approximately 200 units in 2 high rise towers oriented towards the project central public plaza. Continuous weather protection, a high level of pedestrian amenities, and the lively public plaza provide an interesting and animated pedestrian experience.