Spectacular outlooks will be on offer at British Pacific Properties? Courtenay in West Vancouver
Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun
Project: Courtenay
Project address: 3101 Burfield Place
Project city: West Vancouver
Developer: British Pacific Properties
Architect: Ramsay Worden Architects
Interior designer: Insight Design Group
Project size: 39 residences
Bedrooms: one-bedroom; two-bedroom; two-bedroom and flex; three-bedroom; three-bedroom and flex
Unit size: 700 to 3,700 square feet
Price: Two bedrooms from $1,325,000
Construction: Fall 2018
Sales centre: 2989 Cypress Bowl Lane, West Vancouver
Sales centre hours: Monday —Thursday 10 a.m. — 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon — 5 p.m.; Closed Friday
Phone: 604-925-8002
Website: www.britishproperties.com/courtenay
While British Pacific Properties has built large single-family homes for much of its 87-year history, the Courtenay is a departure from that tradition as the company moves into the multi-family development sector to address the call for housing diversity and the protection of green space in the area.
Courtenay, a seven-storey mid-rise development, will be built in the Mulgrave Park neighbourhood of West Vancouver, one of six areas identified in the 2008 Rogers Creek Area Development Plan. At the time, community input identified the need for a diversity of housing in the area, while also protecting green space.
“By collecting density into nodes and going vertical in the Rodgers Creek Plan, we’ve been able to preserve over 55 per cent of the land area as protected green space,” BPP president Geoff Croll says.
The shift to multi-family developments also enables the company to meet the demand for a range of housing options and Courtenay will be suitable for downsizers, empty nesters and younger families, says Croll, adding that with the increase in the price of housing, people want smaller, more affordable homes.
“The Courtenay is the first time we have been able to embrace a diversity of housing where we have homes ranging from 700 to 3,700 square feet in one building,” he says. “It’s exciting for us to be able to offer smaller and more price-point-conscious homes in the British Properties.”
Courtenay is designed to complement the steep, challenging site, Croll says.
“It is hinged in the middle to follow the topography. We decided to design a building that fit the topography and a rocky outcrop in the middle of the site will be a focal point. We wanted to celebrate the natural features, like the granite outcrops.”
The architecture of the 39-unit mid-rise to be built at 3101 Burfield Place is a modern interpretation of West Coast Modern architecture.
“West Vancouver was a birthing place for the West Coast Modern architecture movement with Arthur Erickson, Ron Thom and others who designed a lot of these homes in the British Properties that were being built in the ’50s and ’60s, so [Ramsay Worden Architects] went back to those cues to give it a West Coast Modern flavour, but using modern materials and including modern amenities and features,” he says.
The presentation centre also shows the stunning views of Vancouver and, in the distance, Vancouver Island.
However, it’s not only the views to the south that are spectacular. “Units at higher level go front-to-back and windows open onto the forest backdrop; those views are also very important,” he adds.
One of the development’s other advantages is the access to the outdoors. A three-kilometre paved path is being built, plus there is an existing five-kilometre trail network in the area, sure to be popular with runners and hikers and those taking their dogs for walks.
Inside, Katrina Podmore, associate with Insight Design Group, has taken inspiration from the natural surroundings and focused on simple lines and the careful selection of finishes to enhance the West Coast esthetic.
Buyers can choose from the two interior design palettes, Oak and Walnut. Many finishes, like the bathroom floor and wall tiles, are the same for both options with the choice of a wide-plank engineered hardwood floor differentiating the schemes. The Oak scheme is on show in the presentation centre at 2989 Cypress Bowl Lane in West Vancouver.
The good-sized kitchen island with its white cabinets, quartz countertop and waterfall edges contrasts against the perimeter cabinetry finished with a horizontal-grain wood veneer. The marble-look porcelain slab backsplash combines practical and design elements.
“When you’re preparing and cooking food, it’s important to be able to easily clean [the backsplash] and the continuous surface of the porcelain slabs also makes the whole space feel open,” Podmore says.
The major appliances are all by Miele, including the integrated refrigerator and freezer, an induction cooktop, wall oven, microwave and dishwasher. In the island, the undermount stainless steel sink is complemented by the eye-catching Blanco faucet with pulldown spray, while a Marvel wine fridge is conveniently placed for entertaining.
Two pantry cupboards, one with pullout shelves and one with half-moon Lazy Susan shelving, maximize the space.
“All the dead corners are utilized. Often, if you have deep cabinets, you never know what is at the back; this way, you have access to everything in the space, it’s much more efficient.”
The bathroom vignette at the presentation centre shows a main ensuite bathroom with 24-by-24-inch dark marble-look porcelain floor tiles and 24-by-12-inch white tiles in the shower, reflecting the trend to oversized tiles.
A free-standing wall-mounted Acritek tub, shower with a frameless glass enclosure, and the floating vanity – with double sinks – add to the spacious ambience of the room. The linen cupboard (not in all units) provides storage space and a clothes hamper.
Amenities at Courtenay include terraces, a fitness studio, a party room with food prep facilities, a workshop, a bike wash and maintenance area, a dog-wash station and a guest suite.
All units have at least one parking space and there will also be an electric car-share program for residents.
Croll says energy efficiency and performance are priories and solar panels on the roof and on a signature solar mast will make it the largest photovoltaic installation in West Vancouver when completed.
“We want the building to produce a good amount of its own electricity,” he says.
© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.
