Please note that our office will be starting Saturday December 24th and reopening on Monday January 2nd, 2012.

Completed in May 2011, the Big O Tires building is the first of nine buildings planned for the Okanagan Centre Business Park in West Kelowna.   The building design sets the tone for the remainder of the development and received an award at the OMREB 2011 Commercial Building Awards. 

While the building footprint is quite simple, visual interest is created through the use of colour and shape along with the addition of small and subtle details.   The vertical flaring of the corner concrete elements give height and focus and emphasize the curtain wall glazing that provides natural light in the shop. The reveals and recessed areas in the concrete delineate changes in materials and draw attention to the store’s front entrances.

This building design features a simple shaped footprint that maximizes the commercial frontage to Bredin Road.  The existing building  was dated with an unattractive metal brow awning. The building is very utilitarian being located in a more industrial part of town but being so close to the Springfield corridor the client wanted to enhance the look of the building by redesigning the exterior fascade and consolidating several commercial units into one. 

Now the headquarters for Canscribe Career College we proposed to soften the overall mass of the building by: increasing the upper and lower window sizes, change the dated jumbo orange brick to a softer warmer natural stone product, create a larger more usable entrance, add sun shades to the upper windows to reduce heat gains in the late afternoon and add visual interest with shadows and depth. 

The renovation included complete interior remodel that accommodates 12 administrative offices, 12 computer stations, 1 classroom, 1 conference hall and support functions such as kitchen and exercise facility.   

The exterior materials are a combination of acrylic stucco, wood fascias and natural stone veneer.  These materials, along with the corresponding rich colour palette create a visual appeal and diversity and provide a sophisticated addition to the existing context.

The mixed-use downtown project will include two towers on a 4 storey podium. It will include 241 residential units, 9 work/live lofts, office space, ground floor commercial / retail, and non-profit gallery space. A residential hotel program will also allow Kelowna General Hospital long term stay options for out-of-town patients, including a shuttle program. The development will use the latest technology for energy management, including rain barrel catchments systems, passive solar capture systems, water conservation technology, care share programs, xeriscape planting and other sustainable features.

Due to its size, City staff currently recommends non-support of the development. On December 13th, the new City Council will have the opportunity to approve (or deny) the development, at which point the development will be constructed over the next two years.

This is the community’s final opportunity to convince Council that this is what Kelowna needs and wants for its downtown core.

The community is encouraged to write a letter of support to Mayor and Council at mayorandcouncil@kelowna.ca and to cc: malindi@newtownservices.net

For more information, please check out our project profile at www.newtownservices.net/monaco-highrise or the following brochure . Please also contact Malindi Elmore  or Keith Funk at (250) 860-8185 if you have any additional questions.

Designed for the Society of Hope, the largest non-profit housing provider in British Columbia, this $4.2 million, 11-unit, subsidized, transitional housing development is located on Gordon Drive.

The multi-family building includes eight two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units for women and children at risk of homelessness. The development also provides amenity rooms, administrative areas and a wheel-chair accessible unit.

Sustainable elements include ground source geothermal heating and cooling, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, low energy double glazing, low VOC finishes, xeriscaping, and formaldahyde-free flooring.

The project has received a number of awards, including one Gold and three Silver Tommies and a FortisBC Conservation Award.

 The Tuscan-style design was chosen to express warmth.  This is further enhanced through the earth tone colour palette and the use of wood and stone.  The planned community garden and play areas offer unobstructed lake and valley views and are engaging spaces that invite play and also offer a place for relaxation.

 New Town worked closely with the Client and consultants to design an affordable single-level building on the multi-directional sloped site.  The building was designed with a wide range of functional uses in mind allowing at-grade access/storefront from both sides of the building.   To ensure full flexibility among tenant spaces both now and in the future, the interior spaces are void of any columns and mechanical shafts that might restrict layout options and future lease areas.  Window and door locations have been thoughtfully spaced and the floor and truss systems designed to clear-span so that columns are never an issue.

The building form supports the single-family residential theme by way of individual front yards for each of the main floor units.  This sense is strengthened with the addition of porches, patios, gates and direct pedestrian access to the village sidewalks.

 The building elevations respect the classic styles of Kettle Valley and incorporate a variety of traditional exterior materials and architectural detailing in keeping with The Kettle Valley Design Guidelines.

 Serving as a parking lane for the residential units, the interior parking courtyard is integral to the building and enhances the livability of the project and is a visual asset to the community.

Designed to appear as a single family house, this 2 storey wood frame duplex integrates into the context of the surrounding neighbourhood.  Constructed of a variety of  hardwearing natural materials including timber, stucco and brick, the use of texture and colour enhances the visual interest and establishes itself as  integral part of the neighbourhood.

Rather than a particular aesthetic influencing the project and design; sustainability, particularly through passive solar gain and ventilation, has been a critical driver in the realisation of the building arrangement.

 The butterfly roof over larger areas to the west of the building also directs the flow of air through the building.  Careful integration of open, covered deck areas to either end of the building encourages internal spaces to be open to the outdoors.