Tommie Awards

New Town Architecture is delighted to have received two Silver Tommie Awards for our work with Scuka Enterprises and Apple Valley Residences.

Happy Holidays from New Town

The Staff at New Town Services Inc. would like to extend their sincerest holiday wishes to you and yours during this festive season.

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

Monaco – Development Permit to be presented to Council February 2012

After five years of planning, the Monaco project has one last hurdle to clear. The Development Permit and 4th Reading will be presented to Kelowna’s new Council sometime in February.

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.

Bottega

Our newest project, Bottega, is now open!  Bottega is a modern farm inn set in beautiful South East Kelowna.  This gorgeous conference and retreat center highlights the beauty of natural wood and stone building materials and is set in a stunning location on 13 acres.  The Grand Opening is scheduled for spring 2012 but until then you can check out their website and take advantage of limited booking opportunities.

Link to Bottega Website

New Town Projects Receive OMREB Awards

New Town Architecture attended the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board’s (OMREB) third annual building awards event on October 27, 2011 and received recognition for three commercial buildings.

Awards were presented to the developers of the following New Town projects:

* Big O Tires, West Kelowna (Commercial)

* Kettle Valley Village Building, Kelowna (Commercial Retail) 

* Society of Hope’s Apple Valley Senior’s Housing, Kelowna (Community Senior’s Housing)

The gala event highlighted the best in commercial building in OMREB’s jurisdiction – from Peachland to Revelstoke – celebrating projects completed between January 1, 2010 and September 1, 2011.

Congratulations to our clients and all of the winners and nominees.

Glenrosa Public Meeting

New Town hosted a public information session on Thursday, August 18th, to present a rezoning plan for Lot 2, District Lot 3482, ODYD, Plan KAP 67438 (Glenrosa and Webber Road). The site is proposed for rezoning to Single Family Residential, Compact Single Family Residential, Low Density Multiple Family, Service Commercial and Park and Open Space.

It was a busy evening with nearly 50 people attending, including one member of Council. The public meeting was scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 at the Lions’ Hall in Westbank, with a presentation at 6:00 pm. Attendees began arriving shortly after 5:00 and the last person left after 8:00pm.

The community will have further opportunity for feedback at Public Hearing, which is anticipated for the Fall 2011.

Conservatory Project Makes Another Rise From the Rubble

Kelowna Capital News, August 26, 2011

New Town Architecture’s Project Manager Paul Schuster is pleased to be working on this project once again after it has sat unfinished for the past few years. Paul was interviewed for an article in the Kelowna Capital News regarding the project formerly known as The Conservatory. Paul is not the only one excited to see this project to the end, local residents and the community in general are all happy at the thought of seeing this vision to through to completion. Check out the Kelowna Capital News story here.

Registration with Alberta Association of Architects (AAA)

We are pleased to announce that our Senior Architect, Patrick McCusker, is now registered to practice in Alberta. With key team members holding licences with the Alberta Association of Architects (AAA), Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), we are able to offer our full range of services throughout BC, Alberta and across the country.

Kelowna Yacht Club Design Competition

New Town was pleased to be invited to participate in the recent design competition for the new clubhouse for the Kelowna Yacht Club.

Our design recieved 43% of KYC member votes and was chosen as the preferred design by 90% of respondents to a CHBC News Poll.

FortisBC Leadership Award Recipients

Each year the FortisBC PowerSense Conservation Excellence Awards recognize customers who have shown a commitment to innovation, conservation and sustainability by completing energy efficiency projects that save over 100,000 kWhs annually.

The winners were able to achieve these energy savings by incorporating energy efficiency measures into new facility or upgrade projects. Some of these measures include energy efficient lighting, heat recovery systems, variable speed drives and process controls.

By participating in FortisBC’s energy efficiency programs in 2010, these customers will save nearly 9,367 MWhs, or enough to power 730 homes for a year.

Since its inception in 1989, PowerSense programs have helped FortisBC’s customers in BC’s southern interior save nearly 360 million kWhs, enough energy to power some 28,000 homes each year.

Paul Schuster, New Town Architecture Urban Planning

Going the extra mile for your client can change your perspective and practices. Paul Schuster, project architect at New Town Architecture works with clients early in the planning process to include sustainable and energy efficiency options.

Schuster and the team at New Town worked with the Society of H.O.P.E. to create an energy efficient multi-unit residential building designed for women and their children in transition. The building features a geothermal system and achieved an EnerGuide rating of 84.

“We submitted the project on our own dime to FortisBC to help the Society earn a rebate,” says Schuster. “The rebate was put into the mortgage principle and will pay dividends for years.”

The positive experience has Schuster looking at introducing geothermal and making other efficient energy decisions early on in the design process, “Now that we have a better idea of the rebate process, we have stepped up work with our clients to present those options.”

Conservation Excellence

FortisBC Leadership Award

Congratulations to New Town Architecture’s Paul Schuster for recently being awarded the FortisBC Power Sense Leadership Award for his work on the Society of Hope’s Gordon Drive Transitional Housing building.   Completed in the fall of 2009, The Gordon Drive Transitional Housing building is an eleven unit building built for single mother’s in transition to permanent living arrangements.  The building engages conservation and sustainable features through the use of ground source geothermal heating and cooling, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, low energy double glazing, low VOC finishes, xeriscaping, and formaldahyde-free flooring.   The project was also recognized by the Federal Government’s Energuide Program for building conservation by acheiving a score of 84 points.   For more information, please refer to the project section of our website. 

Vicarro Ranch

Abbotsford, BC
Land Use Zoning and Official Community Plan Amendment

An open house was held on February 3, 2010 to provide information and garner feedback from the proposed land use zoning and Official Community Plan Amendment for Vicarro Ranch. 

Vicarro Ranch is a future master planned community located in the McKee Peak Mountain and Eagle Mountain area of east Abbotsford.  A 160 hectare (395 acre) plan for the area will include a cluster of five residential areas. Each cluster will be separated from others with natural open space and park land and will include an extensive trail and bike path system.  A major premise of the planning includes sensitivity to the environmental by avoiding steep slopes, preserving environmentally significant areas, and providing a large amount of natural open space.  Vicarro Ranch will offer a variety of housing types and options, including single family, duplex, townhomes and condominium units.   The Trethewey family ranch home site will present a legacy to the community by granting a destination park and amenity space for Abbotsford residents and visitors.  Abbotsford’s largest master planned project to date, Vicarro Ranch will set a benchmark for future sustainable planning in the City.

PDF Part 1        PDF Part 2

For more information, contact Don Erdely
d.erdely@telus.net
250.878.8993

The Waterfront, Awarded Gold Tommie

The Waterfront Resort, on Lake Okanagan, in West Kelowna was recently awarded a Gold Tommie for Excellence in creating a resort development.

Link to Waterfront

Gordon Transitional Housing Awarded 4 Tommies

 1 gold Tommie for Best Public/Private Partnership  and 3 Silver Tommies for Excellence in Low Rise Multi Family Development, Outstanding achievement in Environmental consideration and energy efficiency, and Excellence in creating affordable housing, were awarded to the Gordon Drive Transitional Housing Project.

Link to Gordon Transitional Housing