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FEBRUA RY 2019 | 55 The Waterstone RENDERINGS + PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CHP ARCHITECTS The Waterstone by ROBIN BRUNET U sually when the concept for a build- ing project is downsized due to budget considerations, the resulting product is widely viewed as a compro- mise. But the six-storey, mixed-use The Waterstone development in Chilliwack, B.C. breaks the stereotype by being a prime example of how much a creative group of owners, architects, and build- ers can achieve with limited funding. Janice Silver, CEO, Mamele'awt Qweesome & To'o Housing Society (an affordable housing provider and opera- tor in B.C. since 1987), says, "Originally this was to be a much bigger urban village, but what we have now is 80 units of affordable housing, with 3,000 square feet of unfinished space for future commercial use, in a wood frame building that raises the bar of quality for this kind of residence." She adds, "the homes are beauti- ful and have features such as nine-foot ceilings and finishes you'd normally find in upscale market housing. The building itself is striking, as is the sur- rounding landscape." The Waterstone has enormous visual interest thanks to different coloured facings and differently angled rooflines capped at each end with dra- matically inwardly canted timber support posts. Together, these ele- ments give the appearance of a series of distinct individual residences, even though the building is a singular unit. The Housing Society purchased the land for The Waterstone almost three years ago and approached BC Housing for the money necessary to provide low to moderate income individuals and families with a comfortable living environment. "We received $11 mil- lion in capital funding from the B.C. government as part of a $500-mil- lion provincial investment to create 900 units of affordable housing," says Silver. "We augmented this with $3 mil- lion of our own assets for ground level commercial space, which would even- tually become the location for a fully funded daycare under the provincial Aboriginal Head Start program." By the time CHP Architects was retained by the Housing Society in 2016, another firm had supplied a design for the project as well as its ori- entation on the site. "We were tasked with developing something that would better reflect First Nations sensibili- ties," says CHP Architects partner Justin Dyck. It soon became obvious that a fun- damental readjustment of the site plan was needed. "As initially laid out, The Waterstone consisted of a long, box- like structure located on the south side of the site, and the first thing we did was shift the facility to the north side in order to avoid six storeys of shad- ows that would cover the property," says Dyck. The north location would also allow visitors to the property a far more memorable point of entry. The architects worked closely with the project manager to determine strategies that would give the facility maximum visual appeal without going over budget. "By keeping a close eye on costs we were able to cut off several sto- reys on either side of the building form to give a much-needed stepped-down effect on the west and east, and with a little effort we redistributed the 80 liv- ing units within the building to make up for the reduced floor plate," says Dyck. Landscaping played a crucial role in helping the Housing Society to raise the bar of quality for affordable accom- modations. "We wanted residents and visitors entering the site to be greeted by a large central plaza, and we decided to make this plaza a circle, which is an important gathering shape for First Nations," says Dyck. Placed around this circle for chil- dren to play and people to sit on were rolling hills, which would also act as a barrier to the parking lot. "Our build- ing completed the circle, and with this particular orientation we decided to situate The Waterstone's offices and amenity space to overlook the play area for additional supervision." Subtle touches paid respect to First Nations culture as well as enabled The Waterstone to evoke a calming sense of connection to its natural surroundings. For example, the large heavy timbers supporting the sloping roofs of the build- ing at the ends and in the middle are reminiscent of tree canopies in the forest. A muted palette of earth tones com- bined with deep browns and greens contributed to the organic feel of the site, and all of this was augmented by large windows and balconies that would maximize the sense of being immersed in the outdoors as well as bring fresh air and natural light into the living spaces. "Other cultural ref- erences would include locally-carved House Ports inside the lobby and on either side of the outside entry, and aboriginal art," says Dyck. VanMar Constructors Inc. com- menced construction of The Waterstone in the fall of 2017, with the requirement that the entire build- ing sit three metres off the ground on a suspended concrete slab (due to the site being part of a flood plain). A mix- ture of cast-in-place concrete and brick was used for the lower level of the facility, while the upper parts of the building exterior were clad in easy-to- maintain fibre cement and faux wood siding. "The construction process was exceptionally smooth thanks to VanMar, which is highly respected by BC Housing," says Dyck. Silver agrees: "Both the archi- tects and builders were awesome, to the degree we're using them to develop a 60-unit Yalestone project in Abbotsford this year, and a 40-unit Riverstone project in Hope." Silver concludes, "To say we got great bang for our buck on The Waterstone would be an understatement. It's a prime example of how thoughtful plan- ning and skilful construction results in getting the most out of a limited bud- get – with the support of a city council and mayor who went out of their way to accommodate our needs." A LOCATION 45603 Yale Road, Chilliwack, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Mamele'awt Qweesome / To'o Housing Society ARCHITECT CHP Architects DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACTOR VanMar Constructors Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Weiler Smith Bowers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Jade-West Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Jarvis Engineering Consultants Ltd. ENERGY MODELLING CONSULTANT Ty Bob Consulting Ltd. BUILDING ENVELOPE CONSULTANT Aqua-Coast Engineering Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 81,747 square feet TOTAL COST $17 million 10:54 AM 9:02 AM

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