Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/218643
renderings courtesy merrick architecture Hudson Mews by Guy Wilson-Roberts hat started out as a vision to create a community where young professionals "live local" and embrace the city of Victoria lifestyle, is becoming a reality for Townline Group of Companies with the construction of Hudson Mews. This development is the second phase of the multi-phased Hudson District development project and will be Victoria's first concrete construction rental building in around 30 years. The first phase saw the rehabilitation of the Hudson's Bay building on the corner of Douglas Street and Fisgard Street into intelligently designed, modern flats, double-height lofts and penthouses called The Hudson. The work on Hudson Mews was given a jump-start as the site had already been prepared for a previous iteration of the building. In 2010 that project was postponed and construction was halted until general market conditions were more favourable. "It's been in planning for a long time," explains Chris Colbeck, VP of sales and marketing for Townline. "But we had to wait for the market conditions to be right." Market conditions made a dedicated rental building the best proposition and Hudson Mews was given the green flag. When completed, it will be a 12-storey, purpose-built tower of 120 rental suites of which approximately 65 per cent will be one bedroom. "While Hudson Mews is designed primarily as a rental building, the space planning and unit layouts have remained typical of what one would expect to find in a condominium offering in Victoria," explains Shaun McIntyre, managing associate and project architect at Merrick Architecture. "It was determined early on that while unit efficiencies certainly were critical to maintain a viable delivery budget, that living W Hudson Mews p80-81Hudson Mews.indd 81 space and interior quality should not be sacrificed." There is approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space planned, but the primary focus for Townline has been a standard high-rise construction that keeps operating costs low. "These units have been built efficiently," explains Colbeck. "They're more of a luxury finish with in-suite laundry and laminate flooring. It's very much a professional market – we're catering to those who will pay a bit more than average." Colbeck notes that the floor space is reminiscent of what people have become accustomed to in the condo market. "The Mews has been designed for the Hudson District. It'll be a liveable, walkable community." The Hudson redevelopment focused on maintaining the heritage features of the original building, but Hudson Mews will be part of the larger vision for the area. "The overall premise of the full site redevelopment, as proposed in Merrick Architecture's overall Hudson Precinct Master Plan, was that the new portions will be a sensitive contrast to the Hudson in order that its authenticity isn't compromised or cheapened," says Graham Fligg, principal in charge at Merrick Architecture and architect of The Hudson. "We very much wanted to avoid faux heritage, but also create something that wouldn't clash." The overall design of Hudson Mews took into account both performance aspects of the building as well as the character of the proposed district. "Early in the project's design development, an envelope performance and energy model was undertaken to analyze the projected performance of the original scheme's window wall and metal panel facades for the 12-storey tower element," explains McIntyre. "The results of that analysis demonstrated that introducing a brick rainscreen facade would yield better overall performance in the long-term and be a superior alternative to the previous iteration. As architects for the project, we of course embraced this possibility, as it also allowed for a more substantial overall expression, which serves to make the new building more compatible with the urban character of its significant heritage neighbour." The rainwater management plan incorporates the first in a series of interconnected green spaces. "The green roof element over the low-rise portion of the west carriageway facade will be a sustainable design element that has been present from the earliest design concepts," says McIntyre. "In addition to contributing to the buildings energy conservation and water management, it will be visible to both residents of The Hudson and Hudson Mews. While the project itself does not pursue LEED certification, it adheres to the current ASHRAE standards expected of new construction." While the site had already been excavated before the design of Hudson Mews was finalized, there were still some significant structural challenges related to the foundations, says Leon Plett, project engineer with Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. "As is typical in Victoria, the bedrock was very uneven, creating the need for concrete fill in crevasses, stepped footings, caissons, blasting and rock anchors at sloped supports. The addition of a service elevator for the commercial space, after the foundations and the lowest level of the parkade were already built, required a quick revision to the structural plans on four levels." This didn't stop construction of the main tower from proceeding apace. Completion is scheduled for April 2014 and as of October 2013, the concrete superstructure had been completed all the way up to 12 floors. The newly-opened Victoria Public Market at the Hudson will anchor the new Hudson District in terms of shopping amenities, and Townline has further plans for development on its sites. Coming up next for the third phase will be Hudson Walk, 160 more rental units in a high-rise. Finally, there will be two more towers on the Hudson Place site. "Hudson Place will be two buildings with a large podium," says Colbeck. "They could be residential, or they could be a combination of residential and office, or rental, or all three. We'll let the market tell us what they need." n Address 780 Fisgard Street, Victoria, B.C. Owner/Developer Townline Group of Companies Architect Merrick Architecture – Borowski Sakumoto Fligg Ltd. General Contractor Campbell Construction Ltd. Structural Consultant/ Building Envelope Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers Mechanical Consultant AME Engineering Electrical Consultant Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. Total Area 120,000 square feet (Hudson Mews) Total Cost $32.5 million december 2013 /81 13-11-15 4:11 PM