Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/734400
OCTOBER 2016 | 89 The Flats at Landmark Centre RENDERING COURTESY MEIKLEJOHN ARCHITECTS INC.; PHOTOGRAPHY BY BLACK FROG PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY ASC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LTD. The Flats at Landmark Centre by ANGELA ALTASS T he Flats at Landmark Centre is an upscale, new rental development in Kelowna, B.C., featuring bright and attractive micro suites, studios, one- and two-bedroom suites and townhomes. "This is the first new addition to our residential portfolio in over 20 years and we are very excited to offer this quality rental in Kelowna. We hope that it will provide the option and opportunity for our Landmark community to live and work within walking distance of the city and become inviting to those seeking a rental of high quality and superior management," says Louise Pelletier, property manager, ASC Property Management Ltd. The Flats is a four-storey building with brick features, a large 16,000-square-foot common deck with a synthetic lawn, two large pergolas with patio tables, rental garden boxes, and common barbeques and many other unexpected extras that have become the standard for ASC Property Management Ltd. "Materials used in the project include two-tone grey HardiePlank siding, brick front facade, grey stucco entrance, woodgrain HardiePlank as features on the front facade, wood beam pergolas and ecological landscaping," says Pelletier. The land use in the surrounding neighbourhood is the most interesting aspect of the project, says Jim Meiklejohn, principal at Meiklejohn Architects Inc. "The Landmark centre is comprised of six office buildings with over half-a-million square feet of office space. It is developed in the middle of what was once a single family residential and low-rise commercial neighbourhood," says Meiklejohn. The 57,085-square-feet project includes 44 micro 312-square-feet suites as well as a mixture of studios, one bedroom plus den, two bedroom, two bedroom plus den and townhomes with 90 rental suites in total. "The building is sprinklered wood frame over concrete parking; there is parking for 82 in total, 63 of which are in the parkade," says Meiklejohn. "The vision was to create a building that respects the development form of the other residential buildings in the neighbourhood. We looked to create pedestrian friendly sidewalks by wrapping an elevated concrete parking structure with four townhouse units and an outdoor amenity for the building by use of a landscape deck over the parkade. Other decisions were primarily to keep the building simple and affordable." The palette of landscape materials chosen for the site closely match those of the surrounding townhome developments and the office towers of Landmark Centre, further establishing a consistent vision in the evolving community, says Robert Fershau, manager, landscape architecture and urban design at WSP/MMM Group Ltd. "The landscape design of The Flats at Landmark Centre follows a similar approach that WSP/MMM Group implements on all projects," says Fershau. "Our team of landscape architects carefully reviewed the site to identify any challenges and constraints as well as any opportunities to highlight key areas. A review of this particular site led to the need to provide an intensive riparian planting buffer along Ritchie Brook, a channelized watercourse that runs along the back of the property." Utilizing native species and best management practices, the project will add richness and diversity to the south edge of the project site and provide esthetic value for those utilizing the expansive rooftop amenity deck, says Fershau. The building is concrete and brick masonry at the sidewalk level to provide an interesting pedestrian experience with HardiePlank siding above, says Meiklejohn, who adds he feels good about contributing to high- density, ground-oriented affordable housing stock for this area of Kelowna. The building's cranked configuration also added some complexity, particularly with a concrete suspended level, adds Don Bergman, principal, CWMM Consulting Engineers Ltd. One of the main challenges of the project was affordably dealing with elevated parking structures, says Meiklejohn. "Dealing with underground parking is a challenge throughout downtown Kelowna," notes Meiklejohn. "The city is challenged by poor soils, a high water table and minimum elevations set by floodplain elevations, making underground parking impossible or cost prohibitive." "The concrete parking structure features an elevated concrete slab for landscaping and a plaza. Conventional footings were used for foundations," says Bergman. There were also some challenges with traffic planning and road design for the project impacting the surrounding neighbourhood, says Meiklejohn. "The road networks in this part of Kelowna were not designed to anticipate the densities currently being planned and constructed," says Meiklejohn, adding that city planners and council were also concerned that the developer provide amenities for or around the building to offset the limited living areas of the micro suites. Bergman adds that CWMM Consulting Engineers is pleased to have been involved with this project and enjoyed the experience of working with such a reputable developer as Al Stober Construction Ltd. A LOCATION 1525 Dickson Avenue, Kelowna, B.C. DEVELOPER/GENERAL CONTRACTOR ASC Property Management Ltd. ARCHITECT Meiklejohn Architects Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT CWMM Consulting Engineers Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT S+A Falcon ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT CIMA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT WSP/MMM Group Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 57,085 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed