Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/755184
DECEMBER 2016 | 59 The Ridge at Bose Farms The Ridge at Bose Farms by ROBIN BRUNET H enry Bose would have been proud: after having purchased 145 acres of land belonging to the family of the former Surrey mayor in 2009, RDG Ridge Development Ltd. eventually divested huge chunks of it for farmland and forest, until 7.5 acres remained upon which The Ridge at Bose Farms now sits. At a time when housing demand clashes with preservation interests, The Ridge is a remarkable outcome of extensive consultation between the developer, heritage experts, Surrey Parks and Recreation, and former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts – not to mention RDG's close collaboration with long time colleagues Focus Architecture Incorporated and Metro-Can Construction. John Rempel, president of RDG, says, "Mayor Watts' goal of saving a forest, improving farmland and restoring historical buildings was very much in keeping with our reputation for crafting and managing creative development solutions for unique residential and commercial communities." Although he downplays the challenges associated with preserving green space while trying to create a residential plan that made economic sense, Rempel admits that the consultation process "was long and involved, necessarily so." The Henry Bose Farm was originally comprised of a farmhouse on an upper slope of the property, a T-shaped gambrel roofed historic barn (built in stages from 1936), a dairy on the north side of the barn, a gable-roofed lower loafing barn addition to the west of the historic barn, and a front and rear barnyard. Then as now, to the south of the historic barnyard was the 12-acre Bose Heritage Forest. Today, thanks to extensive input from McGinn Engineering & Preservation Ltd. and Robertson Kolbeins Teevan Gallaher (RKTG), the potato barn's high vaulted ceilings and spacious interiors have been restored back to their original specifications, and the structure is augmented by a new clubhouse featuring a fully equipped fitness centre, an 18-seat theatre, library, a spacious lounge and a full kitchen facility. The dairy shed has similarly been restored for use as a potting studio; and the Bose family home has been restored with modern conveniences and relocated to the centre of the development so that the original home is visible from all of the new buildings. These buildings form a nucleus around which are grouped four, four-storey condominium developments (245 units in total), staggered attractively according to the topography, with the architecture echoing key design features of the historic buildings. Colin Hogan, principal of Focus Architecture, points out that his firm has been working with the Rempel family for over 30 years, and he notes that some earlier proposals for their property called for single family half acre lots. "Our solution provided a lot more homes for residents in addition to preserving huge chunks of land," he says. While all parties agreed that the barn was a "must save," Hogan says the structure had been added onto over the years. "So we saved the original components and then designed a new modern clubhouse to complement the historic barn. We felt this was a more genuine approach that mimicking the old barn." The new homes are a pleasing design mix of old and new. "The exterior design draws inspiration from the original Bose family farmhouse with craftsman detailing and Dutch gable roofs. Colour schemes are complementary to the original barn and the Bose home," says Hogan. The interiors were designed by Mae Suffron, principal of The Creative DesignWorks Inc., and they feature a traditional country ambiance due to elements such as distressed wide plank flooring and shaker doors that blend with modern sleek finishes. Restoration of the Bose structures is said to be the largest heritage revitalization in Surrey in recent years, and it was meticulous. For example, restoring the barn required wood to be salvaged from other structures on the property and cut to size using PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT STEFANOWICZ; KEVIN LOUIS DESIGN/COURTESY RDG RIDGE DEVELOPMENT LTD.