WORK

PARKWAY BUILDING

PARKWAY BUILDING

Victoria, BC

The Parkway revitalization and development is located at the site of the Wellburns Building at the corner of Pandora Avenue & Cook Street in Victoria, BC. This project will bring significant rental residential units to the neighbourhood, strengthen the iconic historic character of the site, and enhance the streets with vibrant new retail and café spaces.

Serving as a major gateway to downtown Victoria, our new development proposes a 4 & 6 storey volume stepping back from the existing heritage building. A mews separating the historic and modern buildings at street level will serve as the residential entrance to the building and provide access to a west facing courtyard. Public access to and from Franklin Green Park is provided through a wide pedestrian walkway along the edge of the site.

Originally named Parkway Apartments, the existing two-storey masonry building was constructed in 1911 by William Ridgway-Wilson. A priority of our project is to conserve the heritage value of the building through retaining 50% of the existing volume, including the historic facades facing Pandora & Cook, and the northeast wall facing the residential mews. All character-defining elements in these locations will be preserved, along with any in-kind repairs, as required. The original use of the building will remain, with opportunities for multiple retail spaces on the ground floor and 103 purpose-built rental suites above. The building will be Designated Heritage with the Heritage Registry.

 

The new development will be clad in a large format, pearl coloured panels, and borrow elements from its historic counterpart, including the running bond patter of the glazed white brick, the rhythm, proportion, and angles of the projecting oriel windows and the recessed entryways of the existing storefronts.

To create a strong visual connection with the surrounding context, juliet balconies will be provided in the living spaces of the suites directly facing Franklin Green Park & Harris Green Park. An accessible roof deck will also be provided for all residential tenants of the building, facing onto Franklin Green Park.