Beginning with a large ground-oriented retail site, Formosis was engaged to produce a conceptual masterplan for a large mixed-use redevelopment in a major Western Canadian city. The overall design strategy focused on balancing incremental redevelopment / phasing on the site, creation of a logical network of streets and public spaces, and appropriate building heights and densities to transition into the lower-rise forms of adjacent sites.
Creating an compelling, human-scaled, and financially feasible masterplan is always an exciting endeavor, but understanding the parameters around incremental redevelopment is arguably the most critical aspect to successful master-planning. Working with varying major tenant lease lengths, we identified a path to gradual transformation of the property, proposing six phases for redevelopment in manageable chunks, while maintaining critical retail operations. With an understanding of the overall strategy, each of these phases plugs-into the masterplan framework to form part of the long term vision while creating more financially feasible, incremental parcels for redevelopment.
MIXED-USE MASTERPLAN
Area
2,028,000 sq ft
Status
Rezoning
Project Overview
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Understanding the way neighbourhoods are serviced and function – through a network of streets of varying widths, vehicle speeds, use, and buffering – is another critical factor in masterplanning. The design proposed a central East-West shopping High-street with ground oriented retail on both sides, interrupted with smaller scale North-South ground oriented residential streets. A main public plaza anchored by an adjacent community building interrupts the geometry of the plan, expanding the public realm and creating a physical and emotional centre for the neighborhood. Finally, and taking cues from pedestrian promenades in other parts of the world, an elevated pedestrian walkway is proposed which runs the length of the site, linking the residential towers and outdoor podium space, and terminating in a public park.
The height and scale of the buildings was also thoughtfully considered to optimize solar access, views, privacy, and neighborhood transition. Fronting the main arterial road at the south-end of the site, eight-storey building forms are proposed comprising two floors of high-street fronting retail, with six floors of residential above. The scale of buildings increases towards the back of the site, with towers reaching up to 22 storeys. Building forms are oriented North-South and in courtyard forms to allow maximum solar exposure into the site, both the shopping high street and main public plaza.
This project is currently in the pre-application feasibility stage.
Designed under previous firm Studio B Architects.