Southlands District Flats
Southlands District Flats
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Location
Tsawwassen, BC
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Stage
Under Construction
The Southlands District Flats are a contemporary interpretation of the buildings referenced in the community plan. Their form and materials evoke the character of farmsteads and other structures found in agricultural villages. Their pitched roofs help reduce the overall perceived scale of the overall massing. They also provide a rhythm to the façade and a relationship to the broader context of existing and future developments in the vicinity.
The building's courtyard provides additional daylighting for units, as well as providing for a communal outdoor space for building residents. The semi-private outdoor amenity will include a children's play area, “harvest” table for communal dining, cooking surface, and fixed seating.
The configuration of the units around the courtyard, and overlooking walkways, will help to bolster a sense of ownership by building residents, and provide passive community security of the space. Ground-floor units with living areas and patios facing the streets and lanes provide additional "eyes on the street" and encourage civic interaction. These patios are oriented on the lane and sidewalk side of the units, with sufficient landscaping - such as hedges and low fences - to provide a buffer between the public and private spaces, while maintaining enough openness to foster public interaction.
Completed by Hotson Architecture Inc. (now SvN Architects + Planners)
