CELEBRATING IN PERSON

Now in its fourth year, the 2023 VICA Awards celebrates the pinnacle of achievement for building and individual achievements. As the premier construction industry association on Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) Awards showcases the outstanding achievements and contributions of our members: prime contractors, trade contractors, and individual construction professionals.

The ICI and multi-residential construction sector on Vancouver Island remain one of the largest drivers of the island’s economy, providing stable, well paying, rewarding careers to thousands of families across the island. We continue to see sizable investment in construction services from both the public and private sector, despite challenging financial conditions.

After two years of virtual award shows, and in conjunction with BCCA’s Construction Month, it was an exciting return to an in-person celebration. For 2023, we paired our award presentation with our Vancouver Island Construction Conference, recognizing the winners during the luncheon portion of the conference.

Our 2023 group of winners represent outstanding achievement from across Vancouver Island, from

Port Hardy to Victoria. This year’s VICA Awards saw numerous submissions across all categories, especially our Women in Construction (WiC) of the Year Award. There were nine excellent submissions for the 2023 WiC Award with Keri Ellis of Trades Labour Corp. Victoria (TLC) ultimately being recognized for her achievement and dedication to supporting women within the construction industry. It brings me great confidence to see the engagement of women within our industry, and we must continue to build off that momentum as we continue our work of attracting and retaining women to the construction sector.

For our project achievement portion, we had 20 excellent completed projects submitted to six categories. To qualify for submission, the project had to have had reached substantial completion within two calendars of February 2023 — meaning that all projects submitted endured the multiple challenges which hindered the industry from 2020 onward (and continue to this day!). These projects, as well as the companies who built them, exemplify the work which VICA members do daily as they build our communities on Vancouver Island.

Lastly, I would also like to extend a sincere thanks to our judging panel. This year’s panel of judges

On behalf of VICA staff, board and our membership, congratulations to all the nominees, and award recipients. We are already looking forward to next year’s awards!

Rory Kulmala

PRIME CONTRACTOR AWARD OVER $20 MILLION

Casman Projects, Cameo featuring star cinema movie theatre residential on top of a concrete commercial main level housing a movie theatre.

One innovative solution was the theatre ceiling assemblies include up to 24 inches of insulation along with Quietrock 545 (the highest performing sound reducing gypsum board) suspended on vibration isolation springs.

In addition, this project was built during the global pandemic which required the team to navigate the challenges of restrictions, shut downs, supply chain issues and workforce shortages.

CONSTRUCTING A CONDOMINIUM building with a movie theatre on the ground floor in the Town of Sidney was a complex endeavour and posed an unusual challenge for Casman Projects.

The new six-storey residence called Cameo rises on top of a revitalized Star Cinema movie theatre, which has long been an important amenity to the community since opening its door in 1998. The expanded 7,250 square foot Star Cinema anchors the ground floor, offering 324 seats.

Designed by Finlayson Bonet Architecture, the entire building has a Hollywood theme, from its name to colour schemes.

The largest concern with constructing a multi-family condominium with a full three screen movie theatre on the ground floor commercial level was ensuring the sound and vibration did not transfer to the residential units above the theatre.

The entire project team including acoustic engineers and code experts were engaged to consult and design around the B.C. building code conflicts and sound attenuation challenges inherent with stacking a wood framed

PRIME CONTRACTOR AWARD $10 TO $20 MILLION

Kinetic Construction – Canadian Coast Guard Base, Hardy Bay

A REMOTE LOCATION, severe weather conditions and pandemic protocols were just some of the challenges Kinetic Construction had to overcome for the Canadian Coast Guard Base Hardy Bay project

Scope of work included removal of existing buildings, installation of a new dock with extensive marine works, and construction of the new 16,000 sq. ft building.

Located at the northern tip of Vancouver Island in Port Hardy, base consists of office and meeting spaces; 3,600 square foot warehouse, classroom/training space, dining areas as well as a new 9,600 square foot wharf. The operations building is on the water’s edge, just 1.5 metres above the high-tide line while the residential building sits behind it on top of a 6-metre high cliff.

The project had to overcome the technical challenges of the rugged site, address ecological issues, and provide attractive and functional living and working space.

Designed by CTA Architecture & Design, the building showcases many specialty products, including a live-edge timber entry pavilion, heavy timber framing, live-edge feature columns in the boardroom, a custom- made rooftop antenna armature, and the installation of three totem poles.

This project incorporated several complex design features not commonly found in a building of this type. For example, through careful coordination and planning, Kinetic incorporated an exposed post and beam wood structure in the office area and large wood trusses to span the expansive warehouse bays.

Additional complex project components included the construction of a large dock and approach to accommodate more extensive Coast Guard fleet requirements and the integration of sophisticated communication equipment on the building rooftop to assist the Command Centre in dealing with emergencies.

For the successful delivery of this unique project, Casman earned the 2023 VICA Prime Contractor Project Achievement Award, over $20 million.

“It was great to be recognized by our peers in the construction industry that understand the amount of teamwork, collaboration, and support from the community that went in to putting this project together from its inception in 2017 to completion, not to mention the complexity of putting a three screen movie theatre on the ground floor of a residential condominium building,” says Margie Shenduk, director of operations for Casman Properties.

Nick Rowbotham, branch manager, Courtenay, credits project success to the strength and collaboration of the entire project team.

“Having this project recognized means a great deal to Kinetic. This was a challenging project that had many different design, cultural, and owner components,” he says. “To us this is much more than a beautiful building that provides critical emergency services to our coast, it is a project that represents healing, partnerships, and a path forward.”