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Natural Luxury
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Coastal Living
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Harmonious Design
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Boat House
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Interior Architecture
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Natural Luxury True luxury is deep, holistic and authentic. It is lasting and complements nature. It does not try to compete with it but rather embraces it. At its roots, the architectural genre known as West Coast Modernism represents these values. Working with Paul Merrick in West Vancouver, the birthplace of this important contribution to architecture, is a wonderful opportunity for Westbank to showcase these values – a celebration of beautiful architecture that embraces nature, healthy living and community. – Ian Gillespie, June 2016, Vancouver
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UBC
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Horseshoe Bay
Dundarave
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Vancouver Because of its stunning natural setting, economic and cultural vitality, and high level public amenities (including its schools and universities), Vancouver is consistently ranked at or near the top of every list including the Mercer and The Economist magazine rankings. Offering its citizens an extraordinary quality of life, Vancouver is globally lauded for its achievements in advancing green urbanism. qualIty of lIvINg top 5 CItIes (merCer)
INfrastruCture top 5 CItIes (merCer)
lIveaBIlIty top 5 CItIes (tHe eCoNomIst)
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Auckland Vancouver Ottawa Toronto Melbourne
Hong Kong London Sydney Vancouver Atlanta
Melbourne Vancouver Toronto Calgary Adelaide
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West Vancouver Through Stanley Park across Lions Gate Bridge and along the waterfront, Marine Drive is the sinuous string of road that links all of West Vancouver – simultaneously its Main Street and its most scenic seaside route. From the Capilano River and Park Royal, it passes through the urban villages of Ambleside and Dundarave, becoming a fun-to-drive winding highway through forests, around rock-lined picturesque bays, through Eagle Harbour to Horseshoe Bay.
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Oceanfront This is West Vancouver’s most beautiful block of waterfront land. It affords panoramic views of Horseshoe Bay, and beyond to the scenic shores and alpine peaks along Howe Sound. This is an unprecedented location featuring water, mountain, forest, and village views. There will never be a waterfront living opportunity like this again.
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Inspiration Some of the world’s most acclaimed townscapes are at the juncture of verdant mountains with rocky seashores. At the eastern end of the Italian Riviera is Portofino, an enchanting ring of pastel-hued houses around a tiny piazzetta and harbour. Each house is slightly different, but they ring the rocks and march up the hill as one, a beautiful synthesis of natural beauty with architecture adapted to place. At Horseshoe Bay, we are dedicated to a similar synthesis.
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Coastal village
Above Horseshoe bay architectural concept illustrated by Paul Merrick
Imagine, driving slowly down the boardwalk into your parking, taking an elevator up, walking along a covered open corridor to your home. Once inside, on one side you overlook the water and your neighbours, on the other you have pure nature. In how many places on the planet can you do that? – Paul Merrick
Left Portofino inner harbour and marina
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Horseshoe bay situated on HOWE Sound, August 2015
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A Vibrant Boardwalk
We don’t see buildings as isolated objects in space, but instead use them to define public places. – Paul Merrick Above horseshoe bay waterfront boardwalk illustrated by Paul Merrick Right Portofino outer harbour and waterfront promenade
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Horseshoe bay marina and public pier, July 2015
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Design for Views & Being Viewed
For us, the pedestrian view is essential, so we designed it not as looking down from the sky, but as experienced on the ground and in the homes. – Paul Merrick Above view outward to horseshoe bay from terraced balconies illustrated by Paul Merrick Left Ligurian coast, portofino
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Horseshoe bay microclimate These red-barked Arbutus trees (called “Madrona� in the United States and Latin America) on the slopes near Horseshoe Bay are more than a beautiful and hardy West Coast species. The Arbutus tree is a marker for the sunnier micro-climate in Horseshoe Bay, as it requires less rainfall to survive.
Howe Sound, July 2015
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Shaping a Community
Horseshoe Bay is a micro-community, a comprehensive entity that has commerce, entertainment and living. – Paul Merrick Above Horseshoe bay courtyard illustrated by Paul Merrick Right public space, outdoor restaurants and cafés – portofino
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DINNER ON THE DOCK – AN ANNUAL SUMMER DINNER AND DANCE ON THE HORSESHOE BAY PUBLIC PIER, July 2015
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Village Piazza
We designed this to be not one thing, but instead set a fabric of settlement – building elements that shape opportunities. – Paul Merrick Above horseshoe bay village piazza with retail amenities illustrated by Paul Merrick Left portofino piazza
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shine Coast
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Marine Drive
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HorsesHoe Bay Horseshoe Bay is a crossing point where transportation options by land and sea are easy. Canada’s most spectacular and fun-to-drive highway – the Sea to Sky Highway to Squamish and Whistler – starts here, and there are fast road links to Vancouver via the Upper Levels Highway. For a more leisurely pace, the scenic Marine Drive winds through Eagle Harbour, Dundarave, Ambleside, Park Royal then on to the Lions Gate Bridge. With the BC Ferries Horseshoe Bay Terminal just a short walk away, opportunities open up: a day bicycling the Sunshine Coast; a sunny lunch in Nanaimo; a long weekend expedition to Tofino for surfing. Horseshoe Bay HWY 99 Mar
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Portofino Regional Natural Park
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portofINo The port city in Italy’s Liguria has a number of similarities to Horseshoe Bay: both are at northfacing sheltered harbours at ‘land’s end’ locations; both are near large cities (Genoa is an hour from Portofino, Vancouver less than half that from Horseshoe Bay); both have splendid natural settings, with nearby parks and beaches.
Genoa
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Portifino
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Coastal Living Horseshoe Bay is located at the heart of one of the world’s most diverse and inviting landscapes for outdoor recreation. At this western extension to mainland Canada, tall snow-capped mountains with lush forests meet rocky headlands and sandy beaches. Offshore are the sheltered waters of Howe Sound and Burrard Inlet, a paradise for sailing, motor-boating, fishing and paddling. Threaded through this dramatic landscape are engaging coastal villages and some of the world's greatest golf courses and ski resorts, all just minutes away. Imagine your days, your seasons, with choices like these so close at hand.
Sailing off the point of lighthouse park, 5 minutes from horseshoe bay, October 2015
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West Vancouver A residence at Horseshoe Bay means the rare opportunity to live beside pristine nature, while also having all the advantages of a cosmopolitan urban region of nearly 2.5 million people. Horseshoe Bay is a compact coastal village full of hidden gems. Heading east along Marine Drive past the yachting centre of Eagle Harbour, there are a string of urban villages with a range of shops, services, cafĂŠs and restaurants. The character of Dundarave and Ambleside is set by small, locally-owned shops, where staff will remember your name and preferences. Close to the Lions Gate Bridge is the retail hub of Park Royal, with a regional shopping centre north of Marine Drive, and walker-friendly outdoor lifestyle centre south of it, combining to serve every other shopping need.
West Vancouver Coastline, July 2015
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Trolls
Horseshoe Bay Park
A Horseshoe Bay fixture with the best fish and chips in Canada
The true hub of Horseshoe Bay and where the locals meet, this waterfront park hosts music, craft fairs and casual relaxation all through the year
Whytecliff Park
Olive & Anchor
Honoured as Canada’s first Marine Protected Area, it is popular with scuba divers and beachgoers
Three fresh local produce-focused meals daily, with a special emphasis on Pacific seafood
Neighbourhood
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Horseshoe Bay Village Horseshoe Bay gets its name from its rounded and sheltered shape – long recognized as one of the best natural small harbours on B.C.’s Lower Mainland. The town has a fine grain of quaint houses on its lowest gridded streets, but some of Canada’s most innovative contemporary homes along its winding roads above. The pulse of travellers creates a thriving community of active waterfront cafés, pubs and restaurants.
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Ambleside 16 min
Park Royal 17 min
Sewell's Marina April 2016
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Dundarave Village, west Vancouver May 2016
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West Vancouver Villages Ambleside is the oldest of the string of urban villages along Marine Drive, and home to West Vancouver’s city hall, the museum and other civic facilities. The friendly retail character of the traditional British ‘High Street’ is found there, and continues west to Dundarave. Park Royal was the first regional shopping centre in B.C., with an enclosed mall north of Marine Drive humming with all the key national retailers, and a more relaxed largely outdoor ‘lifestyle hub’ on the beach side.
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Dundarave Village The Red Lion Bar & Grill The perfect place to tip a pint, a British-inspired pub in the heart of Dundarave’s ‘High Street’
THE TRUFFLE HOUSE & CAFÉ
Temper Chocolate & Pastry
A West Coast casual take on Euro-style bistro, with an all-seasons patio
A chocolatier and baker in a convenient location
Feast dining Real food from fine ingredients and friendliness are on the menu
Beach House Restaurant A fine wine list and coastal cuisine to match the breath taking beachfront setting
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Ambleside Village
CAFÉ ÇA VA Fine selection of fair trade organic coffees & espresso, alongside an extensive selection of pastries, as well as savoury & desert crepes
Ambleside Park & Beach Spectacular views from its sandy beaches to UBC, Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge
Salmon House The freshest salmon cooked every way imaginable
Savary Island Pie Company
Bene Sushi Fish and rice beyond the ordinary
Ambleside’s home to British-style deliciously-filled cakes and pies –both sweet and savoury, eat-in or take-home
Park Royal Shopping Centre
Faubourg The place to go for macarons and other French bakery treats
Simons
Sephora
Birks
A terrific selection of up-market skin and beauty products
Famous for their ‘blue boxes’ since 1879, this is Canada’s leading national jewellery store
Whole Foods Their first location in Western Canada, this 38,800 square foot location has the full range of fresh and organic foods
A new arrival from Quebec, a true connoisseur’s department store, with public art inside by Douglas Coupland and others 43
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Ambleside Park May 2016
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Education Canada has earned a global reputation for the quality and accessibility of its educational system, from high standard public schools to large research universities and intimate liberal arts colleges. From local elementary schools right up to high-ranked high schools and universities for first degrees or continuing education, there are few locales as naturally splendid as Horseshoe Bay with so wide a range of educational opportunities close at hand.
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1 gleneagles elementary school, 2 min
4 Collingwood school, 15 min
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West Vancouver has one of BC’s best-run and highest-achieving public school networks, with a quality of instruction and facilities that would only be available at the best private schools in most countries.
Collingwood School is admired for its broad success as a private school, earning its membership in the prestigious “Round Square” network of 60 leading schools on five continents.
2 Rockridge secondary school, 5 min
5 capilano university, 20 min
This is an International Baccalaureate World School with a tradition of high academic achievement balanced with arts, athletics and outdoor education.
3 Mulgrave school, 9 min
Mulgrave School is a fully accredited private academy using the acclaimed “International Baccalaureate” system, recognized around the world.
The only fully-accredited university on Vancouver’s North Shore, Capilano has a splendid campus nestled amongst the trees, the latest facilities and top faculty.
6 Simon Fraser University Vancouver Campus, 28 min
7 quest university, 40 min
Founded in 2002 by a former UBC president, Quest is Canada’s first private, non-denominational independent university, lodged in new buildings above Squamish in a sublime natural setting.
8 university of British Columbia, 40 min
With nearly 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students, UBC is one of Canada’s largest and most important research universities, it offers a full complement of professional programs in law, medicine, dentistry, engineering, architecture.
Three state of the art downtown buildings host programs in business, continuing education and the fine arts for full credit at Simon Fraser University.
Collingwood School, West Vancouver
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Museums
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1 west Vancouver museum, 14 min
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This small municipal museum in a restored house has emerged as Western Canada’s leading venue for architecture exhibitions, plus engaging shows of contemporary art produced by the North Shore’s strong community of painters and sculptors.
2 presentation house gallery, 20 min
One of North America’s leading museums dedicated to historic and contemporary photography, their new building under construction at the foot of North Vancouver’s Lonsdale will be a harbour-side gem, and the hub of a parks and shopping esplanade there.
3 Vancouver Art gallery, 20 min
Western Canada’s largest and most prestigious museum of historical and contemporary art, it is housed in a magnificent former courthouse building adapted by architect Arthur Erickson.
4 Vancouver Art gallery Offsite, 20 min
Offsite is the Vancouver Art Gallery's outdoor exhibition space in the heart of urban Vancouver that offers a rotating program of innovative public art projects funded by Ian Gillespie and Ben Yeung. Offsite is located on West Georgia Street between Thurlow and Bute Streets, Vancouver, Canada.
5 audain art museum, 1 hr
This brand new gallery designed by Patkau Architects is nestled into the woods near Whistler Village. It is the only museum in Canada devoted entirely to British Columbian art, from First Nations masks to avant-garde contemporary photography.
Art Culture The North Shore to Whistler area has a wide range of private art galleries and public museums that cater to any interest or visual arts passion. Because West Vancouver is amongst Canada’s wealthiest and best-educated communities, it comes as no surprise that it is also home to a creative community of leading artists, architects, writers, designers and art-collectors.
Second Date by Elspeth Pratt, Vancouver Art Gallery Offsite
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Gambier Island
Howe Sound Gibsons Keats 5 Island Bowen 7 Island
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Fishing
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1 harbour fishing charters, 1 min
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What better way to cap a busy day than a relaxing pre-sunset fishing charter (starting right off your own pier) cruising the waters of one of the world’s most spectacular harbours?
2 over-night fishing charters, 1 min
North from Horseshoe Bay along the Inside Passage are some of BC’s most renown salmon sports fishing areas. With the best of advice from skilled and well-equipped charter operators, few return empty handed, but everyone returns slack-jawed from the natural beauty they encounter.
Boating 5 Union Steamship Marine Resort, 20 min
Any day you could drop a line from one of West Vancouver’s publicly owned piers, the ideal setting to pick up tips from other anglers or get kids started in the sport.
Across the harbour in Snug Cove on Bowen Island is this full service marina, with pubs and cafés a short walk away.
6 Poet’s Cove Resort, 3 hrs
3 ambleside & dundarave piers, 10 min
This active salmon stream with a major hatchery forms the eastern border of West Vancouver, with fishing open year-round. Because of easy access it is actively used, but is also actively managed, with a catch-andrelease program for the coho, chinook, steelhead and other fish found there.
More than just a marina with moorage, this is a full service luxury resort on Pender Island in the sailor’s dream of the Southern Gulf Islands.
7 Dent Island Resort, 5 hrs
On the Mid Coast past Campbell River is one of B.C.’s best-regarded sail-in or floatplane fly-in salmon fishing resorts, with every amenity available.
Westcoast Lifestyle Anglers and boaters everywhere recognize British Columbia as having some of the world’s most gloriously diverse coastal waters. What few realize is that opportunities to fly-cast, pier-fish or chase big salmon and tuna on a charter can be undertaken so close to an urban area. Horseshoe Bay and the surrounding area have everything a fisherman could desire, from equipment stores, lessons, charters and most of all, clean harbour waters, and lively cascading trout and salmon streams. The same is true for boaters, who have ready access to intimate bays or wide open ocean, places to test sail-trimming or speed along the waves. Fishing boat out on Howe Sound near Whytecliff Park, July 2015
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Calm Waters Horseshoe Bay is sheltered from the large waves and tides of the open Pacific Ocean. This makes its waters perfect for the relaxing, all-ages sport of paddleboarding. Imagine grabbing a board from the adjacent marina, pushing off, then spending a morning paddling around the peninsula with seasonal porpoise spotting.
Megan Sewell Paddling with resident dolphins, horseshoe bay, August 2015
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Stearman beach, 9 minutes from horseshoe bay with panoramas of downtown Vancouver, Stanley park, English bay and kits point, September 2015
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Parks
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1 Whytecliff park, 5 min
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Get another perspective on Horseshoe Bay from the nearby Whytecliff Park, easily reached from Marine Drive. Because there are over 200 animal species living in its sparkling waters, it is popular with scuba divers and was honoured as Canada’s first Marine Protected Area.
2 lighthouse park, 8 min
After a gentle hike through some of the North Shore’s only remaining old growth rainforest, the reward is the National Historic Site lighthouse plus Point Atkinson’s dramatic Vancouver harbour panoramas.
3 ambleside park, 13 min
Flanking West Vancouver’s prime retail area, this is a full service urban beach, with restaurants, galleries, golf, sports-fields and a skate-park. The views from its sandy beaches to UBC, Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge are spectacular, and summer evenings it is turned into a spectacular concert venue.
4 capilano suspension bridge park, 16 min
8 Alice Lake Provincial Park, 47 min
For good reason this has been one of Greater Vancouver’s leading tourist sites for over a century. Impress your visitors with this heart-stopping walk along a cable-stayed wooden-planked suspension bridge, the waters of the Capilano river raging below.
5 Porteau Cove Provincial Park, 21 min
A small provincial park just south of Squamish, it boasts a fine swimming lake and a collection of rare petroglyphs created thousands of years ago.
7 Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, 37 min
Beaches 1 whytecliff Beach, 5 min
Porteau Cove has the distinction of being the southern-most fjord in all of North America, blessed with great views of Howe Sound and some acclaimed scuba diving location.
6 Murrin Provincial Park, 28 min
“The Chief” is one of the most acclaimed rock climbing locations in British Columbia, but for those who want a stroll to the panoramic views at the top, there are also hiking and bike trails on easier grades through the glades.
Whether for day trips or overnight camping, the string of four linked ponds at Alice Lake are a magnet for families wanting an alpine setting to swim, fish and stroll.
Access to this beachside stroll could not be easier – just out your Horseshoe Bay front door and up into the peninsula’s Evergreen and Arbutus tree forest, with well-marked trails leading to this quiet beach, with its picturesque islet accessible at low tide.
9 stearman beach, 9 min
This is a small rock and pebble beach that is perfect for kids to explore the natural realm.
10 Brunswick beach, 18 min
A less-visited beach adjacent to the railway track in Lions Bay that is a restful retreat from the world.
Fresh Air Horseshoe Bay is the hub of a stunning network of parks that both preserve the surrounding mountains, rainforests and beaches in a pristine state, and also provide locales for outdoor activities, be they extreme sports or birdwatching. These parks are well-maintained and accessible to all. Living in Horseshoe Bay, this string of parks becomes your vast ‘back yard,’ offering every opportunity for solitude or group activities in inspiring natural settings.
Capilano suspension bridge north Vancouver
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Cypress Mountain Bike Trails, West Vancouver, May 2015
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Year-round Golfing In Greater Vancouver golf is a year-round sport, blessed with a temperate climate meaning that the greens are constantly green and it’s rarely either too hot or too cold to catch 18 holes. The super natural mixture of mountains, ocean views, lush forests and rolling topography produces golf courses that match any style or level or play.
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1 Gleneagles golf course, 4 min
4 fairmont Chateau whistler golf club, 1 hr
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It is a testament to West Vancouver’s outdoors lifestyle that this is one of the highest-rated courses in the region but it remains a municipallyowned, public course.
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2 capilano golf country club, 13 min
Established in 1938 on the British Properties west of the Capilano River, immaculate greens and the Tudor style clubhouse mark this as a prestigious course.
Designed by the renown Robert Trent Jones Jr., this par 72, 18 hole course is the summer hub of one of the leading resort hotels in Western Canada.
5 Nicklaus north golf course, 1 hr
This is a creation by the world’s other most famous player and course designer, Jack Nicklaus. It boasts a wonderful balance of lake/mountain views with playing challenges.
3 furry creek golf course, 28 min
Perched above the Sea to Sky Highway and built in 1993, Furry Creek has an enviable reputation as one of BC’s most scenic contemporary golf courses.
furry creek golf course overlooking Howe sound and the sunshine coast
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Whistler Blackcomb & Alpine Resorts Whistler-Blackcomb has been rated “Best North American Ski Resort” by the readers of influential Ski Magazine for the past two years running. Visitors from all over the world flock to ski there and at the smaller resorts on Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, so living at Horseshoe Bay means an astonishing range of choices. The superb “Sea to Sky Highway” winds past Squamish to the Callaghan Valley and Whistler, meaning it takes under one hour to reach Whistler's slopes.
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1&2 cypress & Hollyburn mountains, 24 min
Horseshoe Bay’s closest ski area puts many Eastern and European resorts to shame with its snow, grooming and urban vistas. The lifts are open from November to April, with night skiing daily until 10:00. Nearby Hollyburn Mountain offers spectacular and free cross-country and snow-shoeing opportunities by winter, and a hiking paradise all summer-fall.
3 grouse mountain, 20 min
There is no ski experience anywhere like Grouse, with its stunning wraparound day and night views of a city of 3 million, and beyond to the lush Gulf Islands and Washington’s volcanic Mount Baker. Vancouver’s keep-fit obsession is the long, steep hike up this mountain (known as the Grouse Grind) with bars and restaurants and a gondola ride down serving as welcome rewards.
4 Mount Seymour, 43 min
With a great view of all of Metro Vancouver and the volcanic cone of Mount Baker, Mount Seymour is a popular hill for learning skiing or boarding then pushing its scenic runs to the limits.
5 Callaghan valley, 55 min
Constructed as a world class winter sports zone for the 2010 VancouverWhistler Winter Olympics, everything you can do on snow or ice is possible here. The Nordic centre is a favourite with families, with all varieties and sizes of outdoor equipment available for rental.
6 whistler Blackcomb mountains, 1 hr
Best North American Ski Resort – Ski Magazine
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Globally recognized as one of the best four-season comprehensive ski resorts, multiple faces of two mountains provide for a fantastic variety of terrain to thrill boarders and skiers at every level of ability. Non-skiers can enjoy the Gondola and Peak-to-Peak rides, and Whistler Village is a gourmet paradise with lively nightlife.
Seventh Heaven, Whistler Blackcomb, February 2016
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Harmonious Design There is no greater challenge to an architect than a magnificent natural site. How can new buildings nestle within rocks, forest and shore in a manner that complements nature, not diminishes it? How can new communities evolve a sense of home for their residents? How can we shape buildings that meet contemporary needs but are graced with a sense of timelessness? These are the challenges that faced architect Paul Merrick as he composed his ideas for Horseshoe Bay.
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Filberg house designed by Arthur Erickson, 1958 This exterior view of Arthur Erickson’s Filberg House in Comox shows the unity of garden with house design he promoted to his students such as Paul Merrick. Erickson designed and shaped the form of the landscape, and embellished the largely glass house with cedar block screens.
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Paul Merrick's early architectural mentors: Arthur Erickson 1924 - 2009, left Ron Thom 1923 - 1986, right
West Coast Architecture To enhance the marina and public paths defining one edge of Horseshoe Bay’s harbour, and then make new places to live above them is one of the greatest challenges of Paul Merrick’s architectural career. He drew on a lifetime of experience to understand and solve the opportunities at this, one of the most magnificent building sites on Canada’s Pacific coast. Paul Merrick was born and raised in West Vancouver. He remembers his Ambleside neighbourhood as a “real village,” and draws inspiration from the multi-generational shops that are still there. His grandfather was an engineer on coastal ferries, his father an industrial arts teacher at West Vancouver High and his uncle ran the local gas station. Young Paul played in the surrounding forests, caddied at the Capilano Golf Club, and picked up the wood-working skills that still serve him today in his sailboat design and construction at his East Sooke workshop. Paul Merrick faced a choice when applying to the University of British Columbia: “There’s not much room for imagination in engineering, so I choose architecture – it looked like more fun.” His natural ability for freehand drawing served him well as a student, but his real education in design thinking came from one of the School of Architecture’s most charismatic professors. “Arthur Erickson had a Socratic teaching process,” Merrick says, “He showed these magnificent slides of his
travels – he took us on mental journeys, talked about space and place and light.” At the time, Erickson was designing the Filberg House in Comox – his first large house commission – and he shared the evolution of its design with Merrick and his classmates. After third year, he spent a summer working at Ron Thom’s office, working on the details of Massey College in Toronto. Upon graduation, Merrick faced a choice: “I had offers from two firms that were on very different wavelengths. You could say that Arthur Erickson’s office was FM, but Ron Thom’s was AM, and that is what I chose.” Soon, Merrick was designing small wooden houses in the West Coast idiom that was Thom’s hallmark. “It’s hard to know where one’s influences come from, but from an early age I had a strong empathy for an organic way of thinking,” he says of these designs. These tendencies are evident in the larger Sciences Complex and Library/ Bridge commissions he was given as part of Thom’s design of the Trent
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University campus in Ontario, which meet the technical needs of a contemporary university, but retain a sense of handmade tradition. Merrick says: “When Ron put his hand to something, a different kind of light emerged.” After a few years in Thom’s then-Toronto-based office, and some extended travels in Europe, Merrick returned to Vancouver. For Thompson Berwick Pratt he designed the powerful Brutalist forms of the downtown Vancouver CBC studios, then was project architect for the very different interior renovation and lobby addition for the oncethreatened Orpheum Theatre, which won a Governor General’s Medal for architecture. Merrick designed a sublime house in the forest for his family in West Vancouver in 1972, then a few years later formed his own practice. The range of buildings completed since is remarkable, ranging from the Gothic touches of the UBC Alumni Medical Library at 12th and Heather to the assertive wood structure of the Day Lodge at the Callaghan Valley installations for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Merrick says that one of his most important techniques he used as he built his own architectural practice – which has grown to forty employees in offices in Victoria and Vancouver – is to constantly ask “What is the site asking of us?” He regards the current commission for Westbank on the Sewell Marina site to be one of the great challenges of his career. “Horseshoe Bay has the curious condition of the view being north, the sun to the south,” he says. A breakthrough came with memories of the rural English architecture he had toured with is family in the 1970s, with “buildings one room thick” being the perfect strategy he had sought for this confined site having the additional site conditions of steep forest on one side and harbour on the other. “During design development all the notions were there, but they got pumped up a bit, more texture came in,” says the architect of his Horseshoe Bay design, concluding: “Listen to the land, and it will tell you what it wants to be.” Working with Thompson Berwick Pratt, Merrick was lead architect for the lobby extension and interior adaptive re-use that transformed the former Orpheum cinema into Vancouver’s leading concert venue, winning Governor General’s Medal for Architecture for his design. A felt pen elevation for UBC student house design project A sketch for Paul Merrick Family Residence, Eagle Harbour A recent photograph of Paul Merrick in his East Sooke workshop, where he has built three sailboats and tinkers with furniture, when not actively involved with architectural practices in both Victoria and Vancouver.
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Paul Merrick Family Residence, Eagle Harbour, 1972 When it came time to build a house for himself and a growing family, Paul Merrick returned to his West Vancouver birthplace, and bought a heavily treed lot in Eagle Harbour. After surveying the location of every tree, he developed a highly organic plan for a tall house that dances through the forest and up the slope. In its bold wood detailing and its intimate dialogue with site, the Merrick residence is deeply revealing of the values and talents that later produce his Horseshoe Bay design.
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Jericho Tennis Club, Vancouver, 1999 Olympic Village, Vancouver, 2009
Merrick architecture Merrick Architecture now includes partners Gregory Borowski, Mitch Sakumoto, Graham Fligg and Shaun McIntyre plus thirty-five employees in offices in Victoria and Vancouver. The range of work produced by this acclaimed practice is evident in the three works illustrated here: the dramatic stack of cliff-dwelling rooms in West Vancouver’s Sentla Residence; the relaxed take on West Coast modernism in the waterfront Jericho Tennis Club; the European-style urban apartments near False Creek that served as a portion of the Athletes’ Village for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Sentla residence west Vancouver, 1994
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Horseshoe Bay Natural Luxury True luxury is no longer defined solely by shop-worn brand names or flashy gold-plating. True luxury is the richness of choices created and the quality of life enhanced for residents. The definition of luxury at Horseshoe Bay is to be enveloped by a living forest, looking out to placid seas and snowy mountains, at the hub of every recreational activity in a diverse and healthy community.
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Boardwalk The public spaces and resident’s amenity areas at Horseshoe Bay will be as pleasant by night as they are by day. Westbank is developing a custom series of sculptural lighting fixtures touched with whimsy and creativity, a ring of shining artworks that will define the waterfront here – creating "1,000" points of light to greet visitors coming from Howe Sound.
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With its soaring parabolic arches by day and lantern glow by night, the Boat House is the jewel set in the ring of housing we designed for Horseshoe Bay. – Paul Merrick
Boat House Horseshoe Bay’s Boat House will be like no other. Can you imagine walking down the pier and into this soaring and elegant structure to show your friends the handsome ChrisCraft powerboat that dwells there, maybe take them for a spin around the harbour? The Boat House includes a wooddecked gathering hall that will become the perfect on-water venue for a wine-tasting, pilates workshop or sailing skills demo. Upstairs, there will be a resident’s lounge, a come-andgo casual perch where you can enjoy watching the passing variety of harbour vessels or chat with your neighbours.
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NortH elevatIoN
Boat House CoNstruCtIoN Bold parabolic arches in wood topped by an open truss and skylight ensures this will be a dramatic architectural gem on Horseshoe Bay’s waterfront. Inside there is a multi-purpose hall with panoramic harbour views, then down a flexible accordion gangway stair to the floating dock that forms the permanent home of the Chris-Craft Corsair 25. On the exterior, a post and beam wooden structure will announce Horseshoe Bay’s dedication to craft. Set between the expressed columns and beams will be glass panels in both transparent and translucent versions, ensuring that the Boat House will glow like a lantern by night, becoming a new landmark for the entire harbour.
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east elevatIoN
grouND level plaN
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CorsaIr 25 speCIfICatIoNs Trademark Chris Craft Aft Hull Tumblehome Design
Stainless Steel Hatch Gas Shocks
Hidden Bimini Top Storage Under the Engine Hatch
Cabin, Finished Upholstery – Sleeps Two Adults
Mercury V8 6.2L (300 HP) Bravo III
Cockpit, Assisted Draining
Deep-V Hull Bottom with Flared Bow
Diamond Pattern Non-Skid on Front Deck, Cockpit Sole, Engine Hatch, and Swim Platform
Curved Tempered Glass Windshield with Stainless Steel Frame
Stainless Steel Hardware
Meets ABYC, USCG and CE Standards
High-End Fit and Finish with Custom Chris-Craft 316
NMMA Certification
Wood Free Hull Construction Integral Swim Platform with Hidden Three-Step Stainless Steel Swim Ladder
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Length Overall: 26’8” / 8.13 m Beam: 8’6” / 2.6 m Dry weight: 6,000 lbs / 2,721 kg Fuel capacity: 77 gal / 291.48 ltr Maximum persons: 10 persons
Corsair 25 No boathouse is complete without a resident boat. Our Boat House will be home to a top-end powerboat that is as much a joy to look at as it is to ride in. The Corsair 25 by Chris-Craft defines the contemporary sport-boat, with impressive power, an impeccably-detailed interior and a smooth ride. The Corsair 25 will be available for pleasure cruise bookings by our residents, either with or without a pilot.
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Chris-Craft The World’s Largest Builders of All Mahogany Runabouts, Yachting Magazine, 1927 Shirley Vernon and her horse, next to Whoopee, a Chris-Craft Runabout Two young boys, assisting their father, clean their boat
President Franklin D. Roosevelt beneath a Chris-Craft tender while he was a guest aboard Vincent Astor's yacht, The Nourmahal, 1935 1930 A New Chris-Craft Used as the 1937 cover of Chris Craft Motor Boats, a young woman sits on the bow of a Chris Craft
Two boys flex on the swim platform moments before jumping into the water to join their dog The Miss Detroit series of the Chris Smith designed racing hydroplanes were to become the fastest boats on earth. Brochure Cover, 1952
the Hudson Motor Car Company demonstrates the strength of its steel roof by loading a Chris-Craft and two passengers, June 1935 A Chris-Craft poster encourages the purchase of US war bonds An older Chris Smith sits beside a Chris-Craft smoking a cigar
A young woman enjoys the luxury that ChrisCraft timelessly provides
Singer Rudy Vallee in a Chris-Craft Runabout, 1930
the social importance of Chris-Craft in 1928 With Roger Firestone at the helm, Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison and wife, and Elizabeth Firestone on Miami’s Biscayne Bay
ad featured in a 1940s campaign to increase the sales of United States Government war bonds during World War II Building Chris-Craft’s in Algonac, Michigan
Corsair 28 leaves a quiet Nantucket harbour
Chris-Craft Heritage Ever since it was founded nearly a century ago, Chris-Craft has defined the high end of the sport of power-boating. In the 1920s and 30s Chris-Craft’s mahogany construction and ample power attracted purchasers like Henry Ford and William Randolph Hearst. In the 1950s and 60s Chris-Craft’s latest models were crucial to fun in the sun for such owners as Katherine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Today, design finesse and ease of operation defines the brand to a new generation. 89
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Howe sound & sunshine coast August, 2015
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Interior Architecture Horseshoe Bay’s exterior details in natural wood and integrally coloured walls frame the homes they enclose. Interiors continue this aesthetic, with textures and colours inside carefully selected for this special location. In preparing their drawings, the architect studied the leaves, rocks and branches of the surrounding forests, the harbour’s rich maritime legacy of handmade boats, and local traditions of bold modernist architecture. These particular choices ensure that each home will be as memorable inside as the exterior architecture and public spaces that surround them.
Looking southwest from the penthouse
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Crafting Total Design Horseshoe Bay’s interiors and architectural details continue a bold tradition of total design in West Vancouver. Merrick Architects take inspiration from West Coast Modern, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Arts and Crafts movement in their fully-conceived system of interior appointments, light fixture designs, details in wood and the visual language for the lobby at Horseshoe Bay.
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Fallingwater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1935
Smith House designed by Arthur Erickson, 1964
Helmut eppich House designed by Arthur Erickson, 1972 furniture and fixture designs by Francesco Kripacz
Lobby lounge with 24 hour concierge, West coast modernism at its finest
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Every entrance will be a true front door with its West Coast modern typology
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Large living and kitchen spaces for entertaining
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Gracious outdoor living spaces with views
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Over height windows maximizing the water and mountain views
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Interior Finishes & Specifications Design
Amenities
• West Coast Modern luxury homes in the waterfront community of Horseshoe Bay
• Amenity Boat House, that is truly one of the most breath-taking boathouses in history
• European matte lacquer cabinetry
• Horseshoe Bay West Vancouver steps right out from the hillside to the ocean front
• Luxurious 24 foot Chris Craft boat, with dedicated Captain
• Self-closing cabinet drawers
• Interior design inspired by natural west coast surroundings
• Paddle Boards and Kayaks for residences to use
• Polished granite slab countertop, glacier white corian, or an exquisite glass fused countertop
• Private Lobby with soaring ceilings and architectural fireplace, and additional private lobbies for each building
• Contemporary satin brushed metal and glass backsplash
• Layouts allow for natural cross ventilation and expansive views of the waterfront, mountain, forest, or park • Homes are accessed through covered external walkways • Reinforced concrete construction
Sustainable Design • In building heating and cooling provided through an onsite geothermal ocean loop, allowing for a reduction in greenhouse gas emission of up to 70% • Underground Parking supplied with electric vehicle charging stations (available for purchase) • Onsite cistern to capture storm water runoff and recycle it for irrigation, thereby reducing the use of fresh water • Local recycling of onsite rock material to protect and enhance to waterfront • Local material use that supports local artists and trades
Security
• State of the art gym
Interiors • Designed by Merrick Architecture in a West Coast Modern typology • Unique overheight extra wide solid oak suite entry door, modern interpretation of the Arts and Crafts style • Overheight ceilings • Wide-planked wood flooring in all living areas
• Contemporary built-in under-cabinet lighting
• Grohe polished chrome fixtures • Stainless steel double kitchen sink with built in garburator • Ceiling treatments will incorporate wood panels and elements to recall the forested surroundings while adding warm and tactile contrast to the clean lines of the kitchens
Appliances • Miele 30" or 48" Dual Fuel M Touch Range
• Porcelain Limestone look tile throughout the bathrooms and up wet walls • Designer wool carpet in bedrooms • European kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities • 30" and 36" gas fireplace in majority of homes, covered in travertine stone • Finest quality roller-blinds with woven sun control fabric
Bathroom
∙ 24-hour concierge
• Building-wide electronic Access Control system
• European teak vanities
• 24-hour digital video recording surveillance of building entry points
• Polished quartz countertop for master ensuite and second bathroom
• Electronic access using a single encrypted security device
• Porcelain Limestone look flooring in oversized tiles, and up wet walls
• Video Entry System allows identification and screening of guests
• Grohe polished chrome fixtures including a rain shower head, with a 3-jet hand shower wall mounted
• Elevators include restricted floor access
• Duravit under mount sink basin
Kitchen
Miele 48" Range includes Speed Oven (Combination Auxiliary Convection Oven and Microwave) and Warming Drawer
• Miele Futura Classic Plus custom panelled Dishwasher with Cutlery Tray • Miele 30" or 48" stainless steel hoodfan • Miele Microwave (in Residences with 30” Ranges) • Miele 30" or 36" MasterCool Refrigerator with Bottom Freezer Drawer & Ice maker • Miele MasterCool Wine Fridge, Tall Unit with 3 temperature zones, or Under-counter Unit with 2 temperature zones. • Garburator • Miele 24" stackable washer/dryer
New Home Warranty
• 2 Years Materials and Workmanship Protection • 5 Years Water Penetration Protection • 10 Years Structural Protection
• Duravit rectangular deep soaker tub • Floor heating in master bathroom
There are no representations or warranties herein, made by the Developer, its agents or employees, or any other person on behalf of the Developer, other than those contained in a contract of purchase and sale between a purchaser and the Developer and in the Disclosure Statement for the Development to the extent mandated by law. In particular, the Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the materials, specifications, details, dimensions, layout and floorplans set out herein or otherwise viewed by the Purchaser are approximate and subject to change without notice and any depiction of any views or vistas contained herein purporting to represent the view or vista available from the Development or a strata lot are for general information purposes only and that the actual view or vista available from the Development or a strata lot upon completion of the construction thereof may differ from that depicted herein. 104
kItCHeN CaBINet kItCHeN IslaND optIoN – glass
BaCk splasH uNDer glass optIoNs
fIreplaCe stoNe
Carpet
WINDoW roller sHaDe
Wall & CeIlINgs ClouD WHIte
Interior Appointments kItCHeN CouNter optIoN – graNIte
kItCHeN CouNter optIoN – CorIaN
teak vaNIty
oakWooD floorINg optIoN – WHIsper
BatHroom floor & Wall tIle
oakWooD floorINg optIoN – aura
BatHroom CouNter Caesar stoNe
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Miele 48" range in most 3 bedroom Homes ∙ M Touch controls and backlit precision knobs ∙ M Pro dual stacked burner system with TrueSimmer ∙ M Pro infrared griddle ∙ Fully functional M Touch Speed Oven (Combination of Convection Oven and Microwave) ∙ Fully functional Warming Drawer ∙ For proper ventilation, pair with Miele Range Hood
Miele Kitchen Westbank has a long and deep relationship with Miele, the world’s leading high-end appliance manufacturer, who has curated an appliance lineup in keeping with a building of this quality. One of the features of Horseshoe Bay will be the inclusion of Miele Professional Dual-Fuel Ranges in all Residences – a first in Canada. All Miele Professional Dual-Fuel Ranges include M-Series ‘swipe’ touch controls and extensive MasterChef pre-programmed recipes.
Miele 48" HR 1956 G Dual Fuel M Touch Range with Griddle
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Hansgrohe Ecostat Shower Faucet
Hansgrohe Croma Shower Head
Hansgrohe Metris Faucet
Duravit & Hansgrohe Bathroom Founded in 1817 in Germany, Duravit bring a tradition of European excellence to all of their bathroom fixtures. The choice of fine hotels and luxurious spas globally, their shower heads and taps are elegant exemplars of the art of industrial design. Grohe is another manufacturer with European roots, but one who operates a 15,000 square foot show-room on New York’s Fifth Avenue to showcase their innovative designs. The easy action and clean lines of both company’s fixtures lead the industry.
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Architectural Model of Vancouver House
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Westbank Established in 1992, Westbank is one of North America’s leading developers, with over $25 billion of real estate projects constructed or currently under development. Westbank projects have consistently led their markets because of design innovation – the creation of value through ideas. The core of Westbank’s mission is to create a body of work with a high degree of artistry that helps foster more equitable and beautiful cities.
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Shangri-La Vancouver
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Westbank Building Artistry Westbank is active across Canada and in the United States, and applies its expertise to a variety of markets: luxury residential, Five Star hotels, retail, office, rental, public art and even district energy systems.
Shaw tower 2005
Shutters 2008
Shangri-La Vancouver 2008
Silver Award of Excellence VRCA 2009
6&fir 2013
Granville at 70th 2014
TELUS garden 2014
Best Office High Rise 2016 Architizer A+ Awards
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Woodward's 2009
Gold, Architecture 2011 Design Exchange Awards
Fairmont pacific rim 2010
Vancouver house 2018
Future Project of the Year 2015 World Architecture Festival
TELUS sky 2018
#1 Hotel in Canada U.S News & World Report
Shangri-La Toronto 2012
Award of Excellence 2013 Toronto Urban Design Awards
Alberni 2019
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Rising by Zhang Huan Shangri-La Toronto
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Westbank Hotels Over the last few years, Westbank has developed Canada’s three leading hotels. Rather than taking a typical formulaic approach, Westbank has forged a new path to the luxury hotel business, from designing uniforms to curating the music, to customizing the Fazioli pianos, and the integration of commissioned art by some of the world’s most accomplished artists. Each hotel has its own identity and continues to constantly change and delight its guests.
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Shangri-La Toronto
Shangri-La Vancouver
The Fairmont Pacific Rim fuses the luxury brand of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts with Westbank’s reputation for quality design and construction.
For its first Toronto project, Westbank arrived in the grandest of style with a 705 foot tower combining one of the city’s first Five Star hotels with luxury residential condos.
Located on Georgia Street, Vancouver’s most prominent ceremonial street, Shangri-La Vancouver is the city’s tallest building and an extraordinary contribution to unique civic space.
World’s Best Business Hotel
AAA 5 Diamond Award
AAA 5 Diamond Award
Condé Nast Traveler, 2015
2014
Vancouver’s only Five Diamond designated hotel, 2013, 2014
Ranked #1 in Canada
Best Urban Hotel in the World
Best City Hotel in Canada
Travel and Leisure, 2013
Wallpaper Magazine, 2013
Travel and Leisure, 2014
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16.480 by Omer Arbel Fairmont Pacific Rim
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Shangri-La Suite Shangri-La Toronto
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Luxury in Nature Paul Merrick’s entire practice has established him as the inheritor of Vancouver’s rich modernist legacy, and his palette of forms and materials speaks to this special community framed by nature. Westbank has risen to the challenge by encouraging the design team to stretch its legs; to acknowledge that we will never have a better opportunity to pay homage to Canada’s most important contribution to the continuation of architecture. A dedication to craftsmanship and in its totality, a project that simply cannot be replicated again. – Ian Gillespie
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This is not an offering for sale. Any such offering may only be made by way of disclosure statement. E.&O.E.
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