The Dock Building, Industrial Building Development, Canadian Commercial Architecture, Images

The Dock Building in Vancouver

Sustainable Architecture Development in BC, Canada, design by Michael Green Architecture

9 Jun 2018

Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Dock Building

Design: Michael Green Architecture

Location: Vancouver BC, Canada

The Dock Building for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club’s new Dock Building is an example of industrial architectural elegance crafted from a modest budget.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The design team at MGA aimed to demonstrate that all projects, from working industrial buildings to boutique museums, can and should be realized with grace and architectural dignity. “Delivering thoughtful, elegant architectural design is always possible regardless of budget,” said Michael Green, CEO and President of MGA. “This is what we set out to do when designing the Dock Building for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.”

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The Dock Building, located on Jericho Beach in Vancouver, BC, serves a large marina of sailboats. The facility provides washrooms and showers, offices for the Harbour Master, instruction space for children, and a variety of workshops to maintain boats, sails, and gear.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The project’s practical working needs, very modest budget, and prominent siting required a simple solution that honoured the cannery and industrial heritage of waterfront buildings that were once found on the site a half-century before.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The massing is simple. Two intersecting wedge volumes mirror each other to create a lantern to the sea and a lantern to the land. Facing land is a glulam and translucent polycarbonate wall that brings light into the workshop spaces and glows along the beach at night.

Facing the sea and the marina itself are a series of garage doors opening to the shop bays as well as glazed offices for the management of the docks. A wood screen above the offices hides the mechanical systems in the high volume of the wedge that faces the water. A knife-edge gutter provides an overhang for the shop doors mimicking the razor edge forms of the racing sailboats that line the dock.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The building resides on the waters’ edge just where high tide meets the beach. Almost half of the project budget went to the foundation and piles, leaving the design team with the challenge of meeting the project’s functional needs while delivering something more meaningful to the community.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

White standing seam panels are used for the exterior in the spirit of the forms and colour of the sails and boats. The structure is a mix of glulam posts and beams with light timber infill decking and walls. The interior is predominantly construction-grade plywood, providing a tough, easily replaceable interior finish. Throughout, the details are modest and practical to work with the limited project budget.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

The Dock Building exemplifies what a creative team, an ambitious client, and a big vision can produce.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

About MGA | MICHAEL GREEN ARCHITECTURE
MGA is an award-winning, mid-sized architecture firm known worldwide for creating engaging, sustainable and innovative projects. Based in Vancouver, Canada, MGA was founded by Michael Green, a leading expert in tall wood building innovation and carbon-neutral urban building approaches.

He has produced groundbreaking publications and delivered the 2013 TED talk, Why We Should Build Wooden Skyscrapers. MGA has received numerous honors including three Governor General’s Medals in Architecture, the highest distinction given to architectural projects in Canada.

The Dock Building in Vancouver

Photos: Ema Peter

The Dock Building in Vancouver information / images received 090618

Location: Vancouver BC, Canada

Vancouver Buildings

Contemporary Vancouver Architecture

Vancouver Architecture Designs – chronological list

Vancouver Architecture News

Vancouver Architectural Walking Tours

Vancouver Architect

G’day House
Architects: McLeod Bovell Modern Houses
Contemporary Vancouver Residence
photograph © Ema Peter
Contemporary Vancouver Residence

Gulf Islands Residence
Architects: RUFproject
Gulf Islands Residence on Salt Spring Island British Columbia
photograph : Ivan Hunter
Gulf Islands Residence

Capcom’s Vancouver Headquarters
Architects: DIALOG
CapCalm Office Space
photo : Ema Peter Photography
CapCalm Office Space in Vancouver

Cha Le Teahouse in Vancouver, 1207 Hamilton Street
Design: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc.
Cha Le Teahouse in Vancouver
photo : Ema Peter Photography
Cha Le Teahouse in Vancouver

Vancouver Architecture

Website: CapCalm Vancouver

Canadian Buildings

Comments / photos for the The Dock Building in Vancouver – Architecture page welcome

Website: Michael Green Architecture