Bellewood Park

Designing a multi-unit residential building that responds to the urban context and landscape within an established neighbourhood.

Bellewood Park

Bellewood Park is a new residential project by Abstract Developments in the established Rockland neighbourhood of Victoria and is located on nearly two acres of meticulously landscaped property. The design features 74 condominiums that are located in two multi-story buildings and nine townhouses (by Zebra Design) situated along along Pentrelew Place.

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Type

Multi-Family Home

Status

Completed 2022

Client

Abstract Developments

Location

Victoria, Canada

Size

6 storeys

Awards

2022 Commercial Building Awards: Multi-Family Condominium

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Highlights

The project aimed to retain the wooded character of the street front, maintaining surrounding Garry Oak trees—a valued species to the native ecology on Southern Vancouver Island.

Featuring six-storeys, this residential building boasts generous south-looking patios offering views of the coastal mountains, ocean and surrounding city.

21 ground-oriented units are positioned along public walkways throughout, providing a sense of connection and accessibility throughout.

The site acts as an important transition from the density of downtown Victoria to a more traditional single-family neighbourhood and features a series of townhomes to the east as well as a gateway to Rockland Street and surrounding residential community.

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The project negotiated complex site conditions in a balanced and sensitive way. Along the north, an arterial road frontage suggested urban density, yet single-family homes existed along the east and south in an established neighbourhood.

In designing both the structure, as well as incorporating thoughtful use of materials, brick was primarily used for exterior cladding. It is an important material seen throughout Victoria in larger buildings, but especially so within the Rockland neighbourhood—who has long adopted the tradition of creating field stone rock walls as well as incorporated it into landscape design work.

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The design strategy prioritized the preservation of a mature standing of Garry Oak and Cyprus trees which ensured a natural transition to the new development. Between the competing criteria, a collection of five buildings sensitively negotiates this and ultimately guides the shape of the buildings. Ultimately, this incorporation of trees resulted in a unique interplay of shadows alongside curved facades.

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The gentle sweep of the ‘Oaks’ building boasts large patios overlooking the Juan de Fuca straight. The sweep of the façade embraces the oak trees and the public path which connects downtown to the Greater Victoria Art Gallery. Brick was the material of choice, recalling traditional and vernacular buildings typical to Victoria's urban core, and the long-established Rockland neighbourhood. Further reflecting the area, the frontages and amenity spaces are extensively landscaped with native plants and trees to create a lush environment.

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Further reflecting the area the frontages and amenity spaces are extensively landscaped with native plants and trees, creating a lush environment. We worked closely with arborists to incorporate surrounding mature trees, providing a unique environment for new buildings, and immediate naturalized edges for the neighbourhood.

Additionally, the vast majority of the site's stormwater flows through rain gardens which provide biological cleaning before being released into the ocean.

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The Team

Contractor Abstract Development

Architect Cascadia Architects

Interior Design Nygaard Interior Design

Structural Engineer RJC Engineers Ltd.

Electrical Engineer AES Engineering Ltd.

Civil Engineer Calid Civil

Mechanical Engineer Avalon Mechanical Consultants Ltd.

Landscape Architects Murdoch De Greeff Inc.

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