Shaping the Future

Ship Point Waterfront

PWL Partnership was the prime consultant in developing a master plan for Ship Point that will implement the vision for the area as a vibrant public waterfront destination.

Ship Point represents a significant opportunity for Victoria’s Inner Harbour and the city as a whole, to create an iconic attraction that fosters civic vitality, ecological resilience and economic development. The proposed design reimagines this working waterfront as a special event venue, while celebrating its history and maintaining its present functionality.

PWL developed an implementable schematic plan that focused on creating an urban destination for civic gathering, a multi-modal transportation hub that connects downtown to the region by land and sea, and maintaining an authentic working waterfront. The plan also provides a strategy for phasing and associated capital costs. Once the master plan is approved by Council, steps will be taken to allocate the necessary capital budget in order to implement the project.

When celebrated, the interface between a community and its waterfront provide an exciting prospect for natural and human ecologies to overlap, creating a unique, engaging and vibrant public space.

About

Victoria, British Columbia | 2016-2018

Traditional territory of the Esquimalt, Songhees, and W̱SÁNEĆ Nations.

Owner + Client

City of Victoria

Collaborators

HCMA Architecture + Design, Aqua-Tex Scientific Consulting, Bunt & Associates Engineering, WSP Canada Ltd. (Geotechnical Engineers, Structural Engineers, Civil Engineers), Integral Group, Future Landscapes

Site Plan

The Master Plan completes the vision of connecting the waterfront to Victoria’s historical downtown and continuous inner harbour, while providing a vibrant destination in the heart of the provincial capital.

We underwent consultation with the public and stakeholder groups, and incorporated the Harbour Vitality Principles, to create a robust design framework for Ship Point. It responds to the public’s desire for a vibrant, sustainable destination that meets the social, economic, environmental and cultural aspirations of the Inner Harbour.

Ship Point is designed to serve three purposes: it will serve as a year-round festival space for local and global events;. it’s a key arrival point to the capital city with access to and from water; and it’s a unique, working waterfront with a variety of daily operational activities—a strong economic driver for the city.

After (Bird's Eye Rendering)

The Ship Point Master Plan transforms the site to a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented place that unifies and revitalizes the Inner Harbour and its connection to the community.

Key to the project was incorporating nine Harbour Vitality Principles identified by the City, ranging from “Promote ecological well-being within the Inner Harbour” and “Celebrate the role of Victoria as the provincial capital” to “Recognize importance of First Nations in Harbour Planning.” These principles guided decisions like the Greenshores Initiative, which will create public access and constructed foreshore ecologies along the water’s edge; establishing an iconic public waterfront destination with grand stair, civic pavilion, and waterfront promenade; and a variety of flexible festival spaces in a location recognized by the local Songhees Nations as ‘Matoolia’ or gathering place.

The finished design marries the components of a civic destination with the necessities of a working harbour while incorporating Victoria’s rich history as the Royal City. The result is set to be a model for civic vitality—a threshold for the growing city, ready to welcome locals and the thousands of tourists who disembark in the harbour year-round.

Proposed upgrades to Wharf Street include a curbless sidewalk and street interface that is pedestrian and cyclist friendly.

Context Plan

The site is centrally located in the iconic Inner Habour of the provincial capital of BC, adjacent to the urban core, Parliament Buildings and major transportation hubs.

Before (Aerial)

Site Plan

Collaboration

As prime consultants, the Landscape Architects, along with the City of Victoria, forged a collaborative process that resulted in exciting and transdisciplinary solutions to a site with complex technical and programmatic considerations.

Public Engagement

The design of Ship Point was a collaborative process that was largely driven by City, Stakeholder and public input, including the local First Nation community, Tourism Victoria and local business owners.

Site Analysis 1

The team conducted a series of studies to understand the complex, overlapping issues facing the site and the region.

Site Analysis 2

The site inventory and analysis informed the master plan by identifying key priorities such as children’s play, access to water and continuous connections between the downtown and its waterfront.

Design Framework

The Master Plan is grounded in the design framework which re-establishes the site as a Gathering Place, Connection Hub, and Working Harbour.

Strategies

Elaborating on the established design framework of Ship Point as a place of gathering, a connection and part of a vital working harbour, a number of key strategies have been developed to inform the organization of design and programming elements on the site.

Shoreline

The new shoreline proposes an edge that celebrates a diverse history while also supporting several technical and sustainability objectives.

Eco Challenges

The Master Plan identifies the complex environmental challenges while highlighting opportunities for the site to become a resilient landscape that performs multiple ecosystems services such as carbon sequestration, flood protection, erosion control and breakdown of excess nutrients and pollutants.

Ecology Programming Resilience

Ship Point sits at a vulnerable location; a multi-layered response was required to ensure ecological resiliency in the face of a changing climate.

Shoreline Typologies

At a detailed level, the diverse shoreline typologies demonstrate that the site can simultaneously support habitat, integrate stormwater management, and provide restorative outdoor spaces for the community at large while addressing sea level rise and resilience.

Connectivity

Ship Point is organized around multiple movements including pedestrians and commercial activities and the premise that regardless of age or ability, any visitor should be able to easily navigate and enjoy all areas of the site.

Programming

The planning and design of Ship Point has carefully considered its function and comfort year-round while also enhancing the flexible spaces available for multiple large-scale events that contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the inner harbour.

Section

The vertical grade change on the north end of the site will be transformed into an actively programmed series of terraces in the form of a multi-level building accommodating a restaurant, café and flexible event space.

Perspective

The Master Plan envisions a diverse foreshore that provides a welcoming backdrop and gateway for visitors arriving by floatplane, Aquabus and marine crafts to this transformed waterfront destination.

Phasing

The Phasing Strategy considers urgent seismic repairs, challenging economic conditions and continuous operations during implementation.

After (Bird's Eye Rendering)

The existing shore wall will be structurally enhanced with terrestrial and aquatic planting serving as a resilient armature for marine ecology and sea level rise.