Wondering what the Oceanfront 麻豆社国产development is going to look like when it's complete?
Well, the developers behind the project have put together a model table to show the public what they can expect as construction on the site moves forward.
The large model table shows three-dimensional representations of the six neighbourhoods that make up the Oceanfront development, as well as the ocean contours of the surrounding Howe Sound.
The table is located in the Presentation Centre, which is in the same building as the soon-to-be-open House of Lager.
The centre is currently closed to the public, but reps for the developer, Matthews West, hope to have the place—and the table—ready for viewing in spring or summer this year.
The model table project
The 麻豆社国产 got a walk-through of the model table on Feb. 28 with Matthews West director of development, Carlos Zavarce and director of operations Taylor Wood.
At around four metres in length, the table took approximately 12 months to complete and is built with intricate detail to convey the size and complexity of the overall project.
Even the exact topography of the development site and surrounding ocean space were included.
“The bathymetry, so the underwater contours here are what actually exist. From an underwater drone, we got these contours, and we needed to do that for all of our marine planning,” Zavarce said.
“So the actual elevation of the park and the roads and all the future infrastructure is all there.”
According to Matthews West, the table was built by Vancouver-based design-build studio, , who milled the peninsula’s landscape out of solid ash.
Zavarce said the cabinet, which holds the models—also built out of ash—was created in four parts that all connect together. The table is on wheels so it can be moved around if need be.
The model buildings, trees and playgrounds were created by and they also added a small-scale replica of James Harry's Welcome Gate.
Each neighbourhood—Village, Works, Mews, Campus, Yards and Mill—has lights built underneath the model buildings. This is so that when parts of the development are completed, or during a tour, they can be illuminated to give an element of interactiveness for the public.
“When we're talking to people at the table, because it's so big, we can all stand here and say, and here's the Village, and here's the Mews and here's this. ... and light up that [particular] area,” Wood said.
“The lights [also] function to light up the buildings as they come online.”
The timber boxes used to depict future buildings are also removable and will be replaced with small-scale replicas once they are built.
“They will all pop out at one point and the final will go in. It's meant to be modular and done in these various sections so that as the site evolves, it can evolve,” Zavarce said.
The model table will likely remain in the Presentation Centre at least until the end of the development.
“So part of the approach with this model is that we're here for the long term. This is a long-term development. And so this opportunity to have this be ever changing as we go and build is really interesting,” Zavarce said.
The neighbourhoods
There are six neighbourhoods within the Oceanfront development, each with their own style and purpose.
According to Zavarce, the Village will be “focused on hotel and commercial opportunities” and include a sailing centre.
“It's not a boat launch, but it will be [for] hand carts. So basically you'll be able to pull up, pull your trailer around, drop your boats onto a little cart, wheel it down into the Mamquam there, and then get out into the wind,” Zavarce said.
“It'll also be great for kayaks and canoes in the morning and evenings in the summer.”
The Mews, he said, will “really focus on those views of the [Stawamus] Chief.”
“We've got a bunch more office space or employment space that we can look at [for the area as well].
The Yards is where a grocery store and other “larger format” commercial stores are likely to end up.
“It's centrally located and would service both existing downtown, which we know is changing a lot, as well as the site,” Zavarce said.
The Mill will be townhome focused, while the Campus could be targeted towards university accommodation.
According to Matthews West, the Works neighbourhood would be for “light industry, office space, fabrication and research and development.”
For more information on the development, visit the
