From internally-oriented shopping mall to integrated mixed-used community
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DETAILS

LocationBurnaby, British Columbia Canada
ClientShape Properties
Size28 acres

Following SWA’s development of a 2013 master plan for a new town center adjacent to the existing Brentwood Shopping Mall, the firm was enlisted to design the project’s public realm and expand its role as an integrated, sustainable, urban community. With key connectivity to main vehicular arteries and a high-speed train line, the new development functions as a major hub for the region, featuring 12 residential towers, extensive new retail, and public spaces, including urban plazas, streetscapes, and public facilities.

A new plaza, in the heart of the north sector, functions as the north terminus for Brentwood Boulevard (the internal artery that cuts through the entire site from south east to north west). The design focuses on creating a continuum of urban landscape spaces, with a particular focus on pedestrian circulation and the establishment of several smaller, more intimate public spaces. Continuity of paving materials and streetscape treatments provide a seamless transition from one area to the other. A new plaza sits at the core of the new development, and ties together the existing mall with the new towers and retail spaces. The project extends the Willingdon Avenue streetscape to the north, providing additional rain gardens and bicycle lanes. Pocket plazas along the edge of Willingdon offer opportunities for small outdoor patios and cafes. A community center, at the north east corner of the site, interfaces with the adjacent neighborhood. A green buffer follows the north edge of the site, allowing pedestrian and bicycle circulation through a meandering path/bike lane. All buildings have roof gardens and additional landscape spaces on the top floors.

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