Shoal Point » Overview

Shoal Point Shoal Point is a $110-million landmark residential and commercial development located on the harborfront of Victoria, British Columbia. The Shoal Point development is a successful blend of the sacred geometries with state-of-the-art materials and technology.

Shoal Point features 161 residential units with 129 floor plans and 50,000 square feet of commercial space fronting on Fisherman's Wharf. The development totals 327,800 square feet making it the largest residential project in the city.

The project involves the re-development of a former Chevron bulk oil plant into an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable mixed-use development. The Canadian Government has recognized the project as a model for sustainable building design in Canada. Shoal Point has received numerous local and provincial design awards as well as the National Best Building of The Year award in 1994.

The Trust for Sustainable Development specifically designed Shoal Point to achieve sustainability performance targets in three key areas: Economic, Social and Environmental.

Economic

  • Developed new technology for site remediation.
  • Mixed-use project creating 150 permanent neighborhood jobs (one job per household).
  • Construction employment equivalent to 1,200 jobs paying $55,000 annually for one year.
  • British Columbia granite used on exterior and interior of building.
  • $700,000 invested in public art (sculptural pre-cast maritime figures, such as mermaids, crab light fixtures, leaping fish and raven heads), which builds new business opportunities for a team of local artists.
  • Live/work space included in design.
  • Wellness Centre
  • Revitalized Fisherman's Wharf with new marine/commercial businesses, and improved re-graded parking lot.
  • Increased tourist appeal (new jobs & revenues) from area improvements and development.

Social

  • 25% of the units priced affordably at or below neighborhood average.
  • Seed capital of $425,000 donated to create over 100 new units of neighborhood social housing.
  • Provided funding for book program at local school.
  • Provided employment through Blade Runner program (an at-risk youth training program).

Environmental

  • Reused & cleaned-up existing industrial site. Recycled existing infrastructure.
  • Reduced energy consumption and pollution through design features such as: ground source heat, passive solar design, low-e windows and low water consumption fixtures.
  • Improved urban biomass though irrigated, built-in planters to provide shade-creating greenery on walls.
  • 50% less energy use than conventional buildings working with Natural Resources Canada's C2000 Program for Advanced Commercial Buildings.
  • Utilized CMHC Best Practices Guides and Healthy Homes