Beyond the Blueprint: Building Chilliwack's Next Community

[00:00:00] Jennifer-Lee: Welcome to Behind the Design from Yaletown to Andmar. This new podcast is gonna follow the journey of the new development Andmar inspired by Vancouver's, Yaletown's history. Andmar blends sustainability, innovation, and luxury. We have so many conversations about how a development like Andmar gets built, what is lease land and what is it gonna be like to live in this thriving community? So let's get started.

[00:00:27] Welcome back to Behind the Design from Yaletown to Andmar. I'm Jennifer-Lee and we have Tracey Klaver back on. She is the VP of operations for Andmar. She keeps the whole development team and Mark in line. And we have David Cheung on as well. He's partner in the architecture firm, Gustavson Wylie, and he is also one of the project managers for Andmar.

[00:01:12] Jennifer-Lee: So I'm gonna start with a tough question, David. What is the misconception that you get the most as an architect?

[00:01:21] David Cheung: Oh, well that's a very good question, Jennifer-Lee and the problem, I think, is that the general public often doesn't quite really know what an architect does.

[00:02:51] Jennifer-Lee: You are so important. It's fine because my family's background is construction. And this is such a big misconception, but everybody always thinks the architect is the one that makes the money on the project.

[00:03:21] Tracey Klaver: Well, uh, well, I think it's, uh, it's all about great communication because there's a lot of, uh, coordinating that needs to be done.

[00:04:06] Jennifer-Lee: So, Tracey, when you wanna bring the development like Andmar to life, what is the first step?

[00:04:12] Tracey Klaver: Well, the first step, Jennifer, is to, um, to create that vision. Um, and that comes, you know, from the owner.

[00:05:10] Jennifer-Lee: And then David, how do you take their vision and bring it to life afterwards?

[00:05:16] David Cheung: It's, uh, really about, uh, understanding your client and getting to know them very, very well.

[00:07:12] Jennifer-Lee: Yeah. And how many buildings are eventually gonna happen in Andmar?

[00:07:16] David Cheung: Uh, well, like I said, there's, there's, uh, about, uh, uh, 11 that's gonna be, uh, habitable with, uh, a residential on, on, on top.

[00:07:45] Jennifer-Lee: When you're building in phases like that, what do you have to be mindful as an architect?

[00:09:43] Jennifer-Lee: See a lot of people don't realize that there's a lot more steps to architecture than you think. And something that a lot of people love talking about, of course, is the different influences and the sexy part, which of course is the design.

[00:10:05] David Cheung: Yeah, and that's an amazing question because obviously I, I, I've noticed, obviously you have some, uh, building background because Art Deco is, uh, uh, a style that's, uh, been around, uh, probably in the early 19 hundreds.

[00:11:20] Jennifer-Lee: Tracey, what are some of your favorite elements of the design so far that you've seen in the renderings?

[00:11:26] Tracey Klaver: Well, it's, it's, yeah, it's aesthetically, it's so beautiful, um, having the different, um, sections of the buildings.

[00:13:25] Jennifer-Lee: Let's talk about the floor plans for a second, because I've had someone that has bought a condo out here before, Greg's son, and he was really excited about the floor plans.

[00:13:59] Tracey Klaver: Well, um, I guess I could take that question, um, and just start out by saying, you know, we've, we've, we've built a lot of condos in Chilliwack already.

[00:17:30] Jennifer-Lee: Okay. So when we look at presales, the exciting part of it is you get to pick your theme inside, and there's so many different design themes and different condos.

[00:17:48] Tracey Klaver: Well, Jen, I think with, um, a project like Andmar, it's, it is a, a very large project and um, so I think we have something there for everyone, right?

[00:19:22] Jennifer-Lee: David, do you have a favorite, uh, layout?

[00:19:27] David Cheung: Actually, I do. Uh, and I think their two bedrooms, uh, work the best because, uh, the, the thing that we try to do, um, uh, whenever possible is to separate the bedrooms.

[00:21:19] Jennifer-Lee: I love that. That's so that, that you sold it to me right there, because you wake up, have your coffee on your balcony, or even a Juliet balcony.

[00:23:40] Jennifer-Lee: Great. And the other thing that I know is near and dear to Mark's heart is, and we've talked about on this podcast before, is making it a walkable city.

[00:24:03] David Cheung: Well, that's, uh, what's so unique about this project and about this developer in particular.

[00:25:53] Jennifer-Lee: I like that. I never thought about putting all the cars underground because I know that that's one thing Mark stressed on this too.

[00:26:23] Tracey Klaver: Well, good question. Um, that's, uh, it's, you know, it's a very vibrant, exciting place to be. If, if I'm gonna invest in a condo, I wanna be in Andmar.

[00:27:32] Jennifer-Lee: And working on this project, David, as one of the lead architects, what is your favorite part of the design so far?

[00:27:38] David Cheung: Oh, you know, um, there are so many because, uh, this really is like 11 different projects.

[00:30:09] Jennifer-Lee: That's something that keeps coming up in this podcast and I, I truly believe this in any type of development is, even if you're in a house, community is what people are craving nowadays.

[00:30:29] Tracey Klaver: Thank you so much.

[00:30:30] David Cheung: Thank you for having me, yeah.

[00:30:32] Jennifer-Lee: Thank you for joining us on Behind the Design, from Yaletown to Andmar. We've explored the history, innovation, and sustainability that makes Andmar more than just a community. It's a place where life, business, and connection thrive. If you've been inspired by this podcast, we'd love your support. Follow the podcasts, rate it, and leave a review to help others discover what makes Andmar so special. Till next time.