Episode 6

[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. So we’re gonna pick his brain today about the aesthetic of Andmar, how it came to be, and really what does an architect do? A lot of people don’t know. They just think they build beautiful buildings, but there’s so much more to that. How does a development like Andmar come alive. We’ve got it all covered in this next episode.

[00:01:12] 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. Um, obviously we design and, uh, we take instructions from our client and we try to come up with, uh, a lot of different ideas for them. But, uh, a big part of our job actually is, uh, to be the quarterback and to coordinate a whole team of consultants. We have structural, mechanical, electrical, uh, civil, geotechnical, envelope, you name it.

[00:01:52] Um, uh, it’s, it’s, uh, uh, uh, quite an incredible team. And every one of these, uh, consulting firms, uh, they contribute to our projects. And the architect is sort of at that, uh, the, uh, sort of, uh, the coordinating professional in that, uh, we, we’re the ones who become the design authority. And, and for every part of the, the, the project that, uh, we have to, uh, uh, look into, we coordinate all of those consultants.

[00:02:20] So, uh, that’s, uh, that’s one of the things I think the, uh, general public doesn’t quite understand that we do. They, they often see us, oh, here’s the building, and, and this was the architect for it. And yes, we, we might’ve, uh, been the one that, you know, did up all the drawings and, and, uh, uh, uh, and, and came up with these renderings or sketches, but ultimately it’s also the owner who plays a big role in that because at the end we are, we’re really almost like a little piano player. Uh, we take cues from the owner and, and they’re the ones who, who gives us the inspiration. 

[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. They’re like, always, like, it’s the architect top and then the builder. But that’s not the case. And in the case of the developer, Tracey, uh, a lot of people think too that it’s the developer that takes the credit, uh, for the architect, but it’s not true. You guys are all a team. And what does it mean to have a team, uh, like David’s, uh, on a project like Andmar?

[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. So when we, um, you know, really closely work as a team, um, follow up, you know, put, put, uh, you know, meetings together, get the consultants, get things out on the table, come up with, um, you know, there’s, there’s always gonna be little, um, things along the way that needs, um, some addressing, right? We need to like, figure out solutions and, um, so, um, yeah, as, as far as GWA goes, uh, you know, I love working with, um, each and every one of them, um, because of, you know, I think the great line of communication that we have. 

[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. Um, Mark Perry, um, one of the co-owners of Andmar, uh, did a lot of traveling, um, a lot of research. He really put his heart and soul into this. It is a, Andmar is a very much a legacy, um, project for our development, uh, company. And, uh, so, you know, he traveled to Barcelona and went to an expo on sustainability, building, you know, small cities and um, that kind of a thing. Everything in walkability distance. Having that mixed use was very important. Um, we have a beautiful piece of property in prime location in Sardis, in Chilliwack. So, um, you know, that started with that vision of, of creating that city center, um, putting the pieces together of, you know, what that overall look is gonna be. Um, and then bringing it to the architects to make it come to life. 

[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. So I had the, uh, the honor of meeting, uh, Mark actually when I was just completing the, uh, Chilliwack City Hall addition. And, um, I met him actually at the, uh, Earls, uh, out in Chilliwack there by Highway One. And the first time I met him, I was just so impressed, uh, by, uh, the world, the worldviews that Mark had. But in particular, he was really into planning and he, he referred often to, uh, a gentleman by the name of Jeff Speck, who happens to be quite a, a well renowned planner, uh, in, in the US, United States. Um, and, uh, so because I have an urban geography planning background, uh, I, I, I was kind of, uh, educated, uh, with the teachings of uh, uh, Jane Jacobs for instance. And, and so Mark, and Mark and I kind of hit it off ’cause we both were talking about similar things. Uh, for Andmar it’s quite a different development in that we’re not just creating a building, uh, with a program.

[00:06:18] Uh, this one here is really, uh, unique in that, uh, it’s really a city and it’s more of a lifestyle center. So after getting to know Mark really, really well, um, you know, it was, uh, it was, uh, uh, exciting to see how we can contribute. Now, unfortunately, uh, the master plan wasn’t, uh, uh, developed by  Gustavson Wylie. It was designed by a firm, uh, called Station One Architects. Uh, Mark had reached out to them initially, and, but he, as we start to look at this project, he decided that he would, uh, um, phase it out and, uh, to let other architects participate in it. And we were fortunate enough to, uh, have won the, uh, the second phase of the project. And ultimately we, we were able to convince, uh, the, the development team that, uh, we would be the right choice for the entire project. So we’re able to actually help, uh, um. Andrew, Mark and Tracey realize, you know, uh, 11 buildings on this particular property. 

[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. Uh, but, uh, the 12th building is actually intended to be a, uh, community center. Uh, we’ve had multiple plans, uh, on that particular project and, uh, when that, when that building finally, um, uh, becomes reality, I think, uh, it will really set this particular development apart. 

[00:07:45] Jennifer-Lee: When you’re building in phases like that, what do you have to be mindful as an architect? Because things change, obviously cost changes because time goes by and different, uh, materials start to cause more money. Do the plans ever change of what things look like? Or is it pretty set in stone from the very beginning of like, this is how many buildings we’re gonna have? This is the aesthetic. This is what they’re gonna look like and this is where they’re gonna be exactly placed. 

[00:08:10] David Cheung: Uh, well, and, and that’s where the master plan certainly helps us. Uh, a project of this size, however, uh, it does, it does need to, uh, be phased, uh, because ultimately, uh, you could have multiple contractors work on, work on a project. Uh, in this case, however, uh, Tribrink is, uh, the general contractor for the site and they’ve, uh, like us, I’ve been fortunate in that, uh, they’re able to carry on with most of the development. So, uh, we work actually quite closely with, uh, Tribrink, uh, when it comes to phasing and that type of thing. But what I would probably say that’s, what’s unique about Andmar, which is almost quite different from any other author, uh, jurisdiction that we might be working in is that, uh, because this is First Nations land, uh, under the Tzeachten, they don’t necessarily have, uh, a building permit process.

[00:09:02] They have a development permit and, uh, and that’s really their, uh, uh, their way of, uh, regulating what, what’s allowed to be built and not, not be built. So when it comes to the actual, uh. Uh, occupancy of the buildings, that type of thing, uh, it is actually all on, uh, the architects. So we have to, uh, sort of exercise our standard duty of care, uh, to, to ensure that, uh, each of the buildings are in fact developed to how, uh, what’s what’s expected of, of any architect in, in doing so. And that’s probably also what makes it, uh, this project that unique because if it was in any other location, you would not be able to develop this thing as quickly as we are right now. 

[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. So I know that these particular buildings are Art Deco with West Coast influences, so how do you balance those two styles? 

[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. And, uh, uh, our, our particular design for, uh, uh, Andmar, however, is I would say it’s probably more eclectic. It’s got some Art Deco, it’s got, uh, west Coast, but it’s probably also have a lot of craftsmen. It’s got, uh, postmodern, it’s got modern, uh, late century, uh, uh, modern. Uh, there’s a whole, whole series of, uh, style, different style, including, uh, the vernacular and even First Nation that, uh, we’re, we’re being able to realize here.

[00:10:46] Uh, but what drives it all actually comes from, uh, the, uh, the, the developer, uh, Mark Perry in particular. Uh, his vision had always been that, uh, if you were a resident, uh, in this development and, uh, uh, you were walking, uh, a neighbor or a visitor around, who, uh, could you point out exactly where, which, which building, uh, or which area you live in? And, and that’s one of the reasons why there’s so many different styles, uh, for, for Andmar. And it’s really just to help, uh, the residents there navigate, uh, this very large property. 

[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. It, it’s not just such a overwhelming, you know, big stacks of buildings, um, when you’re, when you’re looking around it, it has a lot of character, uh, to the design. And, um, so that, that was, uh, very intentional, um, because it looks like it’s been built over time. And David and I were speaking about that earlier. Um, you know, just how in, in, you know, other countries, uh, obviously we’re so young here that, you know, there buildings aren’t that old, right.

[00:12:02] But there are other areas, uh, that the, the buildings have been built over time and, and it’s just so visually, um, exciting to see different styles of architectures joined together, right? So I think with Andmar, I love that, um, that we have that look of, um, you know, distinct styles, um, that are, you know, a combination of, of different things. And, and then ending up is like a small city. So it’s not just like, you know, a complex, it’s, it’s, uh, it looks more like a well-designed and planned little city.

[00:12:39] Jennifer-Lee: And I like the fact too that there’s like a cohesive element because you are gonna eventually have 11 buildings. So you wanna make sure that when people drive by, they’re like, oh, that’s the Andmar development. You don’t want it to look very like hodgepodge and everything’s throwing together. You want it to look like a cool, thriving, 

[00:12:56] Tracey Klaver: You drive by, they always comment because our on, um, Andmar one, it’s, um, visual to Promontory Road, and when you drive by, you see this round corner of the building, which is very unusual, which then lends to like a pretty incredible floor plan. Uh, it’s just in, you know, when you walk in and see that round, you know, visual in the living room, it’s just, um, there’s nothing like it. It, it’s, it’s pretty cool. 

[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, and so I wanted to talk to you about like, how do you guys decide on the floor plans? Like if you’re have a one bedroom or a two bedroom. And how are you kind of getting into the mindset of people like are gonna live there, like where the kitchen is or the living room? I’m always intrigued by that because, you know, I would try to dry my, draw my own room on a piece of paper, but I don’t think it would be very practical.

[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, and, um, we did Inglewood, uh, Courtyard, so there’s three buildings, 136 units, and then Sky Nests down the street with a total of, um, 98 units. So, um, eventually really learn what, what works, what’s, you know, a, what people are looking for. Um, you know, what the really important, um, elements of a good floor plan are. Um, you know, as well as we really always like to include a work from home situation.

[00:14:37] You know, there’s gotta be an area that somebody can set up a desk and a computer and, you know, this new trend of, you know, work from home really lends itself to our theme of Andmar being, you know, live, work, and play. Um, so we really like to incorporate that element of working from home in our, in our floor plans. Um, also, you know, kitchens are very important. So, you know, we, over the time you always get the same comments of, you know, we have drawers with recycling, right? Um, you know, in your cabinetry and, um, you know, if there’s room a, a floating island that is, um, you know, set up for functionality. So, what do you say, Dave?

[00:15:23] Jennifer-Lee: Yeah. Yeah. David, what’s your opinion? 

[00:15:26] David Cheung: Actually, uh, uh, Tracey hit the nail on the head there. Uh, what we do actually, we, we create programs and we create function requirements. And what that is, is that, uh, we, we get input from the, uh, the owner, uh, usually based on, uh, what works for their pro forma. ‘Cause obviously, uh, you know, we don’t, we don’t design, uh, we don’t build so that, uh, the owner isn’t gonna make a profit out of it, obviously. We wanna make sure that, uh, uh, the types of, of, uh, the units, a number of units, the, the variations of them is going to meet, uh, um, what their targets are for, for how they see the, uh, the development working.

[00:16:03] So at the end of the day, uh, what we end up doing is, uh, we’ll, we’ll look at the, uh, the building floor plates and we’ll look at, uh, how many studios, one bedroom, two bedrooms, or maybe even three bedrooms the owner may want. And we’ll try to, uh, divide it all up. We’ll, we’ll do our best to, uh, come up with, uh, uh, you know, the various different, uh, plans that, uh, we think would work. But I could tell you in, in this type of scenario where, uh, these are market driven, uh, we actually, the architect, uh, we really are, uh, uh, we, we really rely on someone like Tracey to tell us what are the owners really interested in. So we’ll come up with a plan, but Tracey normally has other, uh, interior consultants, for instance, who pour through our plan and try to make it a little, a lot more efficient.

[00:16:53] And, and I think we’ve been doing that for, for, um, a number of our buildings over here. And I would say for the, for the better because sometimes, you know, um. Tracey will know that the market wants to see wraparound balconies, uh, for instance, uh, of the, and, and maybe the market wants larger balconies. ‘Cause, uh, this particular, uh, uh, clientele, uh, they’re gonna demand that because they, they have more of a, uh, outdoor lifestyle, for instance. Uh, and because we work, you know, all over, all over the province, uh, we may not necessarily know exactly what Chilliwack wants, but Tracey does. So that’s, uh, so it’s very important that we have that, uh, collaboration.

[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. So how do you go about like, figuring out what are the different palettes for the different type of units you’re gonna sell? 

[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? Um, getting back to the decks, um, we do have some of the condos that just have a, a small Juliet, um, it’s not even a deck. You just, you know, open up and, and get some fresh air, um, which adds more square footage to your unit, right? So it’s either, you know, you go, go for the option with the deck, um, and have, in some floor plans, lesser square footage or, you know, with this Juliet, and that extends your living room. Um, so, you know, there could be preference. Some people feel that they’re not even gonna use the deck, so they’d rather have that bigger floor plan. Um, but when it comes to the, um, to the, to, to the color boards, we really wanted to appeal to, um, a number of, you know, a variety of, of choices.

[00:18:42] So, you know, we have a, a modern and a traditional, we call it a transitional ’cause it’s not fully traditional. Um, so there’s a modern light and dark, and the transitional has more of that traditional look. Some people don’t like that flat, modern, they want the raised, um, you know, shaker style cabinet. So I think that there’s something there for everyone. And, um, you know that that has actually been proving to be very successful. I see that there is a bit of a, a 50/50 ratio when it comes to like, oh, I love that modern, or, you know, oh, that’s not for me. I’m really happy that you have that traditional style as well.

[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. So you, you’ll have a primary bedroom, uh, and you’ll have a secondary bedroom, but you really don’t want them to be together. So, our favorite layout, uh, it’s anywhere from, from around, you know, a 1000 square feet to 1300 perhaps. And, and you’ve got this beautiful, uh, entryway where you, you, your kitchen’s just right off to the side.

[00:19:55] You can, you can walk right in, uh, open up to a pantry. You could actually, uh, put all your, your things away and then you can, you can, uh, uh, look, look out the, the island that you have there into this, uh, the view usually of the living room and, and, and of the mountain surroundings that are, that are actually, uh, in Andmar. That’s actually one of the, the more unique aspects of, of this particular property, uh, is that, uh, you know, the interiors, uh, it is, it, it responds really, really well to the site because we have commercial all on the ground floor, at least for the city portion of, of this project. Um, and, uh, when you’re on the second floor, you’re. Elevated.

[00:20:35] And because this particular part of Chilliwack is very unique. It’s, it’s in a bit of a valley, but you are literally surrounded by mountains all, all around. And it doesn’t matter which unit you have, you are gonna see that and it changes throughout the season. And, and, and even though, um, uh, you know, we’ve got these beautiful marketing packages and stuff like that, that connection between the in interior and the exterior, uh, I think you’re really gonna, uh, realize that at Andmar, uh, especially if you’re, you know, the second level, you’re gonna see that. But these, most of these are all 6 stories. And, and the, the people on, on the fifth and the sixth floor, they’re really gonna have that real connection. It’s gonna make you feel like, uh, you know, you’re, you’re living within the mountains. 

[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. Just have a little bit of fresh air, window crack through, that little breeze. See, I, I’m already picturing it. Uh, for all the commercial retail. You guys got a lot of commercial space there. What type of businesses are you trying to attract? And David, how does that work when you’re trying to, uh, devise like a plan for the development? Like coming up with like the, all the aesthetics and stuff, like how do you figure out where everything’s gonna fit for the commercial space? 

[00:21:54] David Cheung: Uh, well again, it starts with the program and the functional requirements. Uh, we’ll normally sort of, uh, iron that out, let the owner know, you know, this is what we can provide. Uh, but, uh, like when I first started our conversations, uh, you know, we’re not, the architect isn’t just a single individual. We’re working with a lot of, uh, other consultants. Uh, from the leasing side, there are a lot of brokers that are involved and, uh, um, Andrew, Mark and Tracey, they’re working with, uh, um, a leasing, uh, brokers right now that will go to the market and, uh, they’ll dictate, uh, they’ll write up, uh, uh, leasing agreements on, on, uh, potential, um, uh, tenants that may fit in here. Uh, but I think because this particular development is really, uh. It’s, uh, for the most part it is family oriented. We’re gonna have a, a, a, a major, in addition to the grocery store, a major, uh, child, childcare component, uh, is actually gonna be on Andmar five.

[00:22:51] It’s taken up, uh, two floors. Uh, it’ll, it’ll have a capacity of about, at least about 150, uh, uh, children, uh, with a rooftop play area. Uh, that particular commercial aspect might, might attract, you know, like a pet store, maybe, uh, like children’s, uh, clothing, uh, could attract, uh, uh, a dentist or a doctor, uh, a walk clinic per, perhaps. Uh, but at the same time we we’re also looking to see, uh, uh, if we can get banks, if we can get, uh, quick service restaurants, uh, if we can get a brew pub, uh, if we can get a more higher end restaurant. Uh, uh, and so it’s really a mix. There’s gonna be a lot for, for, for families, but I think, uh, because this is intended to be, uh, a mixed income, uh, uh, development, uh, a lot of other activities for, uh, uh, adults as well. 

[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. And making it so you can just go down and like, walk around and, and, or bike. He says, get a bike. What, how do you, uh, fit that as the architect to like, make sure that it feels, got that walkable, easy vibe that you can like bike around? 

[00:24:03] David Cheung: Well, that’s, uh, what’s so unique about this project and about this developer in particular. Uh, most developers, uh, actually don’t like to talk about that, don’t like to talk about open spaces, and if they could build, uh, on there instead, uh, they rather. And this is what, uh, really struck me about Mark. Uh, he was really into it. He, he, he want, uh, you know, I mentioned about Jeff Speck and Jane, uh, Jane Jacobs. Um, he’s really into, uh, urban planning and, and what makes a good development. And if it’s not walkable, uh, and, and, and I, I truly believe why, this is one of the reasons why he ended up, uh, creating a city per se. Because, because at this moment in time, if you are living in other areas of Chilliwack at the outskirt to, to go from point A to point B, you are driving. Andmar though has one of the largest, uh, and one of the few underground parking in most of the developments in, in, in Chilliwack.

[00:25:02] And so, uh, the biggest draw for this particular development is to underground all the parking. Uh, we do certainly have some surface parking and, uh, as one of the criteria for, uh. Uh, the, the grocery store there, they, they wanted more surface parking there. Uh, and, and that ultimately was, was, was provided to them. Uh, but, uh, but when you look at, uh, our, our, uh, site plan, you’ll notice that, um, there, there’s actually quite limited in terms of, uh, parking that you could park next to the building, per se. Most of the parking is actually gonna be underground. And that opens us up for a lot of, uh, pedestrian connections, uh, not just within Andmar, but you’re gonna be able to be, have connections to the elementary school that’s right next to us and to the high school that, uh, and park that’s also next to us. So, um, again, uh, uh, quite, uh, uh, um, amazing, uh, development to, to say the least. 

[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. We’re not trying to take your car away, but it’s trying to give us more options of people being able to walk or like even for the people living Andmar, he wanted them to be able to just pop down, grab the milk, grab the groceries, not have to get in the car and drive away. So I think what you guys are doing is, uh, pretty impressive. So one more question for each of you. What is something that you would tell somebody who’s thinking about moving to Andmar? 

[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. It’s the talk of the town and it will stand, uh, to be, you know, ultimately we’ve got 10 acres. This is the, the major city center of, of Sardis. So, um, definitely if you’re in the market for a condo, this is the place to be.

[00:26:51] David Cheung: And, and I would say that, uh, this is really a lifestyle center. Um, you are, you are moving here because, uh, you recognize, uh, the sophistication, uh, you recognize the independence, that you’ll, you’ll be able to, uh, uh, to, uh, uh, to get out of this project. Uh, it’s, it’s gonna be worry free. You know, you don’t have to worry about driving from one point to the other. You’re, you’re gonna be safe at home and you can just walk downstairs to, to go somewhere. So, uh, it’s, uh, a very informed site. Uh, we’ve, we’ve got, uh, a wonderful development team who really understands the Chilliwack market. And, um, and I think, uh, that’s, uh, that’s really what sets this particular development apart. 

[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. Um,

[00:27:46] Jennifer-Lee: You can only pick one design from it. 

[00:27:48] David Cheung: Yeah. Well, probably the community hub if, uh, uh, there’s, there, there’s also a hotel that’s, uh, potentially that could go in here as well. But the community hub, I, I would say that that’s really what’s gonna tie the whole project together. Uh, if, if you’ve interviewed Mark already, he might’ve mentioned something about, uh, you know, he, he really sees, uh, sort of these artist studio, uh, uh, a cafe or a brew pub. Uh, but what’s neat about this particular, uh, community hub is that it, it, it fronts, uh, of, of fairly large open area. And that open area is going to be, um, available for, uh, uh, musicians and artists to do live performances and that type of thing. Uh, and uh, so, you know, our vision is, you know, there’s gonna be string lights, uh, that’s put a, uh, across there. Uh, you’re gonna be able to, uh, uh, have, have family outings and, and be able to have a cup of coffee or if you wanna, if you want a drink or something like that, you can go there.

[00:28:43] Uh, it’s, it’s also gonna be a place where, uh, you might be able to have some remote work done, a little, little bit of office, uh, uh, and, uh, fitness center. Uh, I think that particular building is really gonna tie, tie this whole development together. And so, um, um, I, I would say that, uh, it doesn’t matter where you live, whether you live on the smaller side condos, uh, which is what they’re calling the city, or you live more the adult oriented communities, uh, uh, which is the buildings, the south, uh, because those are all, for the most part, uh, all residential. There’s no, there’s no commercial underneath there. That community hub is really gonna pull everything together, and it’s also gonna be the most unique in terms of the design. 

[00:29:21] Jennifer-Lee: That’s so exciting. I can picture it already. And, uh, Tracey, do you have a favorite part so far of Andmar?

[00:29:27] Tracey Klaver: Yeah, I do actually. And it, and it will be that, uh, community area. Um, we’re gonna have that area that is, um, pedestrian only, uh, no cars. Um, we’d love to implement, um, maybe like a night market, uh, something to that effect. There’ll be the area there to lay all that out. Maybe have, you know, a yoga studio in there that might do some outdoor, uh, yoga. Um, you know, so bringing the community together, um, you know, getting a coffee, sitting outside, getting some fresh air, talking to your neighbor, that kind of a thing. So I think it’s connectivity that is, um, that is really gonna be enhanced in this type of development.

[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. And we’ve lost that sense of community and now we’re starting to get it back and I think Andmar is a great place to start. So thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast. I really appreciate it.

[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.