Safety and Quality
Without Compromise
A Case Study of Renewing the Envelope of Kitsilano Point
About Kitsilano Point
Kitsilano Point is a three-level complex built in 1977 with 33 units. The property is located at Laburnum Street and Cornwall Avenue in the popular Kitsilano subarea of Vancouver West. The complex is nestled within a vibrant, urban community, with local amenities, entertainment and recreational facilities, schools, and restaurants within a short distance, including the famous Kits Beach and Pool. Its close proximity to Kingsway and other major thoroughfare allows for easy communities to nearby destinations like North Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond. Each unit in the building features a spacious balcony, a private patio for ground-level units, underground parking, a bike room, elevators, and large storage lockers.
Rejuvenating the Weary Building into a Vibrant Living Space
The building previously underwent a maintenance and replacement of roofs and balconies in 2011, while the boiler was replaced in 2010. Because of the building’s age, its envelope components were suffering from deterioration and thermal issues. The roofs and balconies were also due for maintenance and needed to be revitalized and waterproofed. Of note is the building’s roofline —comprising the fascia, soffits, bargeboards, antefixes and cladding—which were showing significant wear and tear and needed to be restructured. The building’s owners and managers are also looking into modernizing the aesthetics of the property so that it’s more in line with the vibrant and urban feel of the community.
Breathing New Life into Kitsilano Point
New City partnered with Kitsilano Point’s owners and building managers to conduct a comprehensive envelope renewal. We also worked with the property’s residents to ensure the safety and quality of the work that will be done to the building.The scope of work included a wide-ranging work on the building envelope, balconies, roofs, windows, doors, ground floor decks, landscaping, and installation of new furnishings and fixtures. Upon further survey and inspection of the property, there were unexpected issues that required removal, repair, update, and reinstallation. To ensure optimal safety and quality, additional work had to be carried out. Some of them included the following:
- Provision of facilities to conduct construction work
- Environmental services
- Demolition, removal, and disposal of deteriorating materials
- Repair of deteriorated concrete and suspended concrete slabs
- Installation of new guardrails, carpentry, and wood trimming
- Application of hot rubberized asphalt membrane and traffic coating
- Installation of insulation and sprayed foam insulation
- Additional mechanical and electrical work
Complete Envelope Renewal in 4 Months
All in all, we were able to complete the project within just four months, which was way ahead of schedule. It is an accomplishment in itself given that the project involved a comprehensive and complete building envelope renewal. There was no compromise to the quality of our work. The building’s owners and managers saw firsthand how all the work wasdone in sequence. They also thoroughly scrutinized the building after the New City team completed the project and demobilized its staff and resources and found work up to spec.The main drivers of this successful project are the proactive approach to our communication with the residents and stakeholders and our partnerships with the trades, consultants, and an engineering firm that were able to fast-track our work without compromising quality and safety.
