The Shipyards has been recognized with an Excellence on the Waterfront Award in the Top Honour category by The Waterfront Center, and an Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award in the Transformative Project category by the National Trust for Canada. 

DIALOG’s team proudly provided architectural, and mechanical and structural engineering services for this mixed-use project that saw the redevelopment of a waterfront site in North Vancouver who’s history dated back to World War II. Once a thriving industrial space used for shipbuilding, the space sat dormant for decades before a final concept was agreed upon with construction starting in 2017. These awards give recognition to the project’s respect to both the natural environment it inhabits, and the historical significance it embodies.

Since opening in 2019, The Shipyards has breathed new life into the Lower Lonsdale area, and acts as a hub for the community to gather, play, and connect. A reimagined machine shop, known as “Shipyard Commons,” is at the center of the design, featuring a public skating plaza in the winter and a splash park in the summer. The retractable roof on the west side emulates the character of structures familiar within the vernacular of the Shipyards area. The second structure – housing a boutique hotel and restaurant – adopts a contemporary form and act as a foil to the heritage character of the machine shop.

Congratulations to the entire project team, Quay Property Management Corp., and our collaborators, including: Bunt & Associates, Core Group Consultants, Darwin Construction, Evolution Building Science, Geopacific Consultants, HAPA Collaborative, PGL Environmental Consultants, BKL Consultants Ltd., and WSP.