Hillside Centre is one of BC’s foremost examples of what a large commercial property can do to lessen its environmental footprint.
Sharp & Diamond has been involved with the evolution of Hillside Centre in Victoria, BC since 1993. In 2008, the shopping centre undertook an $80-million renovation and expansion, adding over 150,000ft2 of retail space – including the addition of Target, Marshalls, HMV, and 20 new retail boutiques. (Of course, the Target has since been replaced.) Due to the mall’s close proximity to Bowker Creek, the design team and the client chose to incorporate several low-impact development features within the parking area and road frontage to provide treatment of stormwater runoff, thereby lessening the mall’s impervious footprint. Rain gardens, permeable pavers, a ground water recharge cistern, oil/grit interceptors, and an increase in vegetation remove over 80% of total suspended solids and provide a reduction in phosphorus and nitrogen loads.
Safe and convenient pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular access as well as good connections to transit were driving features of the new site layout. The pedestrianization of Hillside’s previously vehicle-oriented outside space helps to recapture some of the welcoming allure of a traditional shopping street. Four pedestrian promenades leading from the site’s perimeter to the main entrance are comprised of twin rows of trees and contain multiple bike racks. Additionally, there are pedestrian activity nodes around the perimeter of the centre and a wide sidewalk creating a Main Street effect. Stores, restaurants, and cafes open up on to sidewalks with benches, tables, and chairs. These spaces obtain their character and charm from tall shade trees, flowerpots, and colourful planting beds.
Sharp & Diamond was happy to have Hillside Mall recognized in The Association of Professional Engineers and Geosciences of British Columbia’s 2014 winter Innovation magazine alongside some truly remarkable projects, (the Sea to Sky Gondola, the Coquitlam UV Disinfection Project, and SFU’s Green Images project, to name a few).
Hillside Project Credits:
– Client/Owner: Triovest Investment Management
– Civil Engineer: Bruce Crawshaw, P. Eng. (Westbrook Consulting)
– Landscape Archtect: Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture
– Architects: MMC Architecture, CEI Architecture
– Contractor: Ellis Don-Kinetic Joint Venture