Darwin Construction

As part of a resort project in British Columbia, Darwin Construction is building a conference facility to lure conventions to a small resort town, bringing jobs to the area, both construction and post-construction, Andrew Pelis learnsLocated in CanadaÔÇÖs only official desert, a boom in property construction is unfolding. The town of Osoyoos is situated in British Columbia, with the picturesque setting of Lake Osoyoos only four minutes from the US border; indeed, the lake itself sits in both countries. The townÔÇÖs appeal is its beautiful summer climate, and the weather has, of course, played a huge role in the regionÔÇÖs growing wine reputation in recent years. Consequently, the town has become a popular destination for the retired, and as more people have ÔÇ£discoveredÔÇØ the Okanagan region, demand for property has grown. ÔÇ£For this reason, Darwin Construction opened an office here in 2007 to add to our Vancouver and Southern California offices,ÔÇØ explains Herb Wycherley, vice president construction and part owner of the Vancouver-based business. ÔÇ£Osoyoos has become a popular destination town for summertime users, with its picturesque lake. Indeed, the population of 5,000 can swell to as much as four times that number during the summer months when the weather becomes very hot. With the climate we enjoy in the Okanagan Valley, British ColumbiaÔÇÖs wine industry is burgeoning, and this has become a very desirable region for baby boomers to retire to.ÔÇØWycherley co-owns Darwin with the father-and-son team of David and Oliver Webbe. In addition to his VP role, he is the project manager on the most significant construction project in Osoyoos: the Watermark Beach Resort. ÔÇ£The site is situated on the most prime piece of property in Osoyoos, overlooking the lake, and replaces the former fruit-packing house, which was demolished in 2002. The new building will be the showcase of Osoyoos and is the start of the townÔÇÖs modernization program,ÔÇØ states Wycherley.ÔÇ£The site comprises one large resort building and five others containing six townhouse condominiums in each. The largest building will be a four-story wooden structure, with two levels of concrete underground parkingÔÇösomething the town has never had before. There are a total of 153 residential units, and the building also contains a large high-end restaurant, a high-end wine bar and another sidewalk caf├®. In addition, there will be seven converted storefront units available for leasing and a spa.ÔÇØOne of the main features of the project is the development of two convention rooms, something that will enable Osoyoos to host corporate events. ÔÇ£The town has never had a facility like this before,ÔÇØ explains Wycherley, ÔÇ£and it was a requirement on the development permit that we include two convention rooms.ÔÇØ Upon completion, the units will be sold as condominiums in a hotel-type arrangement. When not present at the resort, owners will have the option of renting out their units through a management company called Boutique Hotels of BC. All units are furnished identically and include full kitchens.Darwin Construction aims to have the entire project completed in summer 2009, but along the way it has had to meet several challenges. The townÔÇÖs size and remoteness presented a major difficulty, as Wycherley describes, ÔÇ£The town has a year-round population of just 5,000, so you can imagine there were not many people with the skills we needed to complete this project. To recruit from Vancouver required a four-hour drive, and otherwise weÔÇÖve recruited workers from towns further north, the nearest one being a one-hour drive. It has certainly been difficult finding support trades in Osoyoos, and a lot of travel time has been spent on this project.ÔÇØ Additionally, the construction of the two underground concrete garages required Darwin to shore up the highway using a unique underpinning system. While the Watermark beach Resort Project is not LEED-focused, Darwin Construction has developed an excellent reputation in LEED work in Vancouver, where it has worked on a number of government housing projects.What the project does symbolize, however, is the companyÔÇÖs strategy to diversify into property ownership, as Wycherley explains, ÔÇ£Our building was designed by an experienced architect out of Vancouver, and as a four-story building itÔÇÖs unique, as the town is small and other buildings stand merely two stories tall. The owners had previously submitted designs that were always rejected by the townÔÇÖs residents.ÔÇ£David Webbe had been involved in this property for about six years,ÔÇØ he continues, ÔÇ£having purchased the original property, and he really pushed this project through, including finding financial partners, so the project stayed with Darwin throughout, and we undertook the construction without facing competition. The development team has worked with us in the past, so you could say itÔÇÖs a hand-picked team of professionals.ÔÇ£We donÔÇÖt bid for work very often,ÔÇØ Wycherley goes on, ÔÇ£and tend to gain most of our work through negotiations. ItÔÇÖs in the last six years that weÔÇÖve stepped into the development market, purchasing and developing our own buildings. WeÔÇÖre looking at other property in the Okanagan region, but given the current climate, weÔÇÖre doing so very cautiously. Even so, weÔÇÖre very excited at the opportunity to diversify.ÔÇØThe Watermark Beach Resort project is one example of how the new strategy can really fly. Already 85 percent of the units have been sold, and Wycherley says that Darwin is ÔÇ£extremely happy with the results.ÔÇØThe bulk of the construction work is now complete, and crews are busying themselves with landscaping and working on the giant courtyard now. Additionally, drywall work is now being undertaken inside, with work taking place on finish flooring, the installation of cabinets and other interior finishes.The project has created several hundred construction jobs, and post-completion Wycherley estimates there should be another 50 to 100 permanent jobs throughout the year in Osoyoos, with those numbers growing in the popular summer months. ÔÇ£Post-construction there are huge benefits for Osoyoos; the Watermark Beach Resort project is a huge boost for the town,ÔÇØ he concludes. ÔÇô Editorial research by Michael Fretwell