Three Awards of Merit For Nanaimo Construction Firm
The experienced team at Saywell Contracting is made up of professional and personable leaders who have many years of experience in the construction industry and have helped contribute to economic growth on Vancouver Island, and throughout BC.
NANAIMO – Three out of three.
Saywell Contracting Ltd. entered three projects in the 14th Annual Vancouver Island Commercial Building Awards this year, and won awards for each of them.
The Virage and VIMHS Rosehill in Affordable Housing and Nanaimo Innovation Academy Classroom in Community Institutional each won Awards of Merit in their categories, continuing what has become a tradition: Coming home with awards from the event, which celebrates the best in commercial, industrial and revenue-producing properties from the Malahat to Port Hardy in 2020.
Saywell Contracting Ltd. was founded in 1998 by Sheldon Saywell when he was approached by a client who asked him if he could tender the remediation of his very first multi-family remediation project. Sheldon’s efforts proved successful, and the firm experienced substantial growth period between 1998 and 2005.
The Virage
The company undertook their first new multi-residential project, a 35-unit condominium in 2005. From there, the company increased their service base to incorporate Construction Management services. As the firm continued successfully building relationships with several sophisticated clients and valued trade partners, the company experienced substantial growth once again, and has now expanded into two locations, in Nanaimo, and Courtenay.
Today, the firm houses a balanced team of Constructors, Project Managers, and Project Coordinators dedicated to the vision of focusing and serving client’s values and needs. The firm’s services currently range from Preconstruction, Construction Management and General Contracting skills that help clients fulfill the construction of their multi-residential projects, commercial buildings, tenant improvements, and building envelope remediations.
Nanaimo Innovation Academy
The Virage is a four-storey wood frame structure at 1608 Bowen Road that features a distinct exterior configuration. The building is curve-shaped and as the levels of the building increase, the floorplans shift from one side to the other.
This was the first building in Nanaimo to be built under CMHC’s Flex Affordable Housing Program, with rents below market and a cap on increases for 10 years.
The building offers a total of 48 modern rental units from studio suites to two bedrooms and leased out in under 4 weeks.
A rain harvesting system comprised of a 960-gallon cistern was installed for water to be reused by tenants to wash their vehicles. Six car charging stations and bike racks were also installed underneath as an incentive for tenants to commute greener.
VIMHS (Vancouver Island Mental Health) Rosehill, at 285 Rosehill Street, is a modern affordable housing project provides housing and rehabilitative services for vulnerable adult citizens with mental health diagnoses, addiction, or cognitive challenges.
Constructed to BC Energy Code Step 3 and BC Housings most current energy guidelines, the Step 3 value and BC Housing Construction Guidelines targets were exceeded for the entire building as well as airtightness from suite to suite.
Vancouver Island Mental Health Society (VIMHS) Rosehill
The design and construction of the entire facility was meticulously thought out and applied to maximize the rehabilitative purposes of the space for the end user.
Nanaimo Innovation Academy at 905 Hecate Street is a newly constructed classroom building added to the Nanaimo Innovation Academy Daycare that allowed for a much-needed increased daycare capacity for Nanaimo.
The building is modern in character and features a 17’ high sloped roof with clerestory windows. The classroom features built-in cubbies and plenty of cabinet storage for supplies above the cubbies. For accessibility purposes, a ramp was installed and designed in a way that provides a courtyard effect.
This content is sponsored by:
BRONZE: Focal Engineering, Sorenson Trilogy, Holtzman Construction, Nanaimo’s Flooring Depot, Athecon Projects, Viking Reinforcing, M2 Architecture
SILVER: United Floors, The Finishing Store, DenMar Electric, Faucet Plumbing, Ron’s Drywall, Windsor Plywood
GOLD: Millstone Heating & Sheet Metal, Faucet Plumbing & Heating Ltd, Fineline Roadmarking