Nanaimo Company’s Projects Earn Pair Of Vancouver Island Commercial Building Awards
Tectonica team members celebrating at the Vancouver Island Commercial Building Awards. From left: Bob Moss, Cal Cooke, Cynthia Dyer, Katie Webber, Chris Ackerman, Darren Moss, Karin Barker, David Poiron, Florian Schulz and Michelle Hall
By Mark MacDonald, Business Examiner
NANAIMO – Tectonica Management added two more awards to their growing collection at the 17th Annual Vancouver Island Commercial Building Awards April 11 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
But it was the final award, the Judges’ Choice, Best Overall Entry, for the Discover Montessori School on Jingle Pot Road in Nanaimo that stood above the rest, as the Best Overall Entry in the celebration of the best of the best in industrial, commercial, institutional and revenue-producing buildings north of the Malahat.
“We are thrilled for Discover Montessori School being chosen for the Judges Choice award,” says Director/Project Manager Darren Moss. “Cynthia Dyer and Karin Barker spent years securing funding, choosing the property, and getting approvals in place to build the project on ALR (Agricultural Land Reserve) land.
With the school’s mission to be light on the land and protect our natural resources, Checkwitch Poiron Architects designed the school to a CaGBC Zero Carbon Standard,” he adds. “We had an amazing team of consultants, trades and staff who worked hard to get the school ready for the 2023-2024 school year. As construction managers, we love working with clients who are passionate about their projects and where we can add significant value to the construction process.”
Discover Montessori School also won the Award of Excellence in the Community Institutional category, and the Duo Townhomes project Tectonica built in Parksville was chosen as the top Multi-Family Townhouse development.
Tectonica was founded in 2005 by four original partners, and eight partners are active in the company today, which is run by three directors: Moss leading the large project division, Florian Schulz the small to medium size division and Michelle Hall as Office Manager.
“The projects that won both categories had significant efforts made in Environmental stewardship and it’s nice to see those efforts rewarded,” says Hall.
Duo involved the deconstruction of existing homes and ongoing construction recycling organized in partnership with the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange, the results of which were featured in the April 2023 edition of the Regional District of Nanaimo Construction Waste Best Practices Guide. Discover Montessori, has already won the 2023 BC Embodied Carbon Award.
Tectonica was pleased to see the Duo Townhomes project recognized.
“We are happy to see that the efforts behind the scenes on this project were acknowledged as well as the quality construction of the homes,” Hall states. “The reuse and recycling efforts in the deconstruction of the existing homes on the property followed Tectonica’s goal to keep environmental sustainability a big part of our decision-making process.”
The ‘Duo’ concept involved designing units with two primary bedrooms.
“The vision for the project was to create spaces that allow people to downsize without downgrading and feel like they are part of a community,” she says. “Many people worry about moving into a multi-family development because they don’t want to be disturbed by their neighbors. Significant improvements were made in the wall construction between units to make sure occupants can enjoy their homes in peace.”
Tectonica also entered a project in Ehthlateese Village on the Kildonan Inlet, where they have spent four years working with the Uchucklesaht Tribe to rebuild their traditional village and add services for their Citizens living in and returning to the community.
“Tectonica was founded with the goal of providing a better experience to clients throughout the construction process,” Hall notes. “Our mission is to add value to the construction process with an emphasis on collaboration, trust and most importantly client satisfaction.
“Staying true to our mission through a period of significant growth, we have prioritized leadership and mindfulness training for all of our staff to help create a consistent experience for our clients across projects.”
That includes making sure their staff utilize their resources to prioritize their health and mental well-being.
“We’re working with Patricia Galaczy from Royal Roads University, providing company-wide sessions on mindful communication, resiliency and leadership,” Hall adds. “It’s an ongoing process that has allowed our team to build connections and gain skills that help not just with work but the challenges of everyday life.”
“Our success is our team and our connections to our community. We have a lot of very skilled and hardworking people that power our projects and go above and beyond for our clients and the community.”