Tall & Urban News

RPB Hotels and Resorts has selected HDR to provide architectural design services for the development of a new 82-suite, 12-story mass timber constructed Ramada Hotel in Kelowna, British Columbia.

The City of Kelowna was an early adopter of British Columbia’s new regulations allowing mass timber construction of up to 12 stories. The development will not only be potentially the tallest mass timber tower in the city, but a positive contribution to the community by providing more centrally located hotel accommodations and pedestrian-friendly access to other amenities.

The tower will be constructed using partial encapsulation and exposed CLT (cross-laminated timber), in addition to glulam (glue-laminated timber). The new hotel will provide three different suite typologies with access via a single-loaded corridor, daylit from north and south. The development is divided between façade articulation and material treatments, distinguishing street-level retail amenities, the hotel’s main lobby and two penthouse suites, which are recessed from the main suite block on the west elevation. The façade’s glass projection, which captures common space on each floor for guests to socialize, will showcase the innovative mass timber design and construction.

The proposed hotel is located on the southwestern portion of the existing hotel site, which is currently a surface parking lot. The design team proposes to minimize the disruption of the existing infrastructure by providing a small development presence. Despite the challenging footprint, the development will provide a landscape buffer on all sides in accordance with city requirements. As part of Kelowna’s many green initiatives, the proposed development will provide four on-site vehicle charging stations, along with bicycle storage.

Construction is anticipated to commence in 2021.

For more on this story, go to HDR.