Mountain Vista Apartments

Summary

Located on a brownfield site rooted in Nanaimo’s mining history, the Mountain Vista Apartments strive to foster a community where different generations, cultures and backgrounds interact in a meaningful way to create a sense of belonging. With thoughtful consideration of both diversity and connection, this project hones its focus on resident engagement, not only with each other, but with their natural surroundings as well.

The layout of the buildings—residential apartments arranged around a central amenity building—fosters a welcoming community-oriented atmosphere by reinforcing strong connections between residents. Conceptually, the amenity building serves as a “hearth,” a central gathering place that highlights social interaction and meaningful connection. The warm, inviting nature of the amenity building, surrounded by forest, evokes the symbolic warmth of a campfire, while the surrounding apartment buildings reciprocate a colour response through warm and cool tones that vary in relation to distance from the central amenity building. In all phases of design, the Mountain Vista Apartments emphasizes the natural scenic views while honouring the history of the location, culminating into a project that mindfully weaves itself into the existing fabric of the site.