Housing for Women by Women

08 Mar Housing for Women by Women

In honour of International Women’s Day, we would like to put a spotlight on the SIV (Soroptimist International of Vancouver) Housing for Women by Women project.

Developed by an all-woman team, the Housing for Women by Women project is unique in the way it takes a gender-based approach to housing. It’s inspiring to see women leaders from across the industry work together to design and develop this project.

About the Project

This new development will be located at 546 West 13th Avenue in Vancouver. It will replace an existing two-storey rental building that’s currently on the 14,520 square foot site.

The new building will be 13 storeys and include 135 residences of various sizes: studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. The site will also contain a shared garden, outdoor meeting area, and event space.

This first-of-its-kind residential development will be geared toward seniors, single mothers and their children, and working women. The project’s goals include diversity, integration of all ages, safety, well-being, and environmental sustainability.

An Award Winner

Although construction hasn’t started, the project has already won a Female Frontier Award as Highly Commended in 2022!

The judges of the 2022 WAN (World Architecture News) Female Frontiers Awards selected the team working on this project as a Highly Commended entry in the Team of the Year category. The Female Frontier Awards recognize remarkable, talented, and visionary women of all ages.

Engineering a Better Sound World

We at BKL are honoured to have been involved with this unique project, which inspires inclusion and will provide peace of mind to the women who will call this place home.

We delivered acoustical design solutions to control exterior noise emissions for compliance with the city’s noise bylaw, sound isolation of demising walls and floors, and noise control for internal mechanical equipment.

We’re proud that an all-woman team contributed to this amazing project. One of our Senior Consultants, Katrina said, “It’s exciting and a feel-good moment to be working together on an all-female team to provide safe, affordable, and sustainable housing for women and their children.”

An Assistant Project Consultant, Jessica, also contributed to the project. “It is fascinating that the electrical, mechanical, and structural consultants were all women,” she said.

Thank you to everyone who made this project happen. We look forward to seeing the construction and commissioning of the building, and hope it inspires similar projects in the future.

If you have an upcoming project and need an acoustical consultant, get in touch with us! Katrina, Jessica, or any of our 22 other acousticians would love to bring their expertise to the job. Contact us.

Written by Sarah Hawthorne Gahan