For travelers arriving at the mid-Vancouver Island area, The Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal is certainly a “sight for sore eyes”!

Canadian firm Checkwitch Poiron Architects was honored for its design of this new 13,700-square-foot cruise ship terminal building by Shaw Contract Group, a company that honors architecture and design firms that are changing the very idea of what design is. Out of 285 entries from 19 countries, five firms were given this award.

As the building site was formerly used for the processing and storage of wood products, the architects wanted to incorporate the region’s values into the design. They therefore used a variety of wood products to connect to the past and echo the region’s rich natural resources.

Photo courtesy of HA Photography

Local artist Noel Brown was commissioned to design a custom work of art which was printed onto a large roll-screen. And, a native plant garden, designed by landscape architect Nancy Mackin, was positioned between the building and the water’s edge.

“With less than 12 months to design and build this project, we had to work quickly to communicate our ideas,” says David Poiron, one of the principals of Checkwitch Poiron Architects. “The hybrid environment in Vectorworks software allowed us to move easily between 2D and 3D. “It’s also beneficial to have a program that can handle the entire design process including the production of final renderings.”

Photo courtesy of HA Photography

The Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal has also won Best Commercial Building 2012 from the BC Wood Council, Most Innovative Curtain Wall Product from Glass Magazine, and the Best Office Building 2012 from the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board.

Checkwitch Poiron Architects Inc. – Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal from Shaw Contract Group on Vimeo.