Amica at the Gorge is a landmark seniors’ residence that represents more than a decade of collaborative planning, advocacy, and design. Situated on the former site of a motor hotel and gas station at the corner of Gorge and Admirals, the project transformed a complex, contaminated site into a vital community asset and one of Saanich’s gateway buildings.

From the outset, extensive community engagement shaped the development. With strong initial resistance in a single-family neighbourhood, our team undertook an inclusive process—door-to-door conversations, open houses, and school-based forums—to listen and adapt. Historic elements, such as relocating and repurposing the Brookman Store, honoured the site’s memory. Relationships were also forged with nearby Craigflower Elementary, where over 90% of students are from the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. A reading program paired elders with children, building intergenerational bonds and grounding the project in reciprocal community benefit.

The design process evolved alongside shifts in ownership and operational models, requiring agility and deep coordination across disciplines. The resulting 144-unit residence integrates independent and assisted living with a dedicated dementia care wing, making it a highly complex building in terms of fire and life safety, impeded egress zones, and structural demands on unstable clay soils. Through close collaboration with consultants and clients, the team maintained clarity on budgets, timelines, and regulatory approvals, ultimately securing rezoning and overcoming significant environmental and geotechnical challenges.

Environmental sensitivity was central to the project’s DNA. A robust building envelope with low window-to-wall ratios ensures energy efficiency, while durable construction supports long-term asset management. Landscapes, courtyards, and a fully accessible therapeutic garden create resilient “canvases” for resident life, enabling social connection, seasonal adaptation, and active participation in gardening. While rapid climate change outpaced early modeling assumptions on cooling, the building remains adaptable for retrofits, with shading strategies identified for future resilience.

Amica at the Gorge stands as a testament to perseverance, inclusive dialogue, and regenerative thinking—an urban seniors’ community deeply connected to its neighbourhood, its Indigenous context, and its natural environment.