Meet The Foothills Team: HDR Architects
We continue our meet The Foothills team series with a closer look at the group bringing the architectural vision for the future Village site to life. We spoke with Jim Aalders with HDR Architects to discuss plans that are well under way for design of The Village at The Foothills.
When Jim showed up to The Foothills site for the first time with his mountain bike as chosen tour vehicle, it was a good sign that HDR was the right fit to create the Village design. As architect with award winning architecture firm HDR, the group is an important part of The Foothills team creating a centre village that will serve as the heart for residents.
“I see The Foothills being similar in feel to the Village of Cumberland. You have your bike shops, hostel, brewery, and restaurants all walkable and surrounded in nature,” shared Jim. “You start your ride in a gorgeous natural setting and end back with friends for a beer on a patio.”
HDR Architecture is a leading global architect firm with over 200 offices internationally and ranked top 3 in the World Architecture 100 survey. When asked what makes HDR unique in their field Jim shared, “We try not to be like other firms out there. The HDR team consists of experts covering many disciplines – engineers, environmental specialists etc. that provide a great cross section of talents, so when we meet a challenge, we can come to the table with unique solutions that will ultimately best support the community design”.
The HDR team has played a pivotal role in the design of the homes at Lot 1, the soon to be Foothills show home. They are currently working on the design of The Village as well as the next phase of homes - multifamily buildings.
Jim notes the primary challenge with designing The Foothills Village is working with the topography and the vast environmental sensitive zones and surrounding ecosystem. “While posing a significant design challenge, there is a great opportunity to create something that is uniquely set in its place and feels part of The Foothills ecosystem. When I look at what we are creating, it couldn’t be built just anywhere in BC – it is unique to the region and will become an integral part of the landscape and greater Lantzville community.”
