Silva Bay Hotel & Marina – Gabriola Island, BC.
Tourism + Waterfront Development.
A phased coastal redevelopment balancing guest experience with environmental constraints.
Client
Silva Bay Hotel & Marina
Architect-of-Record
Blue Sky Architecture
Project Architect
Tom Kenny Design (BOS Studio)
Budget
$15M
Status
In construction
Coastal renewal with strong foundations.
Silva Bay is a cherished marina at the edge of the Salish Sea. The redevelopment introduces a boutique hotel, dining, and spa, alongside essential infrastructure upgrades – modern wastewater treatment, fire protection, and seawall works – to secure the site’s long-term future.
BOS Studio provided design management and technical leadership through approvals into construction, coordinating engineers, environmental consultants, and island authorities.
The aim: preserve coastal character while elevating the guest experience. Buildings step with the shoreline, materials weather well in a marine climate, and public access to the waterfront is improved. This is careful tourism – measured growth that protects what people love about Gabriola while enabling a resilient year-round operation.
Images courtesy of Blue Sky Architecture.
Infrastructure-first strategy for island conditions.
Strategic design approach:
We led with infrastructure first, sequencing critical services to unlock hospitality investment. Environmental constraints –limited water supply, shoreline stability, and habitat sensitivity – drove sizing and siting.
The architecture uses durable, locally appropriate materials and clear servicing zones to simplify maintenance over the asset’s life.
