MISSISSAUGA, ON, February 23, 2023 /CNW/ – Maple Reinders is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the contract to construct the Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building in Colwood, BC, lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) Territory, following an extensive procurement and partnership process with the Province British ColumbiaRoyal BC Museum and Esquimalt and Songhee’s nations.

The new facility will be a progressive, sustainable and culturally sensitive building that will serve as a community and learning center for the region. Upon completion, the new facility will house the Royal BC Museum’s collections, research departments, learning spaces and BC Archives. Solid timber construction will be used extensively and the building will meet CleanBC energy efficiency standards and be LEED Gold certified.

Key areas of the collections and research building will be open to the public, facilitating community access to the collections and museum staff. Visitors can interact with displays and artifacts that shed light on the province’s history, and watch researchers at work in person and online at the media center. The BC Archives will continue to provide the province with research access to archival records of enduring value in this new, state-of-the-art environment.

“We are honored to have been selected to design and build this important cultural facility,” he said Ruben Scholtens, Vice President of Major Projects at Maple Reinders Group. “Our team strives to create a world-class facility that not only serves as a community and center of learning, but also reflects and respects the deep cultural connections that local Indigenous peoples have to the place where the facility will stand. There is a vibrant and compelling story that needs to be told, and we’re thrilled at the prospect of being able to help tell it.”

Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in the coming months, with completion expected in 2026.

Over the maple…