By: Perry King
Don Coggins, Glacier Creek’s marketing
---------------------------------------------------------
and sales manager, in an interview, says that
Glacier Creek Contracting has gained rec-
in this competitive industry, regardless of
ognition for their award-winning work on
the size and cost of the project, or whether
the Vancouver Olympics Athletes’ Village in
it’s public or private in nature, the company
Whistler, British Columbia in 2010, but their
approaches any challenge with open-mind-
impact on British Columbia has been signifi-
edness and pragmatism.
cant for decades.
“No matter what we’re building, we take
Created by Eric Prall, Glacier Creek has
a team approach to it,” explains Coggins,
built everything from 25-storey high rises to
who is a relative new comer to the indus-
single family homes in Manitoba, Saskatch-
try, “we’ll start with the architect, and we
ewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Set-
do work with a number of them, and look at
tling in Whistler, BC, with a skilled team at
what they’re doing and how they’re doing it
the pre-build and build stages, Glacier Creek
and get involved very early in what they’re
looks to establish a strong rapport with their
designing.”
clients and partners at the early stage of any
project.
72 business elite canada H July 2014
Weighing costs and benefits, and providJuly 2014 H business elite canada 73
ing foresight at the sub-trade, contracting and
well. Glacier Creek was rewarded about 50
systems, the Whistler Development Corpora-
four single-family homes, all pre sold to WHA
development levels, Coggins says Glacier Creek
per cent of the entire build. The projects were
tion pushed the envelope on environmental
members. “We put together a complete pack-
wants to establish “a solid green base for any
completed on time and on budget — provid-
best practices. Glacier Creek’s portion of the
age for people,” said Coggins, “we arranged for
project,” develop a practical budget and estab-
ing accommodations for thousands of Olympic
Village amounted to a little over $34 million in
the financing, working to a strict schedule with
lish best practices to prevent cost overruns and
and Paralympic athletes, then converting them
construction value. The Canadian Home Build-
our team to ensure move in timetables were
solidify construction timelines.
to affordable townhome and apartment units
ers’ Association of BC rewarded Glacier Creek
met, so that these homes were truly afford-
for residents once the Games ended.
with a 2010 Gold Georgie for best public-pri-
able.”
vate partnership for Lot 6.
This attention to detail has gained Glacier
The units are all environmentally friendly,
Creek a 14-year working relationship with the
From milling fallen fir trees from Vancouver’s
Whistler Housing Authority (WHA). When the
Stanley Park — they fell during a windstorm —
The Rainbow Project is another good example
certified Built Green, Gold, and six of the units
contracts for the 2010 Olympic Athlete’s Vil-
and using them in the timberwork of some of
of this. In 2010, working with the WHA, Glacier
were built with solar-assisted domestic hot wa-
lage came up, this relationship served them
the buildings, to tying into the district energy
Creek Pacific Contracting built 76 duplexes and
ter and space heating. All these homes were
74 business elite canada H July 2014
July 2014 H business elite canada 75
designed with a “high performance building
“That housing should not just be affordable
envelope” consisting of spray foam insulation
to buy, it should be affordable to live in as well,”
throughout, triple gazed windows and heat re-
said Coggins.
covery ventilators.
Glacier Creek has split into three divisions,
The Rainbow project earned Glacier Creek
each with a separate focus. Glacier Creek Con-
2010 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corpo-
tracting Ltd. and Glacier Creek Pacific Contract-
ration (CMHC) national award for best practices
ing Ltd. both focus on projects but the former
in affordable housing — an honour they shared
division focuses on projects of larger size and
with the WHA. Glacier Creek was also named
scope, which value in the tens of millions of
the 2010 BC Hydro Power Smart Residential
dollars, while the latter focuses on individual
Builder of the Year for the same project.
homes and customized projects. The third division, Glacier Creek Insulation Ltd., provides in-
That award and others help reinforce the
company’s main philosophy.
76 business elite canada H July 2014
sulation services that supports the company’s
environmental initiatives on their building proj-
July 2014 H business elite canada 77
high
perfor-
mance athletes,
to build a second
campus in Pemberton.
struction
Conwill
start in August
after the Pemberton
Music
Festival and The
Hill Academy Pacific will be open
and ready for
the 2015–2016
academic year.
This project will
proceed on a
phased
basis
and consists off
an
ects and to other contractors.
velope issues and insulation needs — that better insulation increases the value of your home
“The insulation company started primarily
and lowers monthly living costs.
because we wanted to have complete control
Academic
Building, FieldEach year, the company’s housing portfolio is
growing and diversifying. In addition to a cur-
house and 6 dormitory buildings with a potential for a future Ice Arena.
rent project in the Wedgewood neighbour-
of all quality control and scheduling for this
“When you put that into practice, it is one
hood of Whistler, they currently have housing
Future Glacier Creek plans to continue to
part of the construction,” Coggins explained.
of the most important thing you can do when
projects under way at the Maples and Crumpit
achieve consistent workloads in the Sea to
According to Coggins, citing a 2009 Canadian
building,” he said. “Make sure a house is sealed
Woods in Squamish.
Sky Corridor while maintaining innovative ap-
Mortgage and Housing Corporation study, 85
and insulated properly, and that’s going to have
per cent of the value of a net zero homes comes
a financial benefit on operating costs and for
from 15 per cent of the cost by addressing en-
resale as energy costs continue to rise.”
78 business elite canada H July 2014
proaches to balancing the cost of delivering
Glacier Creek is working the Hill Academy, a
Toronto-based sports academy focused around
high performance energy efficient homes with
affordability.
July 2014 H business elite canada 79