Client: Select Contracts (Lead Consultant) / Whistler Blackcomb
Construction Cost: $60m
The proposed Whistler Blackcomb Indoor Waterpark is a multilevel 145,000sqft state-of-the art facility located in Whistler, B.C. The proposed site of the water park is situated at Base 2 of Whistler Blackcomb, currently serving as a ski-out zone from Blackcomb Mountain. Base 2 has for some time been considered by Whistler Blackcomb to be an ideal hub for the continuing development of both existing and future amenities and recreational facilities.
This project proposes to realize this potential, establishing a major entertainment focus whilst also providing synergy with the mountain’s existing facilities and operations. This entertainment hub will connect Blackcomb Mountain with both Whistler Village and the Upper Village via a unique vantage point.
Inevitably there are over-riding challenges at every location in the world where leisure projects are developed due fundamentally to lack of planning; insufficient time being allowed for development at the planning stage; lack of understanding of purpose built leisure projects that do not fit the standard mould of residential or hospitality; allowance for unknowns in these complicated projects; subcontractors working individually; shortage of resource; access and ground conditions being just a few. In Whistler, many of these issues are prevalent but most significant is the resource pool and escalating cost of construction compared even to the lower mainland where costs can be as much as 30 to 40% less. Layered over all of this is the limited window for construction at over 2000 feet above sea level.