The Granary at Southlands

The Granary is situated in the heart of Southlands, an “Agri-Hood” in Tsawwassen, BC, envisioned by Century Group Developments as a residential community intrinsically connected to the land and to the agricultural cycles of growing food that surround it. The Granary serves as a vibrant community hub, surrounded by farmland to the west and north.

The building is one of the first key mixed-use buildings to be built in the development, directly across from the historic refurbished “Red Barn” community space. The scale of The Granary mirrors the barn and provides an vital commercial draw to community events that take place in the “market square” or historic farm area.

The base grade of the site is only two meters above sea level - all new habitable spaces in the development were required to be built two metres above the grade of the existing farm and farmhouse nearby. The Granary met this challenge by bringing the cladding material down to the pedestrian level rather than creating a plinth for the building to sit on – making the building more inviting. These locations provide points of contact for users – creating entrances to the residences, parkade, brewery and restaurant.

The large gables of the brewery and restaurant are clad in black-stained board and batten cedar siding, a material that will intentionally weather and change over time. Like the agricultural barns that inspired it – it is an honest building.

Most urban populations have lost touch with farms and where their food comes from. There are fewer family farms and fewer connections to agriculture in our society. Despite a world with plenty of food, we often lack the sense of connection we once had with how food arrives on the table.

The design of the Granary seeks to ensure that how and where food is grown, processed, and eventually eaten remains always in sight, nudging residents to see that the fields in front of their homes and the planters in front of their patios are each critical pieces of food infrastructure that will help feed our cities.

This is visible in the overall forms of the buildings that reference agricultural typologies – down to the details and materials used. Hops grown on-site are harvested for the adjacent brewery, offering a direct, same-day connection between farming and craft beer production. The communal courtyard features a long harvest table for shared meals, while herbs and edible plants line pedestrian pathways, making food an interactive and sensory experience.

The site design draws inspiration from the unique “spaces between” that are often created on farms as buildings and equipment are slowly added over time to respond to contemporary agricultural requirements – a row of silos here, a shed there. Their varied sizes make these spaces perfect for the eclectic uses that occur in the life of the farm, and in the lives of humans as we live in community together.