Checkwitch Poiron Architects Inc. (CPA) is an internationally recognized award-winning architectural firm with offices in Nanaimo and Vancouver, British Columbia. Its founding partners, Ben Checkwitch and David Poiron, met in 1990 while earning their Environmental Studies degrees from the University of Manitoba. CPA works closely with its clients to gain a well-rounded understanding of the challenges and opportunities within each project. Every project is designed by both partners, allowing clients to draw upon the unique skills that David and Ben bring to the table. Their hands-on approach with contractors and construction sites lets them fully engage with the building process in order to achieve the highest quality possible. Their attention to detail and administration of the construction process have resulted in a history of producing buildings that are on-schedule, on-budget, and serve as a source of pride for the clients and communities they serve.
Selected Projects
Cowichan Valley Office Completed
2022.08.04
The new Cowichan Valley Office has received its Certificate of Occupancy from the Municipality of North Cowichan. The three storey building houses Island Health office space and a new urgent care clinic for Duncan residents.
Madill Office + Warehouse Open for Business
2022.06.02
The Madill Paper Company office and warehouse has completed its final inspection. Staff members will be moving into their new space over the weekend and they will be fully open for business shortly.
Construction Underway at LRCA
2021.05.31
The affordable housing project for the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association (LRCA) is under construction in Ladysmith, BC. The four storey building will house low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities while providing community spaces on the ground floor for residents and the larger community.
Cowichan Valley Office Under Construction
2021.05.10
The site of the new Cowichan Valley Office has been cleared and construction is underway. The three storey building will feature a parkade on the lowest level, an urgent care clinic and office space on the main floor with offices and meeting rooms on the upper floor.
Madill Office + Warehouse Breaks Ground
2021.04.07
The design process has finished and the new ~20,000 sf office and warehouse for the Madill Paper Company is under construction. The building, overlooking the Ladysmith Harbour, will feature glulam beams and curtainwall (glazing) on three sides to take in the ocean views from the second floor office space.
Cowichan Hospice House Officially Opens
2020.12.22
The Cowichan Hospice House officially opened today! The 10 bed facility cost approximately $10,000,000 and was an addition to the existing Cairnsmore Care Facility in Duncan, BC. See the Community Welcome and Virtual Open House video here.
Cowichan Valley Office to Begin Site Demolition Soon
2020.12.07
Demolition of the existing buildings will begin shortly on-site to make room for the new Cowichan Valley Office in Duncan, BC. The ambitious project aims to start and finish construction in under 12 months!
Cowichan Hospice House Breaks Ground
2019.07.19
Construction to begin shortly on Cowichan Hospice House and we could not be more thankful to be a part of such an important project! The official sod-turning was held on July 18th. See the full Cowichan Valley Citizen Article here.
Lewkowich Engineering Associates New Office
2019.02.06
CPA has designed a new home for Lewkowich Engineering Associates in Nanaimo, BC. Almost double the size of their current facility, the new 8,000 sf office and laboratory building was designed with geological processes and concepts in mind.
BC Ferries Terminals—Gulf Islands
2018.04.20
Checkwitch Poiron has completed three (3) BC Ferries terminal projects on the Gulf Islands at Denman Island East, Denman Island West and Hornby Island. A standard terminal building design was created that allowed for slight variations at each location while retaining a visual consistency across all sites. Our work also included the planning of the entire terminal sites to incorporate new septic fields, foreshore upgrades, traffic queuing and holding, future growth and sea-level rise mitigation. The project was delivered on schedule, opening the day before the May long weekend 2017.
Nanaimo Airport Expansion Phase 1
2018.04.19
The design team mapped out a masterplan that will allow the airport to grow logically and incrementally over the next 20 years. This first phase ($15,000,000) is currently under construction and includes a new pre-board screening area, departure lounge and other amenities. The existing and new structures are connected and unified by a folded wood slat ceiling. Checkwitch Poiron Architects is working on this project in association with Office of McFarlane Biggar.
Commercial Street Modular
2018.01.29
Working with our client, QUBE, we developed a multi-storey, volumetric, modular building system. Factory construction allows for quality control, shorter on-site construction times and reduced site disruption. Modules are delivered to site with exterior cladding and interior finishes. The system was applied to a mixed-use (commercial/residential) project in a tight infill site in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood in Vancouver.
Ocean Discovery Centre
2018.01.05
We are very happy to announce that a motion to have the Ocean Discovery Centre included as part of the 1 Port Drive redevelopment will be presented to Nanaimo City Council on January 8th. View the press release from the Nanaimo Deep Discovery Association here. For more information on the project at the NDDA website.
Nanaimo Recycling Exchange
2017.08.14
The Nanaimo Recycling Exchange is planning a new development just down the street from their existing location. The new facilities aim to be cleaner, safer and a easier to navigate, while making recycling a more enjoyable experience!
Groundbreaking Starts Soon for Lewkowich Engineering Associates New Office
2017.06.02
CPA has designed a new home for Lewkowich Engineering Associates in Nanaimo, BC. Almost double the size of their current facility, construction starts soon on the new 8,000 sf office and laboratory building, designed with geological processes and concepts in mind.
Ocean Discovery Centre
2017.05.24
The Nanaimo Deep Discovery Association is in discussions with the City of Nanaimo regarding a site for the Ocean Discovery Centre. The project is a new ocean experience destination proposed for Nanaimo's waterfront. Read a recent article in the Nanaimo Bulletin and get more information on the project at the NDDA website.
St. Paul's Centre for Ministry and Community Service
2017.04.21
St. Paul's Centre for Ministry and Community Service has won two awards at the 10th annual 2017 Vancouver Island Real Estate Board Commercial Building Awards! The project won an Award of Excellence in the Institutional Renovation category, and also won the Judge's Choice Award for the best overall project. Congratulations to all the other winners as well!
St. Paul's Centre for Ministry and Community Service
2016.10.19
St. Paul's Centre for Ministry and Community Service is a welcome addition to downtown Nanaimo. Prior to demolition and reconstruction, over 50% of the use of the building was from outside community groups. The new facility provides even more meeting space for community groups as well as increased capacity for St. Paul's Parish. Check out photos of the St. Paul's Centre for Ministry and Community Service completed in the fall of 2016.
Anglican Church Plans New Hall
2015.05.28
by Chris Bush - Nanaimo News Bulletin - May 28, 2015
An Anglican Church bishop will take the first swing with a sledgehammer to signal the demolition of St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall. The hall, added on to the church at 100 Chapel St. in downtown Nanaimo in stages from the 1930-50s, will be replaced with a two-storey Centre for Ministry and Community Service.
Church leaders decided to tear down the old hall after learning the building is not adequate for current and future use, even after it was brought up to code and made wheelchair accessible, said Colin Sheen, St. Paul’s building committee chairman. “One of the things was, that if we were going to expand our ministry and serve the people, first of all we had to look at how do we bring our building up to being accessible for all people,” said Archdeacon Brian Evans….
Photograph by Concept Photography
Harbour Road Sail Loft and Residences
2015.01.05
Check out photos of the Harbour Road Sail Loft and Residences completed in the fall of 2014.
Photograph by Latreille Delage Photography
Yaletown Residence
2014.08.06
The Yaletown Residence is our newest interiors project. Check out this completely renovated home, complete with high gloss millwork cabinets and wall panels, and smoked wood floors.
Loudon Park Boathouse
2014.07.09
The Loudon Park Boathouse is located on Long Lake in Nanaimo, BC. The sponsors of this project, the Nanaimo Canoe and Kayak Club and the Nanaimo Rowing Club are in a competition to raise funds for the project. You can help by voting online July 21 and July 22 at Kraft Celebration Tour. Voting runs from July 21, 9am ET – July 22, 11:59pm ET.
Photograph by Concept Photography.
Double High House
2014.06.19
The Double High House is our newest completed project. Check out the new photos of this project that demonstrates how elegant and livable spaces can be created on a small and efficient footprint.
Contact
General—contact@cparch.ca
Press Inquiries—contact@cparch.ca
Nanaimo Office
9-93 Commercial Street
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G3
+1.250.714.1963
Vancouver Office
501-402 Pender Street W
Vancouver, BC V6B 1T6
+1.604.669.3444