Blackcomb and Whistler Village

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

Consistently ranked as one of the world's top destination ski resorts, Whistler-Blackcomb gained the attention of the world in 2010 as it played host to the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 1978, Design Workshop prepared a master plan for the development of the mountain and base-area facilities of the Blackcomb Ski Area. In 1985, Intrawest Development Corporation purchased Blackcomb and hired Design Workshop to develop the surrounding Benchlands property.

The master plan provided for the development of the 450-room Chateau Whistler, the reorganization of skier access and services, and specific site planning and designs for the tourist lodging of 7,500 visitors. The first phase of the plan was completed in 1986 and the next two phases were planned, designed, constructed and occupied within a four-year period. Today, the original overall master plan is nearly 80 percent realized.

Recently, Design Workshop was once again retained to assist the Resort Municipality of Whistler in developing a Comprehensive Sustainability Plan and to lead the first phase of work “to define the characteristics of successful destination resorts.” Leading a multi-disciplinary team, Design Workshop addressed topics of land use, environment, transportation, housing, utilities, finance, economics, social issues, quality of life, recreation, governance, provisions of goods and services, culture, guest experiences, economic diversity and project vision and were able to incorporate these topics into informing the community's vision for the future.