Burnaby has been recognized with the Public Works Association of BC’s “Project of the Year” award for large (50,000+ population) communities for the construction of the city’s new Laurel Street Works Yard, a keystone civic facility which was completed in September 2023.

Nominees were judged on a slate of criteria, including safety record, environmental and social benefit, complexity and innovation in design, environmental protection measures taken during construction, and the quality of the final works.

The Laurel Street project earned top honours for both the next-generation features of the new works yard (like advanced environmental and climate-resilience measures, and a design which helps insulate the surrounding residential neighbourhood from the sights and sounds of daily operations), and the integrated project management which delivered this major facility on time and budget.

Adding to the complexity of the project was the requirement for Burnaby’s Public Works team to continue to operate out of the site during construction, with the yard space acting as both a construction site and Burnaby’s Public Works headquarters throughout the majority of the build time. These special circumstances made it all the more impressive that construction proceeded on-pace, and with minimal disruptions to local residential traffic. This smooth delivery was made possible thanks to a range of innovative measures which helped ensure the light, noise, smells, and other byproducts of the process had as little impact as possible on the people and environment surrounding the yard.

“We’re very proud of the Laurel Street Works Yard project, and it’s a credit to our staff that we’ve been recognized for this accomplishment”, said Burnaby chief administrative officer Leon Gous. “Upgrading the Works Yard from the original built in the 1950s was seen as a seriously challenging project for many years. For our team to not only deliver it but in award-winning fashion speaks volumes about the hard work and attention to detail that’s gone into this project.”