Most of what we build is housing for Indigenous and First Nations communities, and that remains our focus. But when Parks Canada and DP Murphy Hotels & Resorts reached out about expanding the accommodations at Dalvay by the Sea, one of Atlantic Canada’s most recognizable landmarks, we were honoured to add to its story.
Dalvay’s history is part of its charm. It was built in 1895 as a summer home for Standard Oil executive Alexander MacDonald. It was later owned by a Prohibition-era rum-runner, and in 2011 it hosted Prince William and Kate on their first royal tour of Canada. Today it’s a national historic site inside PEI National Park, operated by DP Murphy Hotels & Resorts.
The brief was clear: expand Dalvay’s accommodations without taking anything away from what makes it Dalvay.
That meant chalets that feel at home next to a 130-year-old landmark, while giving guests the comfort and amenities they expect today. It also meant working inside a national park, where protecting the land comes first and every step has to meet Parks Canada’s standards.
We handled it from start to finish: environmental studies, permitting, site preparation, design, manufacturing and on-site completion. The client had one team and one point of contact for the whole project.
The result is 12 modular chalets. They were built off-site to keep disruption on the property to a minimum, then placed carefully around a building that has stood since 1895. Danny Murphy walks through the whole project in the video below.
Thank you to Parks Canada and the DP Murphy team for trusting us with a piece of Canadian history.
