CUNARD

Location

1325 Lower Water Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Partners

Southwest Properties

Contact

Questions/Feedback: cunard@buildns.ca
Keep in Touch: Sign up for email updates

About

Developed in partnership with Southwest Properties, CUNARD is a high-quality, mixed-use project that will contribute to a total of two acres of exciting new public space on the Halifax Waterfront, near the intersection of Lower Water Street and Morris Street.

The development will be built to LEED® Gold certification. The CUNARD Residences will feature 231 rental units, interior parking, and ground level retail. Together, the building and its surroundings will form a unique new destination on the southern waterfront.

Southwest Properties started construction on the CUNARD project in spring 2021, and completion is scheduled for early 2024. Construction of the public space will begin fall 2023 and continue until summer 2024. Once the project is complete, Build Nova Scotia will manage and operate these new, high-quality waterfront public spaces that will welcome locals and visitors of all ages to come play on the waterfront. We will maintain continuous public access to the water’s edge during and after the site’s development.

Map showing the allocation of space in and around the Cunard development site. Right-hand portion of the map is blue and labeled ‘Halifax Harbour’. Left-hand portion shows the waterfront between Bishop’s Landing (an existing development) and the Cunard development (currently under construction). The spaces around Cunard are shaded green and labeled ‘New and Improved Public Space.

new public spaces at cunard

August 2023: Two years of engagement with rightsholders, stakeholders, members of historically and systemically excluded communities, and the general public has resulted in a public space design featuring a suite of new nature-inspired experiences on Halifax’s southern waterfront.

Responding to the ideas we heard, a playful design has been prepared by Hapa Collaborative (Vancouver, BC) in partnership with Brackish Design Studio and EastPoint Engineering (Halifax, NS).

This new place on the waterfront has been designed to a high standard of accessibility, with guidance from Atlantic Accessibility (Halifax, NS).

The design invites the community to program, activate, and celebrate in the space for years to come. Public space infrastructure and landscaping are designed to be resilient to the effects of climate change.

A new home for the Acadian Monument will be part of the space. New accessible public washrooms are also included, that will be located at the northwest corner of the site in Bishop’s Landing.

When construction ends (estimated for summer 2024), Build Nova Scotia will manage and operate these new waterfront public spaces and amenities. A link to the construction tender can be found here: BNS-2324-0055.

Perspective hand-drawn sketch showing what the public spaces surrounding the Cunard development will look like. This sketch shows the view from the new faceted bench structure, which will be located in the northeast corner of the Cunard public space. Looking east, the sketch shows children of various ages playing on the bench’s angled surfaces. A child on the right-hand side is running or jumping between stones that form a walkway along the bench’s grassy section. Three trees are growing out of the bench. In the background is Halifax Harbour including a view of George’s Island.
Perspective hand-drawn sketch showing what the public spaces surrounding the Cunard development will look like. This sketch shows the view from near the existing Acadian Monument at the northeast corner of the Cunard site, looking west towards Lower Water Street. The Acadian Monument is not shown. Instead, the sketch shows people walking, strolling, and rolling through the site along a wooden boardwalk. In the mid distance are benches and rocks for people to sit and climb on. On the left is a low, faceted wooden structure with trees growing out of it. The Cunard inlet is visible on the right-hand side, with people sitting on a floating dock visible in the distance.
Perspective hand-drawn sketch showing what the public spaces surrounding the Cunard development will look like. This sketch shows the view from the new faceted bench structure, which will be located in the northeast corner of the Cunard public space. Looking west, there is a woman sitting on the bench in the foreground. On the left-hand side, there is grass and a tree, which form part of the bench structure as well. In the background is a collection of granite rocks with children climbing and playing on them. Further back is the Cunard building, lined with patio furniture and red patio umbrellas.
Perspective hand-drawn sketch showing what the public spaces surrounding the Cunard development will look like. This sketch shows the view from the new faceted bench structure, which will be located in the northeast corner of the Cunard public space. Looking east, the sketch shows children of various ages playing on the bench’s angled surfaces. A child on the right-hand side is running or jumping between stones that form a walkway along the bench’s grassy section. Three trees are growing out of the bench. In the background is Halifax Harbour including a view of George’s Island.
Perspective hand-drawn sketch showing what the public spaces surrounding the Cunard development will look like. This sketch shows the view southeast from near the head of the Cunard inlet, with the main path of travel along the boardwalk in the foreground. People are walking, cycling, and sitting on benches along the boardwalk. Trees, grass, and stone landscaping are visible on both sides of the boardwalk. A piece of public art, a statue on a pedestal, is visible on the right-hand side of the image. The new Cunard building and a sliver of Halifax Harbour are visible in the background.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to this process since late 2020.

From 2020 to 2022, Build Nova Scotia engaged extensively on the design of CUNARD’s new public spaces. Guided by past conversations about the waterfront, our engagement focused on two objectives:

1. Making the waterfront a welcoming, inviting, and comfortable place for everyone to visit and spend time; and
2. Improving the range of fun, recreational, and “backyard” amenities available to residents and visitors in downtown Halifax.

The CUNARD engagement process included:

  • 200+ hours of detailed conversation about play, inclusion, and countless other topics with 150+ experts, rightsholders, and stakeholders
  • Pop-up waterfront engagement conversations with 250+ people
  • Ten listening sessions (thematic group conversations) with 50+ participants
  • Three roundtable sessions (focused discussions) with 20+ participants
  • Two inspiration sessions (design workshops) with 15 participants
  • Nearly 200 online surveys submitted by the general public
  • 750+ unique ideas for the waterfront recorded to date

Click here to download our What We’re Hearing report (winter 2022)

Click here to download our What We’re Hearing appendix (summer 2023)

Watch a video summary of what we’ve been hearing:

Hours of Work

Work will generally take place during normal working hours. These are noted below. More information on HRM construction exemptions here.

Monday to Friday:
7:00am-8:00pm

Saturdays:
8:00am-7:00pm

Sundays & Statutory Holidays:
9:00am-7:00pm

Servicing Work

Although work is not expected to be required outside of the times listed above, if, for any reason, work is anticipated to be required outside of these hours, the contractor will apply to HRM for approval 5 business days (minimum) in advance of such work and obtain approval prior to proceeding. It is noted that HRM’s Noise By-Law cannot be altered without HRM council approval; work must adhere to the Noise By-Law.