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Ah, Wilderness! continued

The Ultimate Team

Despite the numerous challenges, work on the beach property moved along at an impressive pace. The new facility opened roughly 10 1⁄2 months after construction began. Driven by McDiarmid’s decisive direction, each element of the project was carefully scrutinized until the results met with his satisfaction.

Called “the ultimate facility manager” by King, McDiarmid was “hands on with everything and knows his building inside and out. I’ve never worked with such an involved client before.”

With each strategic equipment decision, McDiarmid would ask, what’s the reason? Where’s the name? How does it get fixed? Who should I call to fix it? King says, “He wanted to know every piece of the puzzle. For instance, they have power outages on a regular basis, which means his diesel generator has to kick in so he can continue service to his guests. He is very in tune with the operation of his building. He even cares what the linens on the beds are.”

As a graduate of the Cornell hotel school, McDiarmid was required to take design and construction courses along with his more traditional hospitality classes.

“I always enjoyed the drafting and construction component,” he explains, “so I took a special interest in it. Even though I’m not professionally trained in that area, I would take my knowledge, approach it from a customer’s perspective, and share my opinions. I’ve worked in many hotels, so I’ve seen a lot of things that are successful and others that don’t work from a practical perspective. In working with the professionals on the beach building (and I had the best), I challenged them. If I thought something wasn’t right, I’d ask for an explanation or rationale. If they could give me a good reason, then I was fine with it. If they couldn’t, then I’d say, ‘Let’s find a better solution.’”

King feels the team effort was really unusual. “The client’s interest was a huge surprise, but it was a great pleasure to have someone so involved. The interior designers [BBA Design Consultants, Inc. led by Sharon Bortolotto] should also be given credit. They brought some incredible ideas to the interiors. I especially enjoyed being closely involved with them, and they commented, ‘We don’t usually work as closely with the architects.’ We all had a common interest, though. We all wanted to make it a big success, so we put the extra time into it.”

While there were a few heated discussions, McDiarmid willingly acknowledges the need for expertise provided by the professional designers and architects. “If I were the one who made the ultimate decision on everything in terms of design, it wouldn’t be what it is,” he humbly admits. “It was the great communication between all parties that made the project so successful. We often found ourselves embracing an even better solution than either party initially thought of in instances like this. That’s what allowed us to achieve the best solution possible from a building perspective—and from a guest and staff perspective too. A skilled team can look through obvious mistakes and explain things in a way that makes sense. The professionals add tremendous value and make sure you don’t make dumb mistakes, because they’ve been through this kind of thing many times. That’s the sign of a good team. When everyone works together, you get the best results.”

He describes the collaborative effort as one where everyone sat down to review the details rather than rush the process. “We wanted to test everything rather than just accept it without question. It’s not that you want to be gratuitously critical of everything, but you only get one chance to build something, and it’s very expensive to tear it all down and start over.”

Fantastic Finishes

Another one of McDiarmid’s favorite topics was product selection. From the previously mentioned old growth spruce to the cotton swab dispensers, many elements were selected for their respect of nature and the preservation of materials.

Cornices, baseboards, and mouldings throughout were made of reclaimed, remilled timber from old area buildings; small black marks remain where nails were removed. In the lobby, a massive stone fireplace was made from rock saved from the site excavation. Gigantic pieces of driftwood were converted into countertops and mantles. Stair spindles were made from alder branches.

King explains, “We designed five loft suites that are two stories, and for the staircases in these, the actual balustrade is a branch from a tree. It’s unusual, because it still has the bark on it. If you look at the tread and riser design, it has a triangle cut out on the stringer. The way the stairs fasten into that is a local artisan’s design inspired from a first nation’s stairway he had seen. There are many pieces made by somewhat reclusive artisans.”

In fact, most of the people who worked on the project were local. “Some were imported for installing drywall and laying carpet, but when it came to the finish work, it’s quite spectacular. We have to give the owner kudos for that, because he has lived in the area for many years, and he knows the locals. We wouldn’t have found those people otherwise, and he’s the one who wants to keep the community vibrant,” King notes. “The new building is essentially a showcase for local artisans,” he adds.

“We tried to make everything indigenous to the local area, using many different artists. We wanted to find something interesting for them to do. This gets into not just the architectural finishes, but also the things used every day. Think about those acrylic containers typically used for puffs and swabs. We went out on the island and found a potter who’d throw porcelain, custom made containers just for us. We tried to find a distinct solution in terms of the type of product that was used. Some people would think, ‘No one will notice that level of detail,’ but I follow the philosophy, both from a service and product perspective, that somebody’s stay at the inn is only a 60% to 70% conscious experience; the rest is subconscious. So even though you might not initially notice some of the fine details, you do notice it subconsciously. And in those instances when a guest is a master woodworker, he’d look at the cabinets and say, ‘The wood and the woodwork are fantastic!’ He would notice that level of detail. There is something for everyone. We did this because it creates the opportunity for small moments of magic for those who recognize the level of detail.”

The exterior architecture is somewhat toned down to focus attention on the surroundings rather than the building itself. The subdued facade was made entirely from cedar facing, so it would eventually blend back into the forest when the color of the wood mellowed.

The Sustainable Message

Because of its respect for the environment, the beach building was a natural candidate for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. “The most important element was the use of natural materials,” says King. “Wool carpet, wood throughout (much of it recycled)—even the generator is a recycled one. We have acoustic flooring that’s recycled rubber. At every step, we did our best to recycle whatever we could and use natural materials. That was one of McDiarmid’s requirements from day one. He said, ‘I want to incorporate as many LEED standards as possible,’ although time constraints didn’t allow us to go for official certification. You really have to do your homework prior to construction and apply ahead of time. By the time he secured his financing, it wouldn’t work for us. On top of that, the paperwork is overbearing. It’s difficult for some facility managers to get beyond that. Some never do.”

Still, the beach building optimizes resources whenever and wherever possible. In the guest rooms, southerly windows take maximum advantage of the winter sun. Deep overhangs attenuate summer heat and glare. Windows on the north side are smaller to reduce heat loss in winter. Abundant operable windows encourage natural ventilation, reducing the need for air conditioning.

Still, McDiarmid regrets his decision to go the traditional HVAC route instead of using a hydrothermal heating system. He says, “There just wasn’t that much knowledge at the time with our mechanical contractor, but given the high price of energy these days, it would probably have been something that I would prefer to do. It’s also ecologically preferred, but there are very high up front costs.”

Beauty And The Beach

Completed in July 2003, some aspects of the beach building are still being refined. McDiarmid plans to install fire rated glass to replace the industrial looking windows currently in his fire doors. There are also exit sign upgrades underway, but these are minor adjustments that will be easy enough to undertake.

Built on details like this, the new hotel has enjoyed smashing success. In honor of the views from the windows of the Wick’s guest suites, Manager McDiarmid even created a new spectator sport for the off season—storm watching!

Instead of flocking to the warmth of an exotic beach in the dead of winter, guests now converge on the Wick to experience the drama of bad weather. And thanks to

McDiarmid’s Herculean efforts, the Wick lives up to their grandest expectations.

This article was based on interviews with King (rking@ywarch.ca) and McDiarmid (charles@wickinn.com). For more information on the architects, visit www.ywarch.ca; for more on the inn, visit www.wickinn.com.

To share your hospitality story, e-mail schwartz@groupc.com.

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