- Story by Devon Paige Smith Photography by Don Denton

For many years, the tent at was the setting for some of the Saanich PeninsulaB次元官网网址檚 most beautiful gatherings and events. Eight months of the year, the light and airy tent set the stage for weddings, anniversaries and galas, and many of Sea CiderB次元官网网址檚 own signature events.

But eventually, founder, owner and general manager of Sea Cider, Kristen Needham, through consultation with the Municipality of Central Saanich, decided it was time to upgrade to something more permanent.

B次元官网网址淭hat was in about 2015 or 2016, and itB次元官网网址檚 taken us around five, six years to get to where we are now, which is this,B次元官网网址� says Kristen, motioning around the beautiful, bright new space.

In order to prepare for the build, Sea Cider needed approval from the Agricultural Land Commission, along with all the other consultations, permits and licensing that come with creating an event-centric space in a rural area.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a good thing that both farming and making cider teach you patience,B次元官网网址� she laughs.

Fortunately, Kristen came equipped with an inspiration in the form of the well-known and beloved tent. She also wanted something that would sit as a sort of modernized sibling to the main cider house.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what we went to the architects with as a rough ideaB次元官网网址攁nd they really took it from there,B次元官网网址� she explains.

Those architects are Gregory Damant and Peter Johannknecht from .

B次元官网网址淚t was a pleasure working with their team,B次元官网网址� says Kristen. B次元官网网址淭heir design sense is outstanding and theyB次元官网网址檙e very attuned to their clientsB次元官网网址� needs and visions.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e started with a site-planning process to make sure it would fit where Kristen was envisioning it,B次元官网网址� explains Gregory. B次元官网网址淭hat took a few months and IB次元官网网址檒l admit, we almost got off track because of all the possibilities the land offers,B次元官网网址� he laughs, adding, B次元官网网址淜risten is incredibly resourceful. SheB次元官网网址檚 very nice to work with, and she came equipped with her own ideas but was more than willing to work together. This project was very much a collaboration with her, as well as her staff who run the events, to make sure we were creating the space in a way which would be useful for them.B次元官网网址�

The team was able to determine through some careful planning that the site of the original tent would work and could be accommodated through fireproofing the walls to ensure it adhered to coding due to its proximity to the main cider house.

Aside from the location, one of the main aspects of the tent that both Kristen and the architects wanted to capture was the feeling of light and warmth in the space.

Although the resulting pavilion has lots of natural light and is painted bright white (including the trusses in the ceiling) the team wanted there to be a feeling of warmth. CascadiaB次元官网网址檚 team, which included Andy Guiry and Nicole Fitzgerald, worked with Jeff Halpenny of AES Engineering to create 3D renderings of the space and the proposed lighting plan to make sure it looked the way they wanted it to.

B次元官网网址淭his whole idea goes back to the roof of the tent,B次元官网网址� Gregory explains. B次元官网网址淲e wanted to give it that same sense of glowing, which was a big part of the character of that tent space. IB次元官网网址檓 so glad we were able to capture that ethereal feeling.B次元官网网址�

The new pavilion is 2,800 square feet total including front and back of house and upstairs and down, which is storage space.

B次元官网网址淲e really wanted to keep the service spaces collected in the back, neatly tucked away, to really define that sense of front of house versus back of house,B次元官网网址� explains Gregory.

All the ducting for the state-of-the-art ventilation system is hidden, highlighting the clean, angular lines in the trussed roofB次元官网网址攐ne of KristenB次元官网网址檚 favourite parts of the space.

B次元官网网址淢ost people think itB次元官网网址檚 the dramatic water view at the front thatB次元官网网址檚 the best part, but my favourite aspect is the view looking back through the pavilion towards the west. You can see the sun set through the back windows and I love looking up through the roof trusses. It has that rustic farmhouse feeling which I love so much,B次元官网网址� she says, smiling.

The new building is as functional as it is beautiful, Kristen adds. B次元官网网址淲e stepped up cider production through the COVID-19 pandemic, and the basement of the pavilion has been a key storage area for all of our inventory,B次元官网网址� she says.

The ink was drying on the occupancy permit for the pavilion when COVID-19 hit.

B次元官网网址淚t was kind of a godsend in a strange way,B次元官网网址� says Kristen. B次元官网网址淧eople were looking for safe space and we had it. If we hadnB次元官网网址檛 had the pavilion over the spring, summer and fall, it would have been rough.B次元官网网址�

A state-of-the-art HVAC system, big sliding windows at the front of the space that open, and a common outdoor courtyard shared with the main cider house mean Sea Cider has been able to continue to host safe, physically distanced classes.

Through winter and spring, there are low-intensity yoga classes twice a week, along with workshops, a brunch series, and elopements. Starting after Easter, Foodie Friday with food trucks will kick off providing COVID-19 restrictions allow.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been able to use the pavilion in a bunch of different waysB次元官网网址攚ays that weB次元官网网址檇 never considered but have come about because of COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions. Our entrepreneurial spirit, like that of many businesses through COVID-19, has risen to the challenge,B次元官网网址� says Kristen. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e spent a lot of time collaborating with small businesses on the PeninsulaB次元官网网址攖hatB次元官网网址檚 been one of the keys to making it through these exceptional times. It helps to bounce ideas off each other.B次元官网网址�

And with bookings set through to 2023, Sea Cider is poised to take the stage once again as one of the PeninsulaB次元官网网址檚 premier event settings once things return to some semblance of normal.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e so looking forward to moving ahead with our original plans for the space as well when the time is right. I canB次元官网网址檛 wait for the day when the pavilion is buzzing with tours seven days a week. After over five years in the making, lots of planning, hoping and sweat equity, and then a tough couple of seasons with COVID-19, it will be a dream come true.B次元官网网址�

This story was originally published in PEARL magazine