TransLink's concept for a transformation of the SeaBus terminals (RENDERINGS)

Artistic rendering of the new waiting area for the SeaBus terminals. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

Is this a SeaBus terminal or the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) terminal?

Both SeaBus terminals at Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver and Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver could resemble an aesthetic closer to YVR if a complete overhaul of the interiors goes ahead in the future.

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A spokesperson for TransLink told Daily Hive Urbanized the public transit authority developed this concept for reimagining the interiors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but at this time there is no funding or any plans to proceed.

Artistic renderings show the removal of the glass walls that separate the waiting and boarding areas for each berth from the entrance walkway to create a single large open area that drastically improves the passenger experience. The ramp that forms this walkway between the two waiting areas will also be removed to fulfill the open space concept.

Within this newly created open space resembling an “airport departure lounge,” there are a series of long horizontal bench-style seating areas that provide passengers with added comfort while waiting.

Artistic rendering of the new waiting area for the SeaBus terminals. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

Artistic rendering of the renovated walkway to the SeaBus terminal at Waterfront Station. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

A West Coast aesthetic is given to the interior, including new floors and circular ceiling coffers that reference Waterfront Station’s historic CPR building’s ornate coffered ceiling.

The upgrades extend to the walkways between Lonsdale bus exchange and the north terminal, and between the CPR building and the north terminal over the railyard. Walkways that are currently covered by metal walls could be hidden away by new forest graphics.

There is also new lighting throughout the rebuilt interiors.

Artistic rendering of the new cafe and outdoor patio space at the SeaBus terminals. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

Artistic rendering of the renovated walkway to the SeaBus terminal at Waterfront Station. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

Commercial retail units, such as a cafe, are added to the tip of both terminals — on the outdoor waterside concrete platform just beyond the washrooms. This outdoor space would also see an overhaul as a partially covered outdoor public space with seating areas and planters.

A new wayfinding system will be integrated with building systems, and the introduction of an automated passenger counting technology will replace the current practice of depending on turnstyles to keep track of the number of passengers.

Diagram of a potential concept for the renovations of the SeaBus terminals. Click on the image for an expanded version. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

Diagram of a potential concept for the renovations of the SeaBus terminals: south terminal at Waterfront Station (left) and north terminal at Lonsdale (right). Click on the image for an expanded version. (Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers inc/TransLink)

These upgrades, if realized at some point in the future, would be the first major overhaul of the SeaBus terminal interiors since the service launched in 1977.

The renovation concept was created to respond to rising SeaBus ridership from population and employment growth, and increased ferry frequencies reaching up to every 10 minutes, which necessitates expanded and more efficient waiting and circulation spaces.

Each vessel carries a capacity of up to 385 passengers. Prior to the pandemic, SeaBus saw average weekday ridership volumes of about 20,000 passengers.

As well, in recent years, TransLink has placed a far greater emphasis on improved passenger amenities across the transit network.

Existing condition of the waiting area inside the SeaBus terminal at Lonsdale. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Major completed retrofits to the SeaBus terminals over the past decade mainly focused on the exterior condition of the structure and accessibility, such as the $12.5 million project that provided the terminals with a new exterior envelope — a new roof, metal cladding, and windows. Washrooms inside the waiting areas of the terminals were also renovated in this project.

More recently in 2018, TransLink completed a $17 million expansion of the south terminal with new elevators and a staircase, replaced escalators, and an improved, covered entrance for passengers arriving by bike or the Helijet terminal on Waterfront Road.

TransLink is also currently in the process of exploring the feasibility of operating electric-battery SeaBus ferry vessels, which will necessitate in infrastructural changes to the terminals and maintenance facilities.

Both terminals are super-sized floating barges attached to land, and they rise and fall with the tides.

Artistic rendering of the 2018-completed exterior renovations to the SeaBus terminal at Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. (TransLink)

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