Barrel Works Group, a joint venture between Kiwi Newton Construction and Terra View Homes, was awarded the design build responsibility of the New Kitchener Market. Due to the success of the Seagram Lofts, the city of Kitchener sought out the Barrel Works Group to see how they may develop what was to be the new Kitchener Market block.

The project planning involved city staff and public engagement with several design meetings occurring with representatives of the public and the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. The team architects, Roth Knibb, from Toronto worked closely with Kiwi Newton Construction to develop the design, incorporating the public and city requirements while maintaining the design build budget. The new Kitchener Market was to be four sided as it fronts onto four streets. The loading areas and access were designed via a service drive which was suspended above the 310 car underground parking garage, whereby large trucks could easily drive through, unload and continue straight ahead and out onto Eby St. The service drive access enabled efficient loading and unloading at the market with no blockages of traffic.

This allows vendors to arrive closer to opening, which prevents them from being boxed in by other vendors. The service drive enables all activities to take place off the street to avoid congestion and unsightly views of loading docks and waste. The Kitchener Market includes 350 underground parking spaces with 310 located at 2 levels below King St. At one level below King St. there is the service drive, 40 parking spaces for extra high vehicles, utility areas, the indoor part time market and the outdoor covered market. The top level includes the full time indoor market spaces which access the Piazza at King St level. The entire Kitchener Market with parking and piazza areas is approximately 220,000 sf.

The contract also included the demolition of old industrial and retail buildings on the three acre site. In addition to the design build contract work, the Barrel Works Group also built and funded the two retail buildings and the 68 unit condominium bringing good quality, mid-price range condominiums to downtown Kitchener. Kiwi Newton Construction took on the design build role for all projects at a cost of $25 millio,n while the joint venture partners took on the legal work, financing, marketing and sales and interior design work of the project.

The project was very successful, bringing prosperous development of good residences, retail, office space, market space, parking and outdoor gathering space to a challenged downtown area in need of revitalization.

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