It is with great pleasure that I write about our IDEA Team and our second Port of the Year award. I want to thank the team for their efforts in what was a challenging political environment and still inspire success. Martin Lucas and I first visited the BVI in 2010 to evaluate the potential as an enhanced cruise port. We saw that the marketplace needed a world class pier and associated port of call. After successfully petitioning the new in-experienced government we secured a development agreement with Disney Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Lines. The effort was no easy task as everyone was un-informed on the Cruise Industry and how it worked. IDEA’s team worked hard to teach the BVIPA how to play the game and create a port that would not only welcome the Cruise Industry but become a marque destination. Our Team included Rob Coles as our Design Director and spent over two years on island working to ensure the Pier park was well designed and then drafted by the local Architect. Our team from Orlando including VHB were also instrumental in guiding the project even with un-educated influences from local politicians and BVIPA administrators.
It is amazing that the port still incomplete has won the prestigious award. The original designs by IDEA included 19 buildings with a Chapel and Black Swan Tavern as iconic anchor buildings. We also designed a sustainable building which included a generator that would insure 150% power when the grid was not on line as was the case following recent storms. Again the most important Sustainable Building was not built which would have also include emergency Water supply and Sanitary System so that Pier Park could serve to facilitate emergency first responders and allow the island to have a “Safe Zone” it also included a broadcast communications system to insure connectivity following a natural disaster. It is important for Governments to ensure the security and safety of their populations and building sustainable buildings must be on the top of the list. I have attached our original design renderings, can you see the things that are missing in the Park today?
Thanks to all that made the project a success in spite of the the limitations and mis management of the project budget. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who suffered form the deviating storms but know that the islands will recover with proper leadership and support.
Walk Good!
