Surrey City Hall & Civic Centre: Shaping a new downtown

As Surrey’s townships expanded and approached Vancouver in population, the city lacked a discernible downtown to anchor its civic identity.

Through an open call for a new civic centre design, Surrey’s municipal government and the Surrey City Development Corporation envisioned a design to promote a thriving urban core. The original design brief located the project on a smaller site beside Central City Mall and Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus.

Kasian, in partnership with Moriyama & Teshima Architects, reimagined this vision as a community-minded, pedestrian-focused master plan. The design extended the downtown corridor, positioning City Hall as the northern anchor and Central City as the southern. The activated in-between space became a lively civic promenade framed by new development, including the Surrey City Library and future residential and commercial buildings.

A highly collaborative visioning process brought together many stakeholders to shape an identifiable community gathering place. The City Hall’s dramatic cantilevered roof extends outward as a symbol of welcome, while its glass façade reinforces transparency and openness. Excavation for underground parking also defined a vast public plaza that hosts festivals and gatherings of up to 5,000 people.

This master plan has catalyzed ongoing transformation, sparking new institutional, residential, and commercial growth that has established Surrey’s long-awaited downtown.