On early morning Monday, July 27, Vancouver city council greenlit a rezoning application that will kickstart a $2.8 billion plan headlined by the construction of Western Canada’s tallest skyscraper.
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The proposal, which comes from Henriquez Partners Architects on behalf of local developer Holborn Group, is for a four-building project: a cluster of three on West Georgia Street and a stand-alone building at 388 Abbott Street.
With a maximum potential height of 315 metres (1,033 feet), the tallest of the four could very well become the first “supertall” (300 metres or taller) skyscraper to grace Vancouver’s skyline. At 920 rooms, it would also win the record as the hotel with the most rooms in B.C.
However, with the city council currently reviewing the Higher Buildings Policy, it is possible that developers will have to trim down the planned height of their initial build. In that situation, the building would retain its record as the tallest in Western Canada, but would lose its special “supertall” status.
When concocting a design for the project, Henriquez turned to local wildlife in B.C. for inspiration, specifically the glass sea slug. The diagrid exterior resembles the almost lace-like form of glass sea slugs—visually distinct yet structurally sound.
Beyond the broken records and innovative architecture, however, is an undertaking to address inequities in the community.
According to the developers, the project “will create 1,939 new homes, … 70,130 square feet of much-needed conference space, Indigenous-led reconciliation through art and introduce significant public amenities across both sites.”
Additionally, Holborn is donating the stand-alone tower on Abbott Street to the City of Vancouver, including the 378 social housing units, childcare facility and Indigenous art gallery it contains.
“This project is designed not only to meet today’s challenges, but to inspire future generations,” said Holborn president Joo Kim Tiah in a July 27 press release.
Of course, no major project arrives at the table without being greeted by some opposition.
City council’s final vote was 7-3, with councillors Pete Fry (Green), Sean Orr (COPE) and Lucy Maloney (OneCity) voting ‘no.’ Maloney cited concerns over rushing the project amidst the review of the Higher Buildings Policy, and also pointed to Holborn’s prior track record with social housing projects. In 2008, Holborn bought the Little Mountain social housing site from the city and demolished the existing structures, promising a replacement housing project, which is only now set to finish this year.
“Although I am a huge proponent of market housing supply and I definitely want the non-profit housing that will be built,” said Maloney, “I’ll be voting against this on the basis that I don’t think Holborn should be rewarded for how they’ve conducted themselves in our city for a very long time.”
