26-storey tower proposed for prime downtown Vancouver waterfront site
The Waterfront Tower proposed by Cadillac Fairview would occupy 555 West Cordova St., currently a parking lot between Waterfront Station, which celebrated its centennial last year, and The Landing, a former warehouse built in 1905.
Photograph by: Cadillac Fairview , .
A new 26-storey office tower could soon rise on prime waterfront property in downtown Vancouver sandwiched between two designated heritage buildings.
The Waterfront Tower proposed by Cadillac Fairview would occupy 555 West Cordova St., currently a parking lot between Waterfront Station, which celebrated its centennial last year, and The Landing, a former warehouse built in 1905.
According to application documents, the tower would provide high-density commercial office space and is designed to “physically connect the city to the waterfront.”
It is described as well-suited to the city’s Central Waterfront Hub Framework, adopted in 2009, which seeks to improve the design of the “unique” site where several transportation modes, including all three SkyTrain lines, the SeaBus, West Coast Express train, as well as several bus routes and a helipad, converge.
The city’s framework, however, had previously suggested the site could only accommodate an 11-storey building, a height significantly lower than what is currently being proposed.
Proponents say the tower would be designed to suit its neighbours by serving as a “counterpoint” to Waterfront Station and by aligning its facets and architectural elements with The Landing’s floor lines.
It would feature 22 office floors and 33,000 square meters of rentable office space. Its base would be given an “origami” treatment with prismatic elements made of aluminum and glass.
It would also offer a public square on three sides, and allow for a future Cordova Street corridor that would link Waterfront Road east of Canada Place to Cordova Street.
The tower is designed by B+H Architects and international firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, which also designed the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia, a 1,000-metre structure that will be the world’s tallest building once completed.
At around 127 metres, the Waterfront Tower is a dwarf in comparison. But late last year, it ran into some opposition because its height exceeded city-imposed limits that protect view corridors to the North Shore mountains.
The city is accepting feedback on the tower’s development application until Jan. 22. The Development Permit Board meets March 9 to decide on the application.
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