Project Tag: Live

1188 Cardero

Situated in the West End, the design of 1188 Cardero draws on three key influences: the site’s ‘gateway’ position on the downward slope of Davie Street to English Bay; the historic Rogers Mansion to the east; and the rich context of mid-century modern apartment blocks that characterize the architectural language of the neighbourhood. This residential tower will provide secured rental housing, 20% of which will be below-market units, and features an amenity courtyard with children’s play area, a rooftop terrace with views to English Bay, and a variety of indoor amenity space for all residents.

The design incorporates precast concrete panels with a geometric motif referencing both the modernist context of the West End and the materiality of the stone on the neighbouring Rogers Mansion. The metal panel cladding adds dimension with slight variations in colour and depth, inspired by cedar bark. The building enhances the public realm through thoughtful landscape design, providing seating along Davie Street that creates a gentle transition to the more open, active entrance at the corner of Davie and Cardero.

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River District Parcel 30

Located in Vancouver’s River District near the Fraser River, Parcel 30 is composed of two residential towers with a podium extension, joined by a single shared parkade. In response to its geographical context, this project is imagined as a tree sitting along the bank of the Fraser River, with a simple core ‘trunk’ and the slabs as ‘bows’ extending out to a lightened point. Like a misty morning on the riverbank, the building is shrouded in lightweight and lightly coloured screens and corrugated materials that obscure the structure behind with different levels of transparency depending on the perspective.

At grade, both buildings provide residential amenity space fronting the courtyard, while commercial retail spaces in the east building and ground-oriented flats in the west building further activate the streetscape. Masonry in warm, natural colours is used at lower down on the building to offer a more tactile and human-scaled experience, while the towers primarily employ cool-toned metal and glass to reinforce the mist-like effect.

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The River

Situated next to a bend in the Elbow River in Calgary, the River is designed to accommodate a unique river outlook. The design at lower levels responds to the neighbouring building context of masonry structures, while upper floors are lighter and more open.

Townhomes create an engaging street rhythm and are uniquely serviced by individual elevators connected to the parking below. An internal auto-court and entry welcome visitors to a unique residential enclave.

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Other Projects

(1) Arbutus Centre Redevelopment (2013)
(2) False Creek Towers (2009)
(3) CBC Building (2009)

In all our work, we strive to create buildings that are connected to their surrounding community, making the neighbourhood a more vibrant and enjoyable place to live. Each project provides a unique opportunity to enhance this connectivity through thoughtful design at all scales.

Projects like the Arbutus Centre Redevelopment, False Creek Towers, and CBC Building all showcase this interplay with the public realm and careful attention to the public/private transition.

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Fraser Mills

Designed as an 82-acre mixed-use development, the design focused on a mix of uses including major employment nodes and light industry as well as up to 5 million sq. ft. of mixed residential uses, highlighted by a three-block Main Street leading to a waterfront pier at the Fraser River Edge.

Flood mitigation and river edge rehabilitation is a major part of this design. The project was focused on two kilometres of continuous publicly accessible waterfront, and a two-acre park. Design work was led by Alan Boniface while at HBBH.

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Planning Projects

(1) Cowichan First Nation
(2) Diamond Ave
(3) Bowen Island Seymour Landing
(4) Leq’á:mel First Nation Deroche
(5) Westbank First Nation Kelowna

Urban design and planning are essential to the creation of healthy vibrant cities. Because of this, we believe in focusing our practice on the large and small city-making undertakings that truly make a difference. We combine this with our core architectural practice to continue our goal of creating locally focused vibrant communities. In our work we have also found that smaller oftentimes forgotten, communities, especially some First Nations communities, benefit greatly from this wholistic approach.

We believe that the best urban environments are vibrant, sustainable, walkable, and designed to grow with the community itself. We work closely with our clients and partners to bring their vision to life, creating joyful, livable neighbourhoods and connected communities.

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Dow Avenue

6465 Dow Ave is designed around activating all street edges, in particular Dow and Beresford with multiple uses and access points. Pedestrian scale design characterizes the retail and low-rise residential edges. The tower lobbies also engage with the pedestrian realm with gracious and protected entries. Building edges are set back creating spaces for patios and a generous landscaped boulevard.

The dynamic and active treatment continues up the façade where generous horizontal residential decks weave against the vertical forms, providing ample outdoor utilization for residents while also providing dramatic architectural colour, shape, and shadow to the towers. The overall feel of the project is welcoming and urban. The towers themselves are elegant and simple silhouettes that will contribute to the character of the emerging Maywood and Metrotown neighbourhood.

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Mission Master Plan

We had the opportunity to collaborate with O2 Planning and Design on the Waterfront Revitalization Master Plan for City of Mission. Bound by the Fraser River to the south and Lane Creek, Highway 11, and the CPR mainline to the north, the project area spans over 3.5km of river frontage and 296 acres of land. The design process placed emphasis on ensuring that the Master Plan is viable and implementable while still presenting a visionary future for the Waterfront. This Master Plan will create a place for new jobs, establish the City’s vibrant urban heartbeat, and build a renewed cultural and ecological connection with Downtown and nature on the Waterfront.

Intentionally complementing Mission’s historic downtown, the Waterfront brings a new identity and urban energy to the City without compromising the parts residents already love most. The Master Plan will preserve and enhance the natural elements of the Waterfront and improve the ecological integrity of areas where it has been diminished, creating opportunities for everyone to touch the water on naturalized shorelines and experience the region’s stunning nature from a more protected and ecologically integrated vantage point.

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Vanness

Located near Joyce-Collingwood Skytrain Station, this mixed-use project aims to provide 679 secured rental units (including 35% family housing), a public daycare, vibrant local retail along Vanness Avenue, and a mid-block connection through the site to enhance the neighbourhood’s connectivity.

The architectural expression draws on local features and landmarks to inform the massing and character of the building, with the tapered profile of the twin-tower form invoking a valley opening to the sky as a nod to the way the Expo Skytrain line cuts through the city. Inspired by the public art at Joyce-Collingwood Station, the joyful use of colour throughout the project draws the ground plane elements across Vanness Avenue and into the site to animate the public realm.

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The Green House

Tucked into a grove of trees, along a stream, at the end of a field on a small farm in Gibsons ‘The Green House’ strikes a familiar and modest architectural profile. This small family home is oriented to enjoy the views of the forest and field surrounding it. Entering from the west, the double-height entrance corridor divides the public and private areas of the home.

The private areas to the north enjoy intimate views of the trees and nearby creek while the main gathering and living space on the south has generous glazing and doors out onto the south-facing outdoor patio. Overlooking the living space is a mezzanine with an office and peek-a-boo tree top views from a pair of windows.

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