Project Tag: Retail

Howe Renovation

Building on the opportunities presented by both the existing architectural character and the surrounding site conditions, the following interventions help improve the public realm, tenant experience and the overall building safety and security:

The ‘Tongue’ – a new stone cladded canopy structure extends from sidewalk into the interior lobby to bring improved finishing, lighting and connection between building and street

The ‘Screen’ – a new painted aluminum picket screen that runs the length of the upper parking level, referencing the geometry of the existing building columns with a variety of angled shapes that ‘ripple’ along the building face

The ‘Welcome Mat’ – new paving and landscape treatments provides a more inviting interface with the sidewalk.

The ‘Wrap’ – a new painted gradient mural that wraps around the building from its frontage down to the lane, with its geometry referencing the angled form of building columns, to improve the pedestrian experience and deter vandalism

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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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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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JJ Bean

Featured locations: Bidwell, Cambie, Dunsmuir, False Creek, Fraser, Lonsdale (North Van), Marine Building, St. Clair (Toronto)
Not pictured: Railway, Adelaide (Toronto)

JJ Bean built its brand on providing great service, great coffee and food, and great spaces. To deliver great spaces, each location is unique and responds to the neighbourhood or the building it finds itself in. Our work on ten locations in Vancouver and Toronto makes the history, character, and found condition the inspiration for the design.

Each location seeks to provide a memorable and highly particular experience. From a contemporary interpretation of Art-Deco ornament at the iconic Marine Building to an abstracted walk along a forest hiking trail at the Lonsdale store, each design finds a way to link the interior to local character.

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East Hastings & Semlin

East Hastings and Semlin is located along a major transit arterial in the heart of the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, close to the active Commercial Drive corridor. Along with at-grade retail and live-work units, an outdoor ‘urban room’ contributes to the vibrancy of the public realm, anchoring the corner of the building and connecting the building to the life of the street. The idea of movement – referencing the active pedestrian, bike, and vehicle movement along East Hastings Street – is articulated in the building’s facade, where the pattern of angular bays can be appreciated from various speeds and perspectives.

Sawtooth balconies highlight this sense of dynamism while optimizing building energy performance with a simplified envelope. Inspired by the neighbouring light industrial buildings, textured cladding reinforces the building’s angles and adds visual interest throughout different lighting conditions. All units enjoy private outdoor space as well as a shared rooftop amenity terrace with views of Downtown Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains.

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