ABN 13
Interesting Capers in Vancouver

By :
Nils Larsson
Editor
email: larsson@greenbuilding.ca

Ground Floor Plan

Note the two courts bisecting the block.


We recently came upon this project in Vancouver that was cited by several Vancouver colleagues as a very good example of the kind of development that is more and more common there. The project, universally nick-named Capers because of one its better-known tenants, received an Honourable Mention in a British Columbia architectural award program last year. However, we find it of most interest because of its mixed uses and high-density, a topic covered in our News section in this issue.

The $15 million project is located on West 4th Avenue in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is one of a series of linear commercial corridors located in that city. Vancouver's recent "CityPlan" envisages urban growth occurring in a series of "urban villages" built onto the City's existing fabric. The 152 m x 34 m block-long former auto dealership site is strategically located within an emerging urban neighbourhood, and the redevelopment with a combination of retail, office and residential uses is an example of the Planning Department's intent.

12,900 m2 of total floor space is organized with retail frontages on 4th Avenue, offices for local business on the second floor and 78 apartments on the upper three levels. The plan was developed as three principal elements to create two internal courts. These courts provide multiple "front doors" for the office and apartment sections, supplemented by two smaller entries on the side street.

The building is non-combustible construction, as is usual with mixed-use building. Most North American developers would claim that concrete construction is uneconomical for this height.

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A section through the building showing the general disposition of offices on the second floor and residential units on the 3rd and 4th floors.

In this case however, the fact that the planning requirements force such a mode of design and construction makes it economically viable, since all developers are competing at the same level. The architects have also adopted a double-wall rainscreen wall construction, to improve sound attenuation and to extend the service life of the building envelope. A ground- source heat pump system provides much of the heating and cooling requirement. This project points the way for more sustainable forms of development in the future: higher densities, mid-rise and mixed uses. It also constitutes a much more positive contribution to street life than would three separate buildings of segregated uses on the same site.



Third floor plan showing the residential units. Note the combination of courts on the 4th Avenue side and open patios at the rear provide all apartments with private open spaces. The design also solves the usually knotty problem of how to lay out apartments in an efficient way on top of the much deeper floor plate required for ofices and retail shops.


A partial plan showing the ground-level link between 4th Avenue and the service lane, with access to offices and residential units in the centre.


Credits :
Developer:
Harold Kalke
Salt Lick Projects
Tel: 604 739 2500

Architects:
Hotson Bakker Architects
Tel: 604 255 1169
Fax: 604 255 1790


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editor
Nils Larsson
larsson@greenbuilding.ca 

webmaster
Woytek Kujawski
kujawski@intranet.ca -  INPOL Consulting

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