Major wooden office building proposed near SkyTrain's future Mount Pleasant Station

Apr 13 2021, 9:40 pm

Another major mass timber building is planned for Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant Industrial Area, with the latest proposal deemed to be the largest and tallest office building of its kind in Western Canada.

Local developer PC Urban Properties announced this week it has partnered with Houston-based international developer Hines to build the T3 Mount Pleasant building at 123 East 6th Avenue — the northeast corner of the intersection of Quebec Street and East 6th Avenue.

This is a city-owned site currently occupied by surface vehicle parking and the 1928-built, two-storey Simon Fraser Annex school building, which will be retained on-site and undergo a heritage revitalization for integration into the office development.

123 East 6th Avenue Vancouver

Site of the future T3 Mount Pleasant office building at 123 East 6th Avenue, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

123 East 6th Avenue Vancouver Simon Fraser Annex

Site of the future T3 Mount Pleasant office building at 123 East 6th Avenue, Vancouver. It is currently occupied by the heritage Simon Fraser Annex. (Google Maps)

According to the development team, the municipal government chose the developers to acquire and redevelop the property based on PC Urban Properties’ experience in the area with building office and creative industrial projects, and heritage revitalization. The property’s latest assessed value is $41.6 million, with $41.2 million for the 30,000 sq ft of land and $400,000 for the structures.

The project name T3 stands for timber, transit, and technology. The location is about a four-minute walk from SkyTrain’s future Mount Pleasant Station at the intersection of Broadway and Main Street.

The location is also immediately south of Westbank’s Main Alley tech campus, which includes a 21-storey mass timber rental housing building for its final phase at the end of this decade.

T3 Mount Pleasant building will be a 10-storey, 196,000 sq ft office building geared for tech and creative industry tenants. A formal application to the city has yet to be submitted, but the 2016-built T3 Minneapolis mass timber office building, also developed by Hines, and designed by Vancouver-based architect Michael Green, was noted as an example for this project’s design.

T3 Minneapolis mass timber building

Interior of Hines’ T3 Minneapolis mass timber office building, as an example of T3 Mount Pleasant in Vancouver. (Hines)

The T3 in Vancouver will offer an exposed wood office design to create a “warm and authentic” workplace experience. Along with health safety considerations and ample in-building amenities, this will be an AAA class office building.

“Hines is excited to partner with a premier firm like PC Urban to bring our T3 brand to this creative tech hub in Vancouver,” said Syl Apps, senior managing director at Hines, in a statement.

“As one of the most innovative and forward-thinking office properties in Vancouver, T3 Mount Pleasant is designed to accommodate the needs of firms who seek creative class workers. These workers are opting to work in environments that prioritize health and wellness, and that offer proximity to living, dining, entertainment, recreation, and transit.”

Construction on T3 Mount Pleasant is expected to begin in 2022 for a completion in 2024.

t3 minneapolis mass timber building

Exterior of Hines’ T3 Minneapolis mass timber office building, as an example of T3 Mount Pleasant in Vancouver. (Hines)

This is Hines’ second Vancouver project announced in recent weeks, as it is also a partner with Reliance Properties for the 1166 West Pender Street project — a 32-storey office tower with 361,000 sq ft of AAA office space. Site preparation for construction on 1166 West Pender Street is expected to begin as early as late 2021.

Hines’ global portfolio includes about 170 developments currently underway. It has developed, redeveloped, or acquired 1,426 properties totalling 427 million sq ft in over 220 cities, and it manages 576 properties with 246 million sq ft. It already has a presence in Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto.

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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