Big design changes for proposed Vancouver towers, with rentals added

Big design changes for proposed downtown Vancouver towers, with rental housing added

2024 concept for 1706-1738 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

Yet another major revision has been made to the design, size, and uses of the proposed redevelopment of the land assembly at 1706-1738 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street in downtown Vancouver.

Bosa Properties and Kingswood Properties have just pivoted their proposal to redevelop a 1986-built, nine-storey strata residential building at 735 Bidwell Street and a 1987-built, four-storey strata residential complex at 1706-1738 Alberni Street (1700 Alberni Street), with a combined total of 75 homes.

Following a privately staged international design competition in 2019, the developers selected London-based architectural firm Heatherwick Studio to design a pair of mixed-use towers with an architecturally striking concept inspired by the natural form of trees. The towers will contain upscale strata market condominium homes, a sizeable retail/restaurant space component centred around a publicly accessible indoor atrium, and a childcare facility.

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The original design concept by Heatherwick Studios featured 401 condominium homes, 14,700 sq ft of retail/restaurant space, and a 4,100 sq ft childcare facility for up to 24 kids — all contained within 423,428 sq ft of total building floor area for a floor area ratio (FAR) density of a floor area that is 10.9 times larger than the size of the 39,000 sq ft lot. The west tower reached a height of 385 ft with 39 storeys, while the east tower reached a height of 345 ft with 34 storeys.

1706-1738 alberni street 735 bidwell street vancouver 2024 concept

Site of 1706-1738 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

1728 alberni street 735 bidwell street vancouver

Site of 1728 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Heatherwick Studio/IBI Group/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

Then, in 2022, a revised proposal produced a brand new but equally striking architectural design concept inspired by the form of pinecones. However, it reduced the total building floor area to just over 400,000 sq ft with a 10.5 FAR density, with the east tower’s height reduced to 298 ft with 30 storeys.

These reductions in height and density were made due to the City’s protected mountain view cone policies — specifically View Cone 20 emanating from the intersection of Granville Street and West Broadway — combined with building shadowing considerations on nearby waterfront parks.

In the 2022 concept, 20,000 sq ft of condominium density was removed, producing a total of 387 condominium homes. The street-engaging and public benefit uses were reduced to about 5,500 sq ft of retail/restaurant space, and the childcare facility and publicly accessible indoor atrium were completely eliminated.

Original 2019/2020 concept:

2019/2020 concept of 1728 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Heatherwick Studio/IBI Group/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

Previous 2022 revised concept:

2022 concept of 1700 Alberni Street, Vancouver. (Narrativ/Heatherwick Studio/IBI Group/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

2024 revised concept:

2024 concept for 1706-1738 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

And now, for the 2024 revised concept, the project has been completely overhauled, with local firm Henriquez Partners Architects taking the leading design role with a brand new architectural design concept that is more conventional when compared to Heatherwick Studio’s previous two concepts. The east tower now carries a more rectangular design, while the west tower has a more organic and flowing form, with the “clean minimalist bands and ribbon windows” of the towers inspired by the West End’s modernist architecture.

Each tower in the 2024 concept now reaches a height of 385 ft, which aligns with the prescriptions of the City’s West End Plan, with the west tower containing 41 storeys and the east tower containing 44 storeys. According to the new application, the revised design minimizes shadows on the perimeters of Devonian Harbour Park and Marina Square Park to the north and intends to align with Vancouver City Council’s July 2024-approved revisions to the view cone policies, which include major changes that make View Cone 20 less restrictive to building development.

Furthermore, the previous 100% condominium uses for the residential component have now been revised to incorporate a significant secured purpose-built rental housing component, with 236 strata market condominium homes within the west tower and 377 secured purpose-built rental homes in the east tower, including 302 market rental units and 75 below-market rental units to replace the existing homes on the site.

2024 concept for 1706-1738 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

In total, the 2024 concept generates 613 homes. No studio units are planned; the condominium unit size mix is 124 one-bedroom units, 83 two-bedroom units, and 29 three- (or more) bedroom units, while the rental housing unit mix is 221 one-bedroom units and 136 two-bedroom units. Residents will have access to various shared indoor and outdoor amenities within the base podium and rooftops, and many of the units will feature enclosed balconies to improve the functional use of private outdoor space throughout the year.

At ground level, there will be 4,800 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses fronting Bidwell Street, while the Alberni Street frontage will be primarily fronted by residential lobby areas and two townhouse units. The approximate footprint for the Alberni Street entrance of the previous mid-block indoor atrium is now envisioned as a publicly accessible public park space with a major water feature, public art, and seating.

Overall, the 2024 concept provides significantly added density, with a total building floor area of about 575,000 sq ft for a FAR density of 16.1 for the east tower and 14.6 for the west tower.

2024 concept for 1706-1738 Alberni Street and 735 Bidwell Street, Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Bosa Properties/Kingswood Properties)

The various significant revisions made in the 2024 concept help return the project to a financially viable position, given the current challenging market conditions due to the lower demand for condominium housing and the high community amenity contributions (CACs) to the municipal government that would otherwise be required in exchange for enabling more condominium density. The additional residential density has also improved the project’s economic and financial feasibility.

Furthermore, the simplified architectural design lowers the project’s construction costs, especially following the substantial increases in market costs for labour, materials, and equipment in recent years.

“In today’s challenging housing climate, it was determined that this application was no longer viable and has been re-envisioned to ensure it can move forward,” reads the 2024 rezoning application.

Seven underground levels will accommodate 315 vehicle parking stalls, while 535 secured bike parking spaces will be spread across the ground level and various underground levels.

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