25-ft-wide social and rental housing building coming to East Hastings

Artistic rendering of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. (Wilson Chang Architect)

Another exceptionally narrow-width social housing building has been proposed for a mid-block site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

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Wilson Chang Architect’s development application to the City of Vancouver seeks to squeeze a 98-ft-tall building into a 25-ft wide, 3,000-sq-ft, vacant site at 436 East Hastings Street, just one block south of Oppenheimer Park.

Site of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. (Wilson Chang Architect)

Artistic rendering of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. (Wilson Chang Architect)

The proposal calls for a seven-storey building containing 22 studio units, with 14 units dedicated as social housing and 40% as secured market rental units. A 860-sq-ft common amenity space is located on the second level.

The ground-floor frontage is activated by a 1,100-sq-ft retail unit.

Artistic rendering of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. (Wilson Chang Architect)

According to the application, the contemporary design, with framed and punched openings, follows the “sawtooth” profile of the heritage East Hastings streetscape in the area.

“The street is characterized by a very prominent ‘sawtooth’ streetscape profile with varied roof lines next to each other. The proposed building is well integrated and will contribute to this pattern. Additionally, the small neighbouring buildings are not heritage buildings and will likely be replaced by taller buildings in the future,” reads the design rationale.

“Here, the building is looking for a modern interpretation. We are proposing to break out from the often very rigid grid of the older buildings. The openings are placed more randomly, but there is significant depth variation in the placement of the glass to add to the increased shadow variation. The facade design itself is based on a framed pattern look.”

Artistic rendering of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, compared with sawtooth street profile. (Wilson Chang Architect)

Artistic rendering of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. (Wilson Chang Architect)

No tenant parking spaces are included, but a car share stall will be incorporated in the laneway.

The building will create a total floor area of 15,149 sq. ft., pushing its floor space ratio density to five times the size of the lot.

Artistic rendering of 436 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. (Wilson Chang Architect)

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