35-storey hotel and condo tower approved next to Robson Square | Daily Hive

35-storey hotel and condo tower approved next to Robson Square in Downtown Vancouver

Concept of 807-815 Hornby St., Vancouver. (SHoP Architects/Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects/Reliance Properties)

A landmark mixed-use tower with a sizeable hotel and strata market ownership condominium uses is set to visually bookend the western end of Robson Square in Downtown Vancouver.

Last month, Vancouver City Council approved local developer Reliance Properties’ rezoning application to redevelop 807-819 Hornby St. and 908-948 Robson St. — the southwest corner of the intersection of Hornby Street and Robson Street.

Only COPE city councillor Sean Orr voted against the project, which was approved very swiftly without discussion and debate under the City of Vancouver’s new protocols for such applications. Recent legislation by the provincial government does not permit a public hearing to be held for rezoning applications that align with the Vancouver Official Development Plan (ODP) and contains majority residential use.

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The prominent site is currently occupied by a six-storey building constructed in 1980, with office space on the upper floors and retail on the ground level — home to businesses such as Ferragamo and MAC Cosmetics. Recognizing its significant redevelopment potential, Reliance Properties acquired the property in 2021 in a deal valued at approximately $67 million.

The project calls for the construction of a 357-ft-tall (109 metres), 35-storey tower, with the hotel situated within the first 11 floors of the tower and condominium uses within the remaining upper levels.

807-815 Hornby Street Vancouver Robson Square hotel

Concept of 807-819 Hornby St. and 908-948 Robson St., Vancouver. (SHoP Architects/Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects/Reliance Properties)

Existing condition:

Site of 807-819 Hornby St. and 908-948 Robson St., Vancouver. (Google Map)

Future condition:

807-819 Hornby Street 908-948 Robson Street

Concept of 807-819 Hornby St. and 908-948 Robson St., Vancouver. (SHoP Architects/Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects/Reliance Properties)

There will be 160 hotel rooms and 176 strata market ownership condominium uses. The residential unit size mix is 42 studio units, 72 one-bedroom units, 44 two-bedroom units, and 18 three-bedroom units. Indoor and outdoor hotel amenities are set for the third level. Residents will have access to shared indoor and outdoor amenities on the entirety of the 12th level, which is the level directly above the 11-storey base podium with the hotel uses.

Over 8,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space across the first two levels will provide activity to the building’s street frontages, while separate entrances will serve the hotel and residential uses of the tower.

The design was made by internationally acclaimed New York City-based firm SHoP Architects, renowned for landmark projects including Steinway Tower, Barclays Center, the American Copper Buildings, and the Brooklyn Tower. They partnered with Vancouver design firms Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects and PFS Studio.

Concept of 807-819 Hornby St. and 908-948 Robson St., Vancouver. (SHoP Architects/Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects/Reliance Properties)

The tower’s signature balcony design and use of sculpted natural stone for the exterior facade are inspired by two neighbouring architectural landmarks: the 1911-built historic courthouse — home to the Vancouver Art Gallery since 1983 — and the 1979-built Law Courts designed by Arthur Erickson.

“The use of sculpted stone, a natural material, achieves a level of articulation that is both monumental, but also human in scale. These sculptural elements, and the depth that they create at the facade of the building, also create a dynamic play of light and shadow that changes the appearance of this building over the course of the day as the sun moves across the sky,” reads the design rationale by the architects.

“The resulting crenellated facade of the building creates a vertically oriented version of the horizontal terracing that occurs at the New Law Courts, as well as referencing the sculptural plasticity of the Historic Law Courts. The ins and outs of the facade are also anticipated to create a dynamic surface for the play of light and shadow, that will result in a building that looks different from every side, and varies its appearance depending on the time of day.”

A public plaza is planned for the building’s prominent intersection corner, creating a gathering space with views toward the historic courthouse building (the current home of the Vancouver Art Gallery) and Robson Square. City staff are requiring the plaza to be secured for public use through a legal right-of-way.

City staff are also seeking design changes to enlarge the plaza, improve seating and lighting, make the hotel and residential entrances easier to identify, and strengthen the continuous stretch of storefronts along Robson Street and around the corner onto Hornby Street.

Indoor and outdoor hotel amenities are planned on the third level, while residential amenities are slated for the 12th floor.

Concept of 807-819 Hornby St. and 908-948 Robson St., Vancouver. (SHoP Architects/Boniface Oleksiuk Politano Architects/Reliance Properties)

The project aligns with the City’s Downtown Rezoning Policy and Hotel Development Policy, which encourages new hotel supply and meeting facilities. The site is also identified as a focal point for increased commercial and pedestrian activity, with Robson Street designated as an important retail corridor.

Eight underground levels will accommodate 254 vehicle parking stalls and 400 bike parking spaces.

In total, this project will generate a total building floor area of about 271,000 sq. ft., establishing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 14.5 times larger than the size of the 18,653 sq. ft. lot. Eight underground levels will accommodate 254 vehicle parking stalls and 400 bike parking spaces.

Last month, City Council also approved Reliance Properties’ rezoning application for 904-928 Davie St. and 1223 Hornby St., which has undergone major design and use revisions for over a decade. Replacing the footprint of the recently shuttered 7-Eleven, this will be a 32-storey, mixed-use tower with 244 strata market ownership condominium units and ground-level retail/restaurant uses.

And earlier this summer, Reliance Properties submitted a rezoning application for 1166 West Pender St. This effectively cancelled the previously-approved stalled project of building a 364-ft-tall (111 metres), 32-storey office tower with 355,000 sq. ft. of premium Class AAA office space, with the developer now pursuing a 530-ft-tall (162 metres), 49-storey tower with a 199-room hotel and 340 strata market ownership condominium units.

Just south of Jack Poole Plaza, Reliance Properties is also planning to completely convert the 1966-built, 12-storey office tower at 1111 West Hastings St. into Le Germain Hotel Vancouver. The boutique hotel property will have 180 rooms and a restaurant. Construction on the drastic renovation project is expected to begin before the end of 2026 for an opening in 2029, becoming the first British Columbia location of the Quebec-based Le Germain Hotel chain.

904-920 Davie Street Vancouver condo tower f

2023 concept artistic rendering of 904-920 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Neil M. Denari Architects/Bingham & Hill Architects/Reliance Properties)

904-920 Davie Street Vancouver condo tower

2023 concept artistic rendering of 904-920 Davie Street, Vancouver. (Neil M. Denari Architects/Bingham & Hill Architects/Reliance Properties)

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