Canada's first full office building with smart windows is on West Broadway

Apr 12 2019, 12:10 am

Vancouver’s skyline is made up of a vast selection of skyscrapers, many residential, some office.

Until now, all of these buildings have been missing a key element. We’re talking about a feature that would allow them to reduce energy consumption, improve the health and wellness of individuals within the buildings, decrease glare, and also ease costs. Enter View Dynamic Glass technology.

Recently, Vancouver developer BlueSky Properties unveiled the first office building in Canada to feature View Dynamic Glass technology at 988 West Broadway. This innovative technology was born in Silicon Valley and now it’s an integral part of the AAA-class, 105,000 sq. ft. office development located at the corner of Broadway and Oak.

988 West Broadway/BlueSky Properties

CEO of BlueSky Properties, Dale Bosa, says: “988 West Broadway is one of the healthiest and most forward-thinking office buildings in Vancouver. The environment creates a space where people can work better and be healthier, which ultimately leads to improved happiness, performance, and productivity.”

BlueSky Properties’ partner on this project, iA Financial Group, occupies 93,000 sq.ft. of office space over nine floors, with additional commercial tenants, including Johnny Rockets and DALINA, at grade. The group will have more than 400 Vancouver staff working in the building and wanted to create the best possible employee experience for them, so that staff would love coming to work.

“This new building reinforces our commitment and presence in Western Canada, and we wanted to create an environment that will make our staff love coming to work,” says Alnoor Jiwani, senior vice president at iA Financial Group.

The Silicon Valley-based company, View, Inc., has designed its smart window technology to let in natural light and enhance mental and physical well-being, without the need for shades, blinds, or disrupting views. Their efficient technology can lead to a reduction of lighting and HVAC electricity of up to 20% as it controls the amount of light coming into the building by automatically tinting sunlight to block glare.

The new technology is set to greatly benefit employees who will be working in the building by providing them access to increased natural light, which is the number one office perk for employees as published by the Harvard Business Review.

Results from the survey found that 78% of employees believe that access to natural light and views improve their well-being, and because of this, 70% report improved work performance. As well as this, workers in daylight office environments report a 51% drop in eyestrain, a 63% drop in the incidence of headaches, and a 56% reduction in drowsiness.

Boardroom/988 West Broadway

The building has been thoughtfully designed with future workers in mind by Chris Dikeakos Architects with interior design by BYU and tenant interior design by Square One Interior Design.

The iA Financial Group has been operating in the new West Broadway building since January 2019. Find out more about the innovative View Dynamic Glass technology used in 988 West Broadway here.

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