Butterfly construction resumes after workers rescued from chimney collapse

Construction at a downtown luxury condo was back in motion Thursday morning after work had to be paused when a chimney at the adjacent church collapsed, sending three workers to hospital.

Developer Westbank is heading the project at Nelson and Burrard streets to build the 57-storey Butterfly tower as well as refurbishing the adjacent First Baptist Church. It was the church’s chimney that collapsed, trapping three workers and prompting a technical rescue by firefighters.

Haebler Construction, the company in charge of renovating and seismically upgrading the church, confirmed work remains suspended at First Baptist while an investigation takes place.

Meanwhile, next door at the Butterfly, workers with Peak Construction Group gathered at the base of the building in the morning and began operating a lift up Vancouver’s third-tallest tower.

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Haebler confirmed the accident didn’t affect the Butterfly’s tower site, and work has resumed.

Revery Architecture, rebranded from Bing Thom Architects after Thom’s death, designed the shape of the Butterfly tower to emulate the organ pipes of the church. The project broke ground in 2018 and is expected to finish in 2024, two years after its initially forecasted completion date.