Construction underway on new steam plant and office tower next to BC Place

Construction underway on new Creative Energy steam plant and Westbank office tower next to BC Place Stadium

Construction progress on 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver, as of October 13, 2023 (left), and an artistic rendering of the final product (right). (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive | Bjarke Ingels Group/HCMA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

The construction pit just outside the northeast corner of BC Place Stadium continues to gain new depth.

In case you are wondering what will fill this void, it is the footprint of a new office tower that will also contain a critically important district heating utility serving the downtown Vancouver peninsula.

This is a redevelopment of the existing 1960s-built steam plant at 720 Beatty Street — the southwest corner of the intersection of Beatty Street and West Georgia Street, where the entrance onto the Georgia Viaduct is located and just kitty corner from the future new Vancouver Art Gallery.

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The transformative redevelopment by Westbank was first approved by Vancouver City Council in late 2020.

Earlier this year, Westbank confirmed to Daily Hive Urbanized site preparation through excavation had begun for the new steam plant, which will be owned and operated by Creative Energy.

The new plant will use new efficient all-electric boilers, replacing the existing facility’s use of natural gas. It will be located within the underground parking levels of the office tower, next to Expo Boulevard.

After the new plant is complete, construction can commence on the new office tower rising above the parkade.

Construction progress as of October 2023:

720 beatty street vancouver steam plant office october 13 2023

Construction progress on the new Creative Energy steam plant and Westbank office tower at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver, as of October 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Future condition:

720 Beatty Street Vancouver Creative Energy

Artistic rendering of 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HCMA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

Model of 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HCMA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

In order to provide the reliable electrical capacity required for the new Creative Energy plant, a new $16-million, 1.2-km-long underground transmission line will be built from BC Hydro’s Murrin substation in Chinatown to the office tower. This will also help keep operating costs lower and minimize rate increases for customers.

The existing plant already provides hot water and steam heating needs for over 200 buildings across more than 45 million sq ft across the downtown Vancouver peninsula, including over 100 residential buildings, and prominent facilities such as St. Paul’s Hospital, BC Place Stadium, Rogers Arena, Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch, and Vancouver Convention Centre. Steam produced by the plant is channeled through a 14-km-long network of underground pipes to reach the buildings.

Construction progress on the new Creative Energy steam plant and Westbank office tower at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver, as of October 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Artistic rendering of the entrance into the Creative Energy steam plant and exposed piping on the outdoor plaza at the site of 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. ((Bjarke Ingels Group/HCMA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

January 2019 artistic rendering of the Creative Energy redevelopment at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HMCA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

January 2019 layout of the Creative Energy redevelopment at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver, with the area highlighted in red colour depicting the new Creative Energy steam plant in the underground levels. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HMCA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

The new steam plant will not only “decarbonize” the utility, but provide added capacity for expansion — enough to provide the heating needs for an additional 12 million sq ft of development across the downtown Vancouver peninsula and the False Creek Flats. The project received regulatory approval from the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) in September 2022.

“Due to recently implemented City of Vancouver by-laws and policies that limit the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new buildings, without the addition a low carbon energy source, Creative Energy is not able to connect new building customers,” reads part of BCUC’s rationale for approval.

“Creative Energy anticipates that similar GHG emission reduction requirements will affect existing buildings in the future.”

The switch to electrification is expected to reduce the facility’s GHG emissions by 38,000 tonnes annually.

According to BCUC, the new plant is expected to cost about $38 million, including Creative Energy’s contribution towards the cost of the new BC Hydro transmission line. Construction on the new plant could reach completion in 2024.

As for the office tower above, the building is another collaboration between Westbank and renowned international architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group, which also designed Vancouver House.

Artistic rendering of 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HCMA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

January 2019 artistic rendering of the Creative Energy redevelopment at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HMCA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

This will be a 208-ft-tall, 17-storey, S-shaped office tower with a total building floor area of nearly 600,000 sq ft, including over 583,000 sq ft office space and over 12,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant uses on the ground level. The large office floor plates will be suitable for tech companies and other big businesses.

Last month, City Council approved a slightly revised design, enabling an additional 5,000 sq ft of floor area under the building’s Beatty Street elevation to enable “bulk data storage” related to the new steam plant.

“This use is typically located in industrial areas, however there are synergies between the energy produced from the equipment associated with a Bulk Data Storage use (i.e. computer servers) and the Community Energy Centre use, which makes this location appropriate for the proposed use,” reads a City staff report.

As part of the redevelopment, there will be a very significant public realm component, including added public plaza space around the stadium, and a new six-storey pavilion building containing over 30,000 sq ft of space for restaurant, sports bar, brewery, and entertainment uses — all in alignment with the adjacent stadium’s uses, and the City’s Northeast False Creek Plan’s prescription of creating an entertainment district in the area.

January 2019 artistic rendering of the Creative Energy redevelopment at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HMCA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

January 2019 artistic rendering of the Creative Energy redevelopment 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HMCA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

January 2019 landscape plan for the Creative Energy redevelopment at 720 Beatty Street, Vancouver. (Bjarke Ingels Group/HMCA Architecture & Design/Westbank)

Just a block away at 828 Cambie Street (150 Robson Street) — the northwest corner of the intersection of Beatty Street and Robson Street, across from BC Place Stadium’s Terry Fox Plaza — construction is also underway on the redevelopment of the former headquarters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.

This project by local developer Amacon will produce a 290-ft-tall, 29-storey tower — containing 131 condominium homes within the upper levels and hotel with 120 guest rooms within the base podium, which includes the retainment of the heritage facade. Other uses include a restaurant and cafe.

Block, the name of Amacon’s project, is expected to reach completion in 2026. It remains to be seen whether the hotel will be ready in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Construction progress as of October 2023:

the block 828 cambie street 150 robson street vancouver amacon construction october 13 2023

Construction progress on The Block at 828 Cambie Street (150 Robson Street), Vancouver, as of October 13, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Future condition:

828 cambie street vancouver the block amacon

Artistic rendering of The Block at 828 Cambie Street (150 Robson Street), Vancouver. (Amacon)

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