New renderings of Metro King: one of Metro Vancouver's future tallest towers

Artistic rendering of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

New details and renderings of Metro King — a proposed mixed-use redevelopment in downtown Metrotown — have been made public by the City of Burnaby, ahead of a public meeting reviewing the project at the end of this month.

The proposal by Anthem Properties calls for a 692-ft-tall (211 metres) tower with 66 storeys at the mid-block land assembly of 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, immediately north of Metropolis at Metrotown shopping mall.

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If it existed today, the tower would be the tallest building in Metro Vancouver — exceeding the 659-ft-tall (201 metres) Living Shangri-La in downtown Vancouver — but it would fall short of a growing number of future super-tall towers in the region, including the 755-ft-tall (230 metres) Concord Metrotown Two tower just across the street.

4653-4673 Kingsway 4638-4670 Hazel Street Surrey Metro King

Artistic rendering of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

“The height will allow for maximum view potential in all directions for building occupants, especially towards the North Shore Mountains, downtown Vancouver, and the ocean to the west,” reads the design rationale by Chris Dikeakos Architects.

“The tower itself will become a bold and expressive skyline element from afar. It will incorporate the highest level of design and detail lead by an architectural expression originating from a sense of place while being recognized for its elegance and simplicity.”

The development site is currently occupied by a single-storey building that was previously the longtime Metrotown location of Cactus Club Cafe, which relocated in 2019 to a new location across the street at 6090 Silver Drive in Anthem Properties’ Station Square redevelopment.

Site of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

There will be 645 homes of mixed tenure, including 372 condominium homes within levels 34 to 65, 200 market rental homes within levels 17 to 31, and 73 inclusionary rental homes within levels 10 to 16 following the city’s inclusionary rental housing policy.

The condominium unit mix is 20 studios, 134 one-bedroom units, 64 one-bedroom units with a den, 32 two-bedroom units with two bathrooms, 66 two-bedroom units with a den, 34 three-bedroom units, and eight three-bedroom units as three-storey townhomes facing Hazel Street to the north.

Condominium residents will have access to a double-height amenity space on level 32, with indoor amenity space featuring a fitness area, yoga room, guest suite, family room, and outdoor amenity space with a BBQ and dining area, lounge, and child’s play area. Additionally, the top floor at level 66 will feature another amenity space for condominium residents with spectacular views of downtown Vancouver and the mountains.

The market rental housing unit mix is 32 studios, 90 one-bedroom units, 30 one-bedroom units with a den, 16 two-bedroom units with two bathrooms, 17 two-bedroom units with a den, and 15 three-bedroom units. As for the inclusionary rental homes, the unit mix is 12 studios, 33 one-bedroom units, 11 one-bedroom units with a den, four two-bedroom units with two bathrooms, six two-bedroom units with a den, and seven three-bedroom units.

All rental residents will share an amenity space on the 10th floor, with a double-height indoor amenity space opening up to a large outdoor roof terrace.

Artistic rendering of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

Layout of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

Within the podium, levels four to nine, there will be about 119,000 sq ft of office space. Office workers will also have access to their own amenity space on the fourth level, complete with a fitness area, meeting room, and an expansive outdoor roof terrace.

A relatively minor restaurant component is incorporated into ground level, activating the podium’s frontage with Kingsway, as well as a new mid-block pedestrian pathway and new north-south laneway on the project’s eastern boundary line. This includes a 3,800 sq ft restaurant unit and a 1,115 sq ft cafe unit, with the office lobby on Kingsway located between these retail units.

The residential lobby accessing the separate elevators for the condominium and rental housing floors are located on the east side of the building, next to the new laneway.

Artistic rendering of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

The tower’s design carries clean expression elements that are inspired by humanist architecture and the Pacific Northwest modernist character.

“With a relation of light and shadow, the yin and yang are opposite but consistently united. The idea transcends through the materiality, form, and defining characters of the development while it is further experienced through two defining architectural arrangements,” continues the design rationale.

“The east tower facade and office podium are created with an ordered, sleek, refined, and dark coloured theme that are reminiscent of urban forms and details found in major metropolis downtowns. The west tower facade and townhouse massing along Hazel are playful, using simple geometry and a light coloured scheme… With a combination of a rhythm of staggered solid planes, punched windows, and large glazed areas, this massing provides visual interest and mitigates the overall scale of the tower.”

Artistic rendering of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

Six underground levels will contain 716 vehicle parking stalls, but the secured bike parking component, totalling 1,434 stalls, will be spread over portions of the first three levels of the podium.

The total floor area is 655,430 sq ft, creating a floor area ratio of a floor area that is 11.64 times larger than the size of the 56,321 sq ft lot.

Illustrations in the rezoning application to the city also suggest the adjacent sites on the same city block could see similar heights, densities, and mixed uses, including a significant office podium component. This also aligns with the municipal government’s Metrotown Downtown Plan.

The western facade of Metro King’s podium will be temporarily improved by a large mural, until it is covered up by the podium levels of an adjacent redevelopment.

Layout of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street in Burnaby, and the potential forms, heights, and mixed uses of adjacent sites. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

Artistic rendering of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

Layout of Metro King tower at 4653-4673 Kingsway and 4638-4670 Hazel Street, Burnaby. (Chris Dikeakos Architects/Anthem Properties)

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