Free entry to Vancouver's only observation deck for City exhibit on higher buildings | Daily Hive

Free entry to Vancouver Lookout observation deck for City of Vancouver exhibit on considering higher buildings

City of Vancouver's Higher Buildings Policy Review exhibit at the Vancouver Lookout Observation Deck, May 2026. (City of Vancouver)

At roughly 458 ft. above West Hastings Street, the Vancouver Lookout — perched inside the saucer-shaped top of Harbour Centre — offers the only public observation deck in Downtown Vancouver. It is also home to the “Top of Vancouver” revolving restaurant.

When Harbour Centre opened in 1977, it stood as the city’s tallest building, a title it held for nearly 25 years before being surpassed by the 491-ft.-tall One Wall Centre. Today, it ranks 10th on the skyline — a reminder of how much Vancouver has grown upward over the decades.

Now consider how different that view could eventually become. Just two blocks south, a proposed redevelopment of the Hudson’s Bay parkade on West Georgia Street by Holborn Group envisions three new towers, including a full hotel tower with a one-of-a-kind rooftop observation deck attraction rising more than 1,000 feet — a height that would make it not only the tallest building in Vancouver, but the first technical “supertall” in Western Canada. Two additional towers, at 889 ft. and 783 ft., would further reshape the city’s core and skyline.

In exchange, as a public benefit, this Holborn Group also offers the construction of a new 38-storey social housing tower gifted to the municipal government, located at a separate site owned by the developer next to the Woodward’s complex.

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Proposals like this are part of what is prompting the City of Vancouver to revisit the rules that govern its tallest buildings.

The City of Vancouver has launched an initial public consultation on changing its Higher Buildings Policy, which sets out where and how developers can build beyond standard height limits in the Downtown Vancouver peninsula. First introduced in 1997 and last comprehensively updated in 2011, the policy is now under review as the City sees increased interest in taller towers.

The goal of this consultation is to better understand what residents want from future skyline changes — and what trade-offs they are willing to accept.

501-595 West Georgia Street Vancouver Bay Parkade Henriquez Holborn

Concept of the Hudson’s Bay parkade city block redevelopment at 501-595 West Georgia St., Vancouver. (Henriquez Partners Architects/Holborn Group)

The review is not tied to any one proposal, but instead looks at broader questions: where additional height might be suitable, how it should be designed, and what kinds of public benefits should come with it.

Taller buildings can offer clear advantages in a dense downtown. They can add new housing, office, and hotel uses close to public transit, and generate funding for public amenities — public parks and plazas, community/recreational centres, cultural venues, childcare facilities, affordable housing components, and transportation infrastructure improvements.

Concentrating growth vertically in highly centralized areas with a great concentration of services, jobs, and public transit can also help limit urban sprawl.

But the City’s own review materials point to potential downsides if height is not carefully managed. Larger towers can strain infrastructure, and create stronger winds, for instance.

The push to update the policy also reflects how much has changed in recent years. Vancouver’s population and economy has grown, construction technology has advanced, and new planning initiatives — including recent updates to the protected mountain view cones and the new Granville Street Plan — have opened the door to reconsidering building heights in Downtown Vancouver.

The protected mountain view cones — last significantly amended in 2024 — will remain unchanged as part of any updates to the Higher Buildings Policy.

harbour centre the lookout observation vancouver

Vancouver Lookout observation deck at Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver. (Felipe Sanchez/Shutterstock)

Vancouver Lookout observation deck at Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver. (Vancouver Lookout)

Moreover, the tallest buildings in Metro Vancouver — both today and in the foreseeable future, based on recent completions and projects under construction, proposed, or approved — are no longer concentrated in Downtown Vancouver, but in suburban municipalities.

Fundamentally, it is extremely unusual worldwide for a metropolitan region’s tallest buildings to be located well outside its primary city centre, which is the business, economic, and cultural hub.

The 708-ft.-tall, Two Gilmore Place in Burnaby’s Brentwood district became Metro Vancouver’s new tallest building in 2023, overtaking the 2009-built, 659-ft.-tall, Park Hyatt Vancouver (former Living Shangri-La Vancouver).

Later in 2026, Metro Vancouver is expected to gain a new tallest building from the continued construction ascent of Concord Pacific’s 755-ft.-tall Grand Tower at Concord Metrotown in Burnaby. It will reach full completion in 2027.

Just east of Concord Metrotown and Metropolis at Metrotown, WPJ McCarthy and Company is proposing to build an 853-ft.-tall tower with retail/restaurant, residential, and office uses, as well as a First Nations art gallery, a bowling alley, and a public observation deck attraction on the tower rooftop.

As it currently stands, Metro Vancouver’s tallest buildings will be located next to SkyTrain’s Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby, where Pinnacle International is proposing to build towers of 863 ft., 797 ft., 716 ft., and 571 ft. Pinnacle Lougheed will contain condominium, rental housing, office, hotel, and retail/restaurant uses.

And in Surrey City Centre, the Surrey City Development Corporation — a for-profit real estate company owned by the City of Surrey — has plans to build a 754-ft.-tall office and institutional tower next to SkyTrain’s Surrey Central Station, as part of the Centre Block complex.

Currently, the tallest proposal within the Downtown Vancouver peninsula is a 650-ft.-tall, mixed-use tower with hotel, condominium, social housing, and retail/restaurant uses at 601 Beach Crescent, next to the north end of the Granville Street Bridge. This project by Pinnacle International would also have destination restaurant attraction on the tower rooftop.

As well, Concord Pacific is in the very early stages of considering the inclusion of two “gateway” towers for its Northeast False Creek Plan. Both towers could also be higher than Vancouver’s current tallest building. However, a formal rezoning application has not yet been submitted.

However, a First Nations-led proposal next to SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station in East Vancouver could feature towers as tall as — or even taller than — the Park Hyatt Vancouver.

601 beach crescent vancouver pinnacle hotel tower 2026

2026 revised concept of 601 Beach Crescent, Vancouver. (Jyom Architecture/Pinnacle International)

After Park Hyatt Vancouver, the city’s next tallest buildings are the 2016-built, 616-ft.-tall Paradox Vancouver hotel, the 2024-built, 586-ft.-tall The Butterfly, the 2022-built, 550-ft.-tall One Burrard Place, the 2023-built, 532-ft.-tall The Stack, and the 2020-built, 493-ft.-tall Vancouver House.

Under the existing Higher Buildings Policy, the permitted tallest buildings are contemplated to be roughly between 550 ft. and 700 ft. for locations within the Central Business District of the Downtown Vancouver peninsula. Of these buildings, the tallest buildings of up to 700 ft. should be located on one of three primary streets — West Georgia Street, Burrard Street, or Granville Street.

Since the policy was first established in 1997, six buildings have been constructed through this policy, with another eight approved but not yet built.

According to the City, technical studies show buildings can now be constructed significantly taller than in the past, though engineering and structural costs increase sharply with height. Financial analysis suggests that while very tall towers can boost land value, they also carry greater risk and may not always deliver more public benefits than somewhat shorter projects.

Free entry for B.C. residents to the Vancouver Lookout observation deck on select dates for this public consultation

The municipal government is now in the early stages of gathering feedback. Residents are being asked where additional height might make sense, and what public benefits should be required in exchange.

Opportunities to participate include the City’s in-person exhibit at the Vancouver Lookout observation deck itself, where visitors can take in the skyline while considering how it might change.

The public consultation exhibit features a 3D model of the city centre’s skyline with interactive elements, and informational boards with extensive details, maps, and other visuals providing a backgrounder on the city’s current tallest buildings and the rationale for reconsidering the policy.

vancouver lookout higher buildings exhibit may 2026

City of Vancouver’s Higher Buildings Policy Review exhibit at the Vancouver Lookout Observation Deck, May 2026. (City of Vancouver)

The City’s exhibit on the observation deck at the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre will run from May 1 to 10, 2026. There will also be three free admission periods to access the Vancouver Lookout during this period: Sunday, May 3 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, May 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and nearly a full day on Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It should be emphasized that free admission on these dates is only offered to British Columbia residents with proof of residence.

As well, an online survey is now open and will run through May 31.

The input collected from both the in-person exhibit and online survey will help shape draft policy directions on rethinking tall buildings in Vancouver.

City staff will use the input to draft the policies in Fall 2026 to Winter 2027, with the final updated policy reaching public hearing for Vancouver City Council’s final consideration in Spring 2027.

City of Vancouver’s Higher Buildings Policy Review exhibit at the Vancouver Lookout Observation Deck, May 2026. (Josh White)

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