Cadillac Fairview reveals new design for controversial Gastown tower
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2020 04:31:03 +0000
After going back to the drawing board, Cadillac Fairview is going forward with new plans to build a glass office tower in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood.
The developers have submitted a development permit application to the City of Vancouver to construct a 26-storey tower next to Waterfront Station.
The Crystal at Waterfront Square, as it is being called, is the second tower design that Cadillac Fairview has proposed to build on top of the parking lot at 555 West Cordova.
In 2015, the developers put forth a design of angular and very modern glass and steel tower plopped between Waterfront Station and The Landing, two century-old brick heritage buildings.
It was not well received. While proponents described the building’s modern design as “origami-like,” critics called it a “geometric blob,” “the Martian landing,” and an “ice pick” due to its narrow base and widening body that appeared to crouch over the station
Vancouver heritage advocate Anthony Norfolk told CBC that the proposed tower looks like “Jurassic Park rodent has chewed away at the ground.”
A 2015 rejected design for a 26-storey office tower between Waterfront Station and The Landing.
Cadillac Fairview is going forward with new plans to build glass office tower in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood.
In the new plans, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture of Chicago, the tower is still glass and steel but its rectangular base has been spun 90 degrees and tucked partially behind Waterfront Station, allowing for a larger public plaza at ground level.
“The reconfiguration allows for 85 per cent of the current surface parking lot to be repurposed as an open civic square, enabling the community to enjoy unimpeded harbour and mountain views,” Cadillac Fairview said in a release.
The design also includes public terrace off the building’s fourth floor.
The southwest section of the tower is designed to jut out and hover above the northeast section of the station, but the building will not encroach on The Landing.
The public will have a chance to look over the application at a community open house on Feb. 18, 3-7 p.m., at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel.
The project, which does not require rezoning, will go before the city’s development permit board on May 25.
Cadillac Fairview is going forward with new plans to build a glass office tower in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood.
Cadillac Fairview is going forward with new plans to build a glass office tower in Vancouver’s historic Gastown neighbourhood.
With files from Cheryl Chan and Matt Robinson