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We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.
Completed in 2015, the mixed-use tower at 89 West Georgia Street is the first phase of the three-tower Aquilini Centre. Developed by the Aquilini Group and designed by B+H Architects, this 26-storey LEED Gold building features a mix of retail, office space and rental apartments. The building is within walking distance of two SkyTrain stations (Stadium-Chinatown and Yaletown-Roundhouse), several bus routes, False Creek, Olympic Village and Yaletown.
North Elevation, image via City of Vancouver
The first four floors contain retail, while floors five through 12 provide 106,581 square feet of office space, with the Vancouver Canucks as one of the major tenants. Floors 13-26 have 197 market rental apartment units, with a mix of one-bedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den, two-bedroom-plus-den, and two-level penthouse suites. Residential units and common areas were designed by CHIL Interior Design. The tower was built next to Rogers Arena and provides a new entry into the facility.
West Elevation, image via City of Vancouver
Several challenges were presented during the design phase of the development. The City's plan to demolish the Georgia Viaduct played heavily into the process. While the current entrance is at the same level as the viaduct, another one was provided at street level.
Another challenge was accommodating the tower's deep floor plates on the office floors, while creating the narrower floor plates on the residential floors. This was achieved by placing storage lockers near the core of the building instead of the basement. Noise on the east side coming from Rogers Arena was also an issue; glazed panels along the balcony edges can be closed to muffle the sounds.
We will return in the near future with another comparison!
