1.3K 
Five months since our last update, and progress at the future site of Westbank's 57-storey The Butterfly high-rise development has moved along significantly. Excavation crews have been hard at work, digging the build site down several storeys below grade.
The 179-metre high-rise will one day be home to 331 units, these to be split up into 136 one-, 159 two-, and 36 three-bedroom suites, with space underground for 510 cars and 435 bikes. Inside, the common areas will be rather unusual, with every floor featuring exterior courtyards, and every third floor to sport a crop of tree planters. Amenities will be generous, with a 50-metre Olympic-length pool (to be covered over by a glass canopy), in addition to a fitness centre, lounge, and rooftop terrace.
Designed by Revery Architecture, The Butterfly will no doubt become an iconic part of the downtown skyline, its graceful silhouette evocative of its namesake. An associated 8-storey rental building will also join the site, with space for 61 apartments.
Last but not least, the project includes a sizable, $91 million community fund, which will go towards the restoration and conversion of the adjacent First Baptist Church (visible above) into a brand new community centre. Once complete, The Butterfly, rental project, and church conversion will be a major asset to the core, the development as a whole to be majorly transformative (much like the life cycle of a butterfly).
SkyriseVancouver will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
