Flatiron Building
Cathedral Ventures
Vancouver, British Columbia
Completion Date: 2008
Square Footage: 60,000
Square Footage: 60,000
The Flatiron building is located in the popular Coal Harbour neighborhood of downtown Vancouver's West End. Despite the success and popularity of numerous towers in the area, the Flatiron site remained underdeveloped due to its small footprint and irregular shape. We were commissioned to design a landmark residential building with a form that accentuated and responded to the triangular profile of this unique site. A feasibility study and numerous massing studies were undertaken, analyzing six different schemes before determining the most effective concept for this distinctive, high-profile building.
The tower's footprint is unusually small for a building of its height (269 feet), minimizing shadow impact on the adjacent park, community center and seawall. A sophisticated structural system was necessary to maintain the building's thin, elegant profile. Each floor of the tower contains two residential units except for the penthouse at the top of the tower, which occupies the top two stories. All units have direct elevator access and all parking is located on three underground levels. At street level, the building is occupied by retail and educational tenants.
