The Icon and Silver Sea Mixed-use Developments

Concord Pacific

Vancouver, British Columbia

Part of Concord Pacific's Beach Crescent Neighbourhood in downtown Vancouver, Buildings N and O – the "Icon" development – each include a residential tower seated on a block of townhouses and Building P – the "Silver Sea"– includes residential units seated on a podium of retail space. Prime residential developments, these projects showcase the incorporation of green building strategies into high-quality urban design and architecture. As a result, they were selected by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation as case studies in an investigation of "Strategies for Alternative Energy Use and Redistribution at the Building Envelope." The findings of this study specifically cite the orientation, massing and elevation treatments of the buildings.

Because of the development's proximity to the Granville Street Bridge, suites are oriented to face east across George Wainborn Park and False Creek while the units above the bridge in Buildings N and O have clear views of English Bay. While the buildings are aligned to the city grid along their north and west faces, the south- and east-facing sides feature a lighter, more open treatment. Spacious balconies function as sunshades for floors below and are finished to express distinct outdoor living areas that allow for interaction with the adjacent park.

With floors four through nine gradually stepping back, Building P displays a strong nautical influence. This theme is echoed in the project's landscaping, most notably in the 'moat' of collected rainwater that runs along the north face. The project's styling and detailing serve a similar purpose with private entrance bridges to ground level suites cutting through a series of nautically expressed island planters containing bamboo and reeds to promote water filtration. The building's southwest corner features 1,720 square feet of commercial retail space.