Award

DECEMBER 2019 | 39 The Link Collingwood RENDERINGS COURTESY GBL ARCHITECTS The Link Collingwood by ROBIN BRUNET T he evolution of new housing proj- ects aimed at seniors tends to result in good outcomes these days – because the trend is to make the seniors component part of a larger multi-use plan, thus providing integra- tion and a sense of community instead of segregation. This is certainly the case with The Link Collingwood in Vancouver, B.C., which replaces 44 units of the now- demolished Odd Fellows Manor with a new six-storey LEED Gold build- ing accommodating the same number of units as well as 104 market rental units and commercial/retail space at ground level. The Manor was built in 1971 and run by Odd Fellows Low Rental Housing Society for low-income res- idents 55 years and older. In 2012, after the building had been deemed too expensive to upgrade, Odd Fellows approached Terra Housing, which spe- cializes in developing real estate with social-purpose and market compo- nents. An agreement was reached to redevelop the property for residual density in return for the replacement of the 44 units. Terra subsequently partnered with Hungerford Properties to leverage the necessary capital and capac- ity to deliver the project, which was approved in 2016 under the City of Vancouver's Rental 100 program. Stuart Lyon, of GBL Architects, says, "this was a great opportunity to den- sify the site in a way that would please all parties. We developed many design iterations, including a plan for two short towers, but when the City estab- lished a height cap of six storeys along with a stepping in on the north side of the site to accommodate a fairly sub- stantial slope, this helped determine the form of the project." GBL created a rectangular struc- ture running perpendicular to the slope with eight storeys on the lower north- ern end and six storeys on the southern end, facing Kingsway Boulevard. Concrete was chosen for the three-sto- rey podium, and the five levels of living units would be wood frame construc- tion, with both those materials covered in brick and HardiePlank panel. To animate the massive rectangular form, GBL staggered the facade with recessed and protruding balconies, a stepped back upper level with perim- eter balconies, and colour accents. "Additionally, the city required us to preserve three trees on one corner of the site, so we set back the building and created an amenity space in this area," says Lyon. The fact that the facility had six lev- els on one side and eight on the other "allowed us to distinguish the com- mercial part of the facility from the residential component and the Odd Fellows housing," says Lyon. "Odd Fellows has its own distinct entrance as does the market residences, and for the former we extended the entrance from Lincoln Street to a second- ary entrance on Kingsway for older residents who may have difficulty nav- igating Lincoln's slope." The entrances were augmented with canopies and special lighting, as well as high quality doors and spacious lobbies to impart a sense of welcome. Capping the building is a rooftop amenity space and urban garden. "As for the interiors, we considered many itera- tions while Hungerford studied different kinds of programming, and ultimately we chose an open, modern, simple, and bright variety of studio and one- and two-bedroom layouts," says Lyon. Excavation began in January of 2018, and Dan Eagen, project manager for Scott Construction Group, says the Kingsway location and surrounding buildings meant "there wasn't any lay down or staging space, plus we couldn't use the curb lane of Kingsway for deliv- eries until 9:30 a.m., so it was a constant juggling act to co-ordinate the influx of building materials and waste pickups." Fortunately, the wood components facilitated construction. "The framing was all pre-fab wall panels that were colour coded and hoisted into place," says Eagen. "While that helped us earn LEED Gold points, it also took only four months to frame the entire building." Eagen adds that special atten- tion was paid to create firestopping between the underground parkade, the podium, and the wood structure. "The podium and the wood structure are each divided by a firewall, so in a sense we were constructing five separate buildings," he says. As of November, Scott Construction was presiding over the finishes of The Link Collingwood, and Lyon says of its impending completion, "We're happy with the outcome, and it was great to work for a client such as Hungerford. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to work with them on future projects." A LOCATION 3595 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Hungerford Properties ARCHITECT GBL Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR Scott Construction Group STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT BMZ Structural Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Williams Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 116,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed 7:24 AM

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