Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1433288
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 43 Zephyr P H OTO G R A P H Y BY G R A H A M H A N D FO R D/CO U RT E S Y W E S T BA N K CO R P. ZEPHYR by ROBIN BRUNET W estbank's contributions to Vancouver's West End dates back to 2014 starting with The Lauren, the first new rental building constructed in the West End since the 1980s. Now Zephyr, created in partnership with Crombie REIT, marks a continuation of their commit- ment to contributing rental homes to the neighbourhood. A community of homes with an emphasis on living locally and sus- tainably, Zephyr provides 330 new rental homes in two towers, with an expansive 50,000-square-foot Safeway at street level (the largest grocery store in the West End). Just steps from English Bay, Zephyr's homes over- look panoramic views of downtown, English Bay and Stanley Park, with studio to three-bedroom floor plans up to nearly 1,400 square feet. "Initially, the Zephyr site was occu- pied by an existing standalone Safeway store and above-grade parking lot. The new development densified the site by incorporating two new rental and residential towers immediately above a new and expanded food store," says Levi Stoelting, a principal at Glotman Simpson. Phillip MacDougall, project man- ager at Westbank, points out that the project was an exercise in balancing respect for the neighbourhood context with establishing a higher standard of residential living. "The apartments are well appointed, have great views, and thoughtfully-designed layouts," he says. "And the building's amenity offering is second to none. The podium on which the two towers sit contains a two-level fitness facility, an outdoor children's play area, library and study spaces, community gardens, rooftop fitness and dining areas, an expansive terrace bridging the towers. and there is also Zephyr Cycle Club, a first of its kind electric bike share program avail- able to all residents." Zephyr is designed by Henriquez Partners Architects, Westbank's long-time collaborators and the archi- tect of the landmark Woodward's redevelopment. Since then, they have collaborated together on proj- ects across Canada and in the U.S. most recently completing Joyce in Vancouver. "We enjoy a very strong relationship, and Zephyr was no exception," McDougall says. Originally, Zephyr was conceived as a single tower, "But working with the City of Vancouver we were able to find a two tower solution that made this a more viable project, and we ultimately got approval after proving we could meet separation and privacy require- ments," says Henriquez Partners principal Shawn Lapointe. This to a degree influenced the form of the two towers "in that we were able to design irregular shapes with facades tilted at angles for visual appeal and also to ensure that all the residents had great views," Lapointe says. "The outward facing balconies of the tow- ers have a lot of texture, but the inside LOCATION 1661 Davie Street, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER /DEVELOPER Westbank Corp. / Crombie REIT ARCHITECT Henriquez Partners Architects GENER AL CONTR ACTOR ITC Construction Group STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Integral Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. INTERIOR DESIGNER Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc. ACOUSTIC CONSULTANT BKL Consultants Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 300,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed faces are more symmetric, stepped in gradual slopes that shelter them and create a calmer atmosphere, with ter- races linked at the lower levels." Stoelting adds that the tower struc- tures wind their way through the new commercial floor area and multiple below-grade parking levels with cen- tral concrete cores propagating to the foundation level, and columns trans- ferring on long-spanning beams over the commercial footprint. Breaking down the mass of the podium to fit in with neighbouring architecture was accomplished by creating a series of 14 screens of trans- lucent glass and bronze fins framed on a steel structure several feet in front of the Safeway envelope. "The screens accomplished several objec- tives, first being to integrate Safeway into the surrounding context with more fine-grain storefronts," Lapointe says. "Programmable LED light- ing would animate the screens, and continued on page 46 ▲ 2:39 PM