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J U N E 2 0 2 5 | 71 Nexus at 220 Prior Street R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E S Y M C M P A RC H I T EC T S NEXUS AT 220 PRIOR STREET by JESSICA KIRBY L ocated in the heart of Vancouver's dynamic medical research and education hub – where diversity and creativity intersect – Nexus is a 10-storey, 102,000-square-foot com- mercial and light industrial building purpose-built for the health-care sector. It will be the first health-care building in the soon-to-be-developed Healthcare Precinct in the FLATS district. "The vision for Nexus was to create a flagship commercial development that integrates advanced technology and forward-thinking design, situ- ated directly beside the new St. Paul's Hospital and Health Campus," says Mike Wurm, director of construction at Keltic Canada Development. "The objective was to establish a dynamic hub for medical, educational, and entrepreneurial innovation within Vancouver's emerging Health District." The building's form evolved through a series of prototype studies, starting with a simple form, informed by the zoning setbacks. The design team drew inspiration from medical instruments and the concept of a buoy, considering how to express the history of industry and blend that with a place for healing in the Western sense of the word. "This was a unique opportunity to design something boutique with an industrial edge," says Ryan Swirsky, architect with MCMP Architects. The result is a design and scale that relate beautifully to the area's industrial history and natural setting. Nexus is a concrete structure with an exterior façade made of a mix of a curtain wall system and ACM metal panels. The exterior features deep, black metal fins, and generous, floor- to-floor heights on the first, second, and office levels, bringing light and spaciousness to the interior. The building's roof surfaces are covered with an extensive and inten- sive green roof, providing significant insulation that spans nearly every surface, except for the amenities deck. Bird-friendly plantings serve as habi- tats for birds and insects, helping the building become a node within the city for pollinators. Wurm says the building had to have a A A A-class mix of medical, office, creative industrial, and retail units; flexible floor plates range from 6,700 to 13,300 square feet and units start from 771 square feet. Also on the wish list were modern amenities, such as a fitness centre, rooftop patio, and social and meeting lounges. The team made it all come true, but not without some creative problem-solv- ing. "One significant challenge was the withdrawal of the sole tenant, Masimo, who had initially acquired the entire building via a pre-sale agreement," Wurm says. "This necessitated revert- ing the design back to the original strata plan to accommodate up to 68 sepa- rate units. The project team responded quickly by adjusting the design accord- ingly and prepared for strata sales." The exterior fins are 18-inches deep – substantial for a fin that is sus- pended from a curtain wall – meaning they had to be reimagined to han- dle snow loading, for which there are strict building code requirements. "We had to commission a separate study and report to determine the snow-loading and climactic conditions specific to the site and design accord- ing to the requirements born from those conditions," Swirsky says. The fins act as a thermal bridge into the curtain wall, so MCMP collaborated with the supplier to ensure the fin is thermally broken at all points. "We lifted the horizontal fins four inches off the façade, ensur- ing the outside face is continuous and flush with vertical fins, which sup- port the horizontal fins," Swirsky says. "This allowed us to reduce the thermal bridging and align with the building's energy modelling targets." Liam Stacey, project manager at Syncra Construction, says the gen- eral contractor is overseeing and co-ordinating all aspects of the proj- ect from start to finish. "Due to the site's location on a previous riverbed and potential for a high-water table, the project used secant piling, which means secant wall is used as an exca- vation support system constructed by vertically drilled holes and caissons in an interlocking fashion around the perimeter of the excavation," he says. There was a concrete material supply impact at the beginning of the project, so Syncra employed a mobile concrete batch plant to mix the concrete for on site. This technique had not been done before on this scale for the secant wall. "The excavation was challenging due the volume of contaminated soil and the different variations of con- taminated soil on the site," Stacey adds. "This required carefully controlled and surveyed excavation with segregated areas for the different spoil types." Wurm says that despite the proj- ect's challenges, it is progressing well and is on schedule for occupancy at the end of Q 3 2025. "The develop- ment continues to reflect the future of Vancouver's dynamic medical and innovation hub, offering a rare oppor- tunity for ownership adjacent to the new St. Paul's Hospital and Health Campus," he says. A LOCATION 220 Prior Street, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER Keltic Canada Development ARCHITECT MCMP Architects GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Syncra Construction STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Glotman•Simpson MECHANICAL /ENERGY MODELLING AME Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Nemetz (S/A) & Associates CIVIL CONSULTANT Binnie INTERIOR DESIGN MCM Interiors L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Durante Kreuk Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 102,150 square feet TOTAL COST $70 million

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