Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/354800
Hotel BLU & Residences by Guy Wilson-Roberts IMAGES COURTESY MAYFAIR HOTELS & RESORTS L ocated right in the heart of Vancou- ver's lively downtown shopping and entertainment cores on Robson and Cambie streets, and in amongst an eclec- tic mix of high-rise residential, office and hotel towers, stands the mixed-use Hotel BLU & Residences. T his new lu x ur y development includes six retail stores, 75 boutique hotel units on levels two to four – which includes nine of Vancouver's first dou- ble-height loft units – and 106 rental residences on levels five to 20 (there is no level 13). T he prec a s t conc rete-pa nelled building t akes it s name f rom t he coloured clerestor y glazing of the building's t wo penthouse units and the underside of the curved roof that is uplit in blue. Small blue panels are also strategically placed around the base of the f loor-to-ceiling low E dual glaz- ing that stretches up the building and allows as much natural light to stream into the building as possible. The painted cast-in-place concrete and the sandblasted precast tinted concrete panels complement the older structures found in the historic Yale- town district and the modernist look of the Vancouver Central Public Library up the street. "The intention was to build something that would fit in with the surrounding and the community," says Neilin Dhanji, VP of operations of Mayfair Hotels and Resorts. "In terms of massing, the precast elements are rooted to and follow the street grid, lending continuity to the street experience, while the glass tower and podium forms are angled slightly to the south affording better penetration of southerly sunlight into the subject property as well as the TV towers," explains the project's archi- tect Abdallah Jamal from Relative Form Architecture. The L-shaped building rises 20-sto- reys on one side and four storeys on the other. The two parts are bridged together by a porte cochère that fea- tures the business suite on top. Out- side, concrete pillars are left in their natural state to add a rustic elegance to the building, and strips of blue tile and blue uplighters located along the walkway and on the building bring the hotel and residences to life at night. Jamal adds that charcoal was chosen for window mullions, whether on the tower or in the precast, lending an air of elegance to the rendering of the build- ing. In the lane, the dressed precast concrete gives way to more enclosed ar t iculated cast-in-place concrete, coloured to complement the precast. T he desig n const raint s on t he site were numerous. "Not the least of which was a height cap due to a view cone [the view to the crown of Grouse Mountain as seen from the crest of the Cambie Street Bridge]," explains Jamal. "Being behind the CBC TV Towers proj- ect meant that we had to respect quite restrictive livable distances between our project and theirs. Further, the City was f lip-f lopping between exercising an option to take eight feet from the Robson side of the property to widen the sidewalk. Amid these constraints, Mayfair wanted the building to have a unique character and presence along Robson," adds Jamal. Something the team definitely achieved. Located on a corner plot on a con- fined site that required deep excavation posed a number of challenges, explains Paul Tomei, AScT – construction engi- neering manager with structural engi- neers Bogdonov Pao Associates Ltd. "It was beneficial that the Georgian Court Hotel and the Hampton Inn & Suites, both located across the alley from Hotel BLU, are owned by Mayfair. It was help- ful to have a co-operative neighbour," says Tomei. Being close to BC Place Stadium, Jacob Bros. had to co-ordinate with events and plan accordingly during the construction process. "On one occasion they had a significantly large concrete pour on a Saturday when the BC Lions were playing and the streets were blocked off," explains Tomei. "The con- tractor did an amazing job of managing the site on those occasions to ensure public safety." From a structural standpoint, one of the challenges of this mixed-use devel- opment was having to change from a hotel to a residential floorplan. In fact, the structural grid was dictated by two elements: the parking and hotel rooms. Neither grid was aligned partly due to the creation of the large open-space lobby and the five-degree angle of the fully-glazed parts of the building. "The layout of the columns changed as the units in the hotel are smaller and the residential units are open to promote a living space," says Tomei. "This not only required careful consideration from the architect, but when columns and walls don't line up the resulting discon- tinuous or broken load paths need to be resolved utilizing thick transfer slabs." Above the fourth f loor, the grid changes to respect the residential unit layout. "Transfer slabs and beams were used to address the broken load paths," explains Jamal. "A further complication was introduced at the penthouse levels (18 to 20) where some columns had to be removed completely to allow resi- dential plans to work. John Pao, senior structural engineer with Bogdonov Pao Associates Ltd. conceived stepped cantilever slabs extending from the elevator core to address this need. The uppermost floor was designed in steel posts and beams, to allow fully-glazed exterior walls." The executive boardroom on the second f loor protrudes at an angle over the main hotel entrance on Robson Street and is aligned with the angled grid of the glazed part of the tower/ podium. Here, small touches such as the bespoke Bocci lights guide you in through the main lobby and hint at the importance to Mayfair, the project's owner, of incorporating local elements throughout the design. In fact, even the artwork that hangs on the hotel walls was taken in and around Vancouver. Being an all-concrete building means the hustle and bustle of Robson Street is quickly drowned out as soon as the doors shut. Inside, the guest room flooring is a thick vinyl tile with a wood imprint that has limited noise transference. Mayfair's focus on technology and sustainability is impressive. There are parking spots with an electric vehicle charging station for two cars that is free, and guests with hybrid cars are offered a 50 per cent discount on park- ing. Cat 6 cabling has been installed to allow for a unique interface allowing guests to screen mirror and therefore stream content from personal devices AUGUST 2014 /85 Hotel BLU & Residences