Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/423872
Capstone by Irwin Rapoport images courtesy Fairborne Homes Limited W ith the delivery of the six-storey Capstone building in October, Fairborne Homes has now com- pleted four residential buildings in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancou- ver to provide additional housing in this growing community. The L-shaped, 66,000-square-foot building – on a quiet street west of Lon- sdale - has 71 homes, a lounge area with outdoor space, along with two-and-a- half floors of underground parking (88 spots) accessed by an entrance on the west side of the building, shared with the neighbouring Sky building. There are two elevators close to the lobby. Buttjes Architecture, Inc. submitted its final design for Capstone in 2012 after working on the project for six months. "The site shape dictated the plan shape as an L-form, and the site slopes quite steeply from West 2nd Street on the north to the Jack Loucks Court pub- lic park to the south," says Dirk Buttjes, project architect. "We saw the sloping site as an opportunity to design a ter- raced building, with several suites enjoy- ing large south-facing terraces. The style is intended to fit in with its neighbours [we were also the architects for Q, Time, and Sky buildings – adjacent to it] as a clean, modern concrete building. "It is unique in that it has a long hori- zontal footprint, rather than a tall high- rise like the other buildings," he adds, "but it incorporates many of the same or similar details to the other concrete buildings. The development completes the walkway system surrounding the site, providing mid-block north-south pedestrian access. The driveway access ramp to Sky was always designed to provide access to parking for both Sky and Capstone. It definitely fits in with its neighbours and completes the urban design character of this pedestrian-ori- ented community." Buttjes notes that the exterior pal- ate is clean and modern, with white and grey hues being predominant to embellish the steel and glazing features – large acoustically engineered thermal double-glazed, low-e windows. "Building Envelope technolog y is always improving," Buttjes says. "The windows we chose maximize the views of the ocean. They are quiet and comfortable, and provide UV protec- tion while also offering reduced sound transfer. The south-facing terraces and balconies are angled to pick up any south-facing harbour views. "The building is designed to LEED Silver standards," he adds. "We incor- porated energy-saving mechanical and electrical systems, including the incor- poration of a district hydronic heating system to supply heat to the building, enhancement of the public pathway system, a green roof system and water detention provisions. We are finding that materials, methods and equipment used in LEED buildings are becoming the norm rather than the exception in the multi-family residential sector." The main entrance is on West Second accessed by a granite path, residents and visitors will enter into a two-storey main lobby that is filled with natural light by day. "The idea was to create an atmosphere of cool sophistication," says Buttjes. "The finishes are predomi- nately white with pale wood accents and wall panelling. The lobby, like the ame- nity space, was kept small, but is com- fortable and serves as a place to relax." Designed in a West Coast contempo- rary esthetic, the lobby features a stun- ning wood and resin art piece designed by MTH Woodworks, and the space is anchored by contemporary furnishings by North Vancouver's Velle's Furniture. The architecture and landscaping of Capstone merge harmoniously with the public art and pedestrian plaza of Jack Loucks Court. "The developments around Jack Loucks Court are all land- scaped to enhance the park-like atmo- sphere established there," says Buttjes. "This development completes the public realm of the court, the Community Cen- tre in Time and Rogers Plaza leading to the waterfront to the south." The f loor plan for the residential area is based on a central corridor with suites on either side and two stairways. More than half of the homes are one- bed or one-bed-and-den units. "These are smaller, more economical plans that we have refined with the client over the course of several projects," explains Buttjes. "Two colour schemes were made available incorporating carpet, hardwood f loors and granite countertops." He adds that 20 per cent of the homes are "adaptable" to municipal standards, meaning they can be modi- fied to accommodate lifestyle changes and "aging-in-place." Asked how the design of Capstone and the neighbouring buildings have impacted the firm's architectural vision, Buttjes replied: "It has been interesting for us to design a lower-scale terraced building. I think we learned a few things about how to incorporate steps in the architectural form that we will use on other projects in the future." Metro-Can Construction (CE) Ltd. delivered Capstone in late October, after 18 months of construction. The project encountered several challenges through the construction phase, includ- ing underground water during the exca- vation phase due to an old creekbed that ran through the property. "The project is at the bottom of a hill," says Don Voth, Metro-Can Construction's director. "We had built four or five projects in a two-block radius of the site and did not encounter this problem on these sites. This impacted the foundation work, but that was resolved by the construction of a temporary storm system." Another issue to overcome was the shape of the building , with a 112,000-square-foot floor plate. "Usu- ally a mid-rise or high-rise single slab goes up to 10,000 square feet, but this one necessitated the slab to be split into two," says Carlos Rios, Metro-Can's director of operations. "The challenges tested us, but they were resolved by good co-operation between the archi- tects and subcontractors, and the end result is before us." "Fairborne was truly a pioneer in developing this neighbourhood," says Christopher Philips, Fairborne's presi- dent. "There's an overall cohesiveness so that it feels like a master-planned com- munity. Buyers appreciate the thought- ful landscaping, intermingling public pathways and public art among the four buildings [Capstone, Q, Time and Sky] – it creates a sense of place and adds value to the neighbourhood now and looking forward to the future. It truly is the best location in North Vancouver for walk- ability, amenities and shops." n Location 135 West 2nd Street, North Vancouver, B.C. owner/DeveLoper Fairborne Homes Ltd. architect Buttjes Architecture, Inc. GeneraL contractor Metro-Can Construction (CE) Ltd. StructuraL conSuLtant Glotman•Simpson Consulting Engineers MechanicaL conSuLtant Yoneda & Associates eLectricaL conSuLtant Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. LanDScape architect Durante Kreuk Ltd. totaL Size 66,000 square feet totaL coSt Undisclosed december 2014 /67 capstone