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J UNE 2018 | 65 Compass & Denna Club – Seylynn Village PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY DENNA HOMES Compass & Denna Club – Seylynn Village by ROBIN BRUNET W ith the 28-storey Compass tower nearing completion as of April, developer Denna Homes is one step closer to realizing the master- planned Seylynn Village, comprised of three high-rise towers, podium build- ings, and other components intended to set the standard of development for the emerging Lynn Creek community in North Vancouver – which in itself is a region of high standards. The 24-storey Beacon was the first high-rise to define Seylynn Village; Compass's development was accom- panied by that of the Denna Club, a 16,000-square-foot amenities club including a lap pool, fitness room, multipurpose rooms and more, and Horizon, a low-rise six-storey rental residence. This will be followed later this year by the construction launch of Apex, which the developers prom- ise will push the boundaries for quality already established at Seylynn. Pedram Hosseini, project manager at Denna Homes, summarizes Compass by saying, "It's satisfying to build something of great beauty and func- tionality that will outlast me, and in terms of our approach to the project it was the same as that of Beacon; we put ourselves in the minds of end-users to create the residences instead of focus- ing on what will sell." He adds, "That may be a more time consuming, expensive, and somewhat risky approach, but we don't want to be just another B.C. residential developer." While Beacon, with its deep orange vertical accents and glowing roof bea- con harkens to the industrial heritage of the larger neighbourhood, Compass on the northwest corner of Seylynn reinforces Denna's plan to make the village a family of buildings that share many urban design characteristics but also ensure each building appears unique through a varying use of mate- rials, colours, and architectural details. "For example, Beacon has textured fibre cement panels on the exterior, but for Compass we chose cementitious panels – similar enough to be relat- able without being repetitious," says James Kao, partner at DA Architects + Planners. "We used HardiePlank cement board siding for Horizon, and for Denna Club we selected a metal sheet that is almost rust-like and very high-end, in keeping with the nature of the facility." This cladding covers the double-height Denna Club in an angu- lar, cutaway fashion exposing the huge glazed entrance and lap pool. DA Architects designed Compass's six-storey podium to create a terraced street wall along Mountain Highway, characterized by a series of individual townhouse entries with large west- facing terraces; the asymmetrical composition of glass bays and stone accent walls create a varied pedestrian experience, and a second four-storey podium wing similar to the west cre- ates a built edge that defines the north side of the Central Commons. The Compass tower has a main double-height lobby that defines the western edge of the Commons with an expansive glass facade, and the tower form emerges as a series of strong verticals, with generous balconies LOCATION 600 Mountain Highway, North Vancouver, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Denna Homes ARCHITECT DA Architects + Planners GENERAL CONTRACTOR ITC Construction Group STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Integral Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Nemetz (S/A) & Associates Ltd. INTERIOR DESIGNER Insight Design Group Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT ETA Landscape Architecture TOTAL SIZE 283,700 square feet TOTAL COST $90 million (construction) (inset into the building for privacy) and corner glass in most living rooms that is oriented to capture city, park, and mountain views. Coloured span- drel glass was used to enhance visual interest, and fritted glass in the lobby mitigates heat gain. A series of balconies with decorative screens run the full height of Compass at the southeast corner and act as a vertical landmark. All three penthouse units have direct access to extensive rooftop terraces with gardens and trees (the top of the tower is a sculp- tured slope that echoes the slope of the nearby north shore mountains). "At the penthouse level we also used smart glass – glass with an electri- cally charged interlayer that darkens or lightens according to the height and angle of the sun," says Kao. "Each pane of smart glass has an IP address, so it's fully controllable. It's a good example of Denna Homes' progressiveness in con- stantly delivering something different to the residential market." As for the interiors, Hosseini notes that the triple glazing, three elevators, and every unit offers full control of heating and cooling. Insight Design Group Inc. ensured a sense of elegance in their design schemes, from the gourmet kitch- ens and the spa-inspired bathrooms to unique amenities such as a fully- equipped bicycle repair shop. "Working with Insight, we minimized corridors, separated bedrooms and living areas from adjacent unit bedrooms and liv- ing areas, and created many more benefits that make Compass a special living experience," he says. Kao notes that the heights and mass of Beacon, Compass, and Apex were determined via computer modelling during the development of the Seylynn master plan seven years ago. "After that, it took about three months to design each building, and we're happy to report that the first two towers haven't changed much from their initial design conception." For an area of the north shore that has a high watertable, construction of Compass and Denna Club/Horizon under the direction of ITC Construction Group was relatively uneventful, save for micro pilings being required due to unfavourable underground conditions. Regarding the high water table, Neil Wilson, project engineer for Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers notes, "We used raft foundations of the type you would typically find in Richmond and were constantly pumping, but it all worked out." "It's a somewhat tight site, so when we built the first building we built more parking than would be required by residents, for staging areas and work crews. We did the same in advance for Compass, and as of April of 2018 one third of the parking is already in place for Apex," Wilson adds. However uneventful it may have been, the project was nonetheless meaningful to Brad Burnett, ITC's vice president preconstruction: "Since 2012, we have worked closely with Denna Homes through all phases of the design, preconstruction, and construction of the Seylynn Village development." Doug MacFarlane, president and CEO of ITC, adds, "Each phase of the devel- opment has been designed with careful attention to the needs of the residents. We are extremely happy to partner with Denna Homes on this project." In conclusion, Hosseini says, "ITC and its team did a wonderful job adhering to our schedule and quality requirements." As of April, landscaping was nearing completion in preparation to wel- come the first Compass residents in June. "With Compass, Seylynn Village is really coming to life," says Hosseini. "We've been years in development, and the results speak for themselves. I couldn't be happier with what we've got – or more excited by what's to follow." A 7:56 AM

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