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Posted Apr 10, 2026, 3:40 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 15,648
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They posted the minutes from the activist Urban Design Panel for the project 
Quote:
1) Urban integration and context
a. How well does the proposal integrate with its immediate and emerging
context, including anticipated pedestrian movement patterns, adjacent built
form, and the role of the site within the downtown structure?
b. Does the building base adequately mediate between the extreme height of
the towers and the pedestrian scale of the public realm?
2) Public plaza strategy
a. Is a plaza at this location desirable and supportable?
b. Is it appropriately sited, scaled, designed, and activated?
c. Between the options presented, does one approach perform better?
d. Alternatively, should additional building mass be introduced to strengthen
the street wall on W Georgia Street and intensify sidewalk activation?
3) Building separation at extreme height
a. The proposal introduces multiple towers exceeding approximately 600 ft.
Staff are considering whether increasing separation distances above this
height may be warranted.
b. Would greater separation:
▪ Improve access to daylight and sky views from the public realm;
▪ Reduce the perceived mass and bulk of the tower cluster at a citywide scale; and
▪ Result in a more coherent skyline composition?
4) Technical considerations of supertall form
a. What additional performance factors should inform the design and
evaluation of buildings at this scale (e.g., wind, structural expression,
sustainability systems, constructability, maintenance)? Are these factors
being treated ambitiously enough?
5) Skyline and long-range identity
a. How will the project read in the skyline from near and distant viewpoints,
and does the composition appropriately contribute to Vancouver’s emerging
high-rise profile?
b. Does the project sufficiently signal civic importance and public benefit?
c. Do the proportions of the towers feel appropriately slender?
d. Does the tower grouping read as a coherent composition?
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Quote:
THAT the Panel Recommend Support with recommendations to the project with the
following recommendations to be reviewed by City Staff:
1) While the plaza is located in the right location, explore opportunities to improve
porosity and integrate the lane in the overall functionality and design of the site.
2) Refine the podium to be more responsive to the streetscape around the project
3) Explore adding more uses to create a dynamic environment and consider the
future adaptability for the tower floorplates.
4) Consider more separation between the towers.
5) Consider ways to celebrate the sustainability of the project and reduce the impact
of mechanical systems on public spaces.
6) Consider deeper ways to indigenize the project.
7) Consider more creative ways to integrate the heritage façade.
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Quote:
The Panel generally supported the overall composition and ambition of the proposal, noting that the arrangement of towers is logical and may be supportable in the current context. However, Panel members cautioned that, if adjacent sites redevelop at a similar scale without improved tower separation, the area could become overly concentrated.
The proposal was recognized as potentially setting a precedent, and Panelists emphasized the importance of carefully considering its implications for future development in the area.
The Panel encouraged exploring a looser tower arrangement, including the potential for fewer towers with increased height and improved spacing, to enhance livability, access to light, and long-term urban performance. Concern about the floor plate size and shape to 1) accommodate a hotel and 2) future flexibility for other uses.
At grade, the Panel strongly supported the evolution of the plaza design, noting that it has become more engaging and better connected, particularly with the integration of the SkyTrain interface and through-connection to Richards Street. However, further improvements to permeability and porosity were encouraged, including stronger connections through the podium, to the lane, and along all street frontages. Several Panelists suggested that the public realm could be further enriched by introducing more landscape and softscape elements to create a more comfortable and restorative urban
environment. Consider widening the lane for better vehicle/ tour bus access, pick up/drop-off and to celebrate arrival.
The Panel encouraged a more diverse and robust mix of uses, noting that the current program of primarily residential and hotel uses may result in limited daytime activity. The inclusion of office or other employment-generating uses was recommended to support a more complete, mixed-use environment and reinforce the site’s role as a central destination.
With respect to the podium, Panel members noted that the current expression appears overly continuous. Greater variation, finer-grained articulation, and a more contextually responsive approach were encouraged. The Panel also highlighted opportunities to activate all sides of the podium and improve its relationship to the surrounding public realm.
The architectural expression was generally well received, with Panelists appreciating the clarity of the tower grid and the conceptual reference to the organic form of the glass sea sponge. However, further refinement was encouraged to strengthen the relationship to both the city and the natural context. Specific comments included enhancing the expression of the hotel at grade, reducing visual busyness in the residential tower façades, particularly with respect to balconies, and further developing the identity and presence of the residential towers.
The Panel supported the continued evolution of the façade language, including opportunities to embed Indigenous design approaches more meaningfully in the architecture. Panelists noted that Indigenous expression should extend beyond surfacelevel gestures or artwork and be integrated more deeply into the design process, including long-term strategies for engagement, employment, and cultural representation.
The Panel encouraged further exploration of vertical connectivity and shared amenities within the tower composition, including opportunities for connections between towers at upper levels. These spaces were seen as potentially community-building elements that could contribute to a more integrated, “vertical neighbourhood” experience. The inclusion of publicly accessible or shared amenities at the tower tops was also supported, both as
a civic gesture and as a defining feature of the project. Sustainability strategies were supported and should be further developed, including
consideration of solar heat gain, thermal comfort, and the integration of building systems.
Panelists encouraged expressing sustainability features more visibly within the architecture. There were some concerns about humidity control at the top of the building.
Additional comments included: exploring opportunities for outdoor access and animation along the Richards Street façade; strengthening the functionality of the hotel at grade including access and loading; considering more integrated indoor-outdoor relationships; exercising caution with deep heritage retention to ensure authenticity is maintained; and enhancing landscape strategies, including more ambitious planting approaches.
Overall, the Panel expressed strong interest in the project as a significant and precedentsetting proposal, noting its potential to influence the evolution of downtown Vancouver.
Panelists encouraged the applicant and City staff to approach the project as an opportunity to advance more flexible, performance-based design guidance and to articulate a clear and aspirational vision for the future of the city.
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https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/udp-minutes-03-04-2026-final.pdf
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