CREDIT: Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun Architects Walter Francl (left) and Nigel Dancy, with a model of what will be Vancouver’s greenest tall building.

Vancouver is already a front-runner in North America‘s green-tower movement.

But a unique new downtown project planned by one of the world’s leading architectural firms is about to raise the level a notch.

The proposed design for the 37-storey tower unveiled to a select group this week by architect Nigel Dancey from

London-based Foster & Partners — famous for its British Museum and Berlin Reichstag re-designs — shows a building aerodynamically shaped to take advantage of local winds for natural ventilation and angled to get the maximum heating and cooling help from sun and shade.

It will generate its own power from a plant in the building that will produce cheaper and cleaner power than the region’s grid.

And it will incorporate the city’s first water-recycling system in a residential building by capturing rainwater on the roof and distributing it, and by filtering and re-using the water from sinks to toilets.

“That’s fairly innovative,” says Vancouver‘s recently created green-buildings planner, Dale Mikkelsen. “That move alone will cut down water consumption by 35 per cent.”

And, of course, the 800-block West Hastings project will have gardens and greenery, both horizontally on roofs and vertically on balconies, multiple use that fosters energy conservation, and recycled materials that other Vancouver green-tower-building pioneers have incorporated into their designs in what is becoming a growing green movement.

The pioneer green tower in Vancouver is the Wall Centre, built in the late ’90s, where green-building advocate and architect Peter Busby teamed up with developer Peter Wall in the first major city project that tackled the challenge of marrying green ideas to the tower form.

Although the tower didn’t achieve the green standard it had originally aimed for, it set precedents and is still the only building in Vancouver with triple-glazed windows, reducing its energy consumption considerably.

Architect James Cheng,

CREDIT: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun Cliff Bowman in a display kitchen in his condo centre built to market a project planned for Saltspring Island. The kitchen counter has a unique sink in the middle.

We’ve all heard about one-stop shopping. Well, how about a one-stop condo shopping?

That’s the concept behind a new condominium sales business that a real estate marketer is setting up in a Vancouver office building at 400 Robson.

When it opens in November, potential buyers of city apartments and vacation homes will be able to walk into the City and Country Condo Centre and get detailed information — everything from a full display suite to a scale model to a large screen video presentation — on condominium projects planned or built not only in the Lower Mainland, but in other areas such as Nanaimo, Saltspring Island, Kelowna and elsewhere.

“This is a real benefit for everyone, because you can get as much information as you want, all in one place,” condo centre founder Cliff Bowman said in an interview Tuesday.

Bowman, president of Vancouver-based Builders International Real Estate Marketing Corporation (bireM), believes he’ll be able to offer the same service for condo projects outside B.C.’s borders.

“I’ll also have projects here from the U.S.,” added Bowman, who already markets many U.S.-based condo projects throughout North America. “And we’ll have some from Mexico eventually. And everything’s done here. It’s turnkey. There’s no need [for developers] to hire their own staff or security. It’s very convenient. We have 60,000 people who live within a 15-minute walk from here. And there’s a lot of Americans who want Canadian real estate.”

Bowman’s condo centre, now being renovated, is planned to be a type of auto mall for condo shoppers, containing seven individual marketing bays where buyers can view several different projects simultaneously, without the necessity of travelling to the site. Individual bays are designed to feature scale models of developments, photographs, kitchen and bath vignettes, and large-screen video presentations. Several bays can be rented to provide enough space for an entire mock-up of a display unit.

Besides showcasing new condo developments, Bowman said the centre will offer on-site condo resale services, as well as mortgage brokers and lenders, a property management company and a relocation service coordinator.

The site also contains what Bowman calls a “condo cafe,” where potential buyers can leave the sales floor and talk among themselves in privacy. A condo research centre will be available for focus groups.

Already on display is a complete mock-up of the interior of a 1,240-square-foot home at the new Highbridge Village project on Saltspring Island,now in the process of getting a development permit.

The fully furnished display suite has a living/dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two baths, complete with fireplace, and hardwood and tile floors. The display suite took up three of Bowman’s bays, with each bay renting for $15,000 for three months.

There is also a full-scale model of the development and Highbridge site design maps.

“I think [the condo centre] is going to be great,” said Jim Rogers, president of Channel Ridge Properties, which is developing the Highbridge project. “People can look at all of the information here [without going to Saltspring]. And to be able to have a place in town where you can see, touch and feel it is a tremendous benefit for a developer. It’s so much more efficient.”

Rogers said the condo centre allows buyers to get a taste of their Saltspring development without leaving Vancouver. He said visitors to Vancouver from the U.S. and elsewhere can also get a “sneak preview” of the project.

Another project that will rent a bay at Bowman’s condo centre is Pacifica, a new condominium project on Nanaimo‘s waterfront.

“We’ve been involved in auto malls before,” said Edward Calb of Cape Development Corp., which is marketing Pacifica. “The principle here is the same. We know the concept and it works. We want to appeal to the Vancouver market and the tourist trade. We could have rented out our own space in Vancouver, but that would have been much more difficult.”

Rogers and Calb agreed another benefit of renting space at the condo centre is that they can recommend each other’s projects if their own developments don’t meet their clients’ needs. “We can help each other out,” said Calb.

Bowman said his new condo centre can help developers save up to $300,000 by not having to set up their own presentation centre in Vancouver.

He also said he plans to have new projects introduced frequently so people will want to keep coming back to see what’s new.

© The Vancouver Sun 2004

CREDIT: Gerry Kahrmann, The Province Elizabeth McLaws has lived in the Davie Village area of Vancouver’s West End for almost 20 years and still enjoys being a part of the lively scene.

I don’t know when they first started calling it Davie Village but that moniker very aptly describes the place I call home. It truly is a village.

I have lived in the West End for almost 20 years, in five different apartments. If you drew a line connecting all my abodes you would get a circle with Davie Street dissecting the centre. Somehow I cannot seem to get any farther than four blocks away from Davie. To me this is truly the heart of the city. My day isn’t complete without a walk along Davie Street, stopping in the shops I’ve been in hundreds of times before, shops I will continue to patronize as long as they are around.

Davie has always been one of Vancouver‘s more colourful areas. Twenty years ago there was an after-hours pizza joint across from Super Valu on Davie. We all used to go there after Richard’s on Richards (this was when women dressed to impress and men actually wore suits to nightclubs). My great aunt lived in an old building on the corner for almost 20 years. She had a ground-floor suite and used to watch the women of the evening work the corner from her window. This was before all the dead-ends and one-way streets were put in.

I was lucky enough to live in the building across the street, right above the 24-hour Super Valu. The building I lived in had an unmarked side door, right on Davie. Whenever we walked out people would look to see where we’d come from and I always thought it was so cool because it seemed so anonymous. You could suddenly appear or disappear, so we used to call it the Rock Star door.

Over the years you begin to recognize people: the family who own the deli; the lady at the bakery who, no matter what you say to her, says “Anything else?“; the

Chinese man and wife at the shoe repair; the beauty advisors at the 24-hour Shoppers Drug Mart. I got the very best skin care advise I ever had at 10 p.m. one night in that Shoppers.

Over the years the restaurants have changed but they are still lining up at Stepho’s for Greek food and the Fresgo Inn is still going strong after more than 20 years. I even love the sights and sounds of the nightclubs, such as Celebrities and Numbers. It has always been my habit to have my friends drop me off at Burrard and Davie so I can walk the rest of the way home at night. 2 a.m. there’s no place safer for a woman taking a walk than Davie Street. And the things you see! (Hallowe’en night is my favourite).

At one time there were four buck-a-slice pizza places that were open after the clubs. Now there are four Dollar stores. Times change, but I’ll always love Davie.

© The Vancouver Province 2004

We often only hear the dark tales of strata living but there are thousands of communities that thrive in stratas and would choose no other lifestyle. In honour of our 100th Province column, we at CHOA have decided to celebrate strata living. Simple and straightforward awareness, strategies and concepts make strata living work well.

1) Respect: Everyone needs to be mindful of the right of residents to live quiet and peaceful lives.

2) Bylaws and rules: Knowledge of the your strata’s bylaws will likely prevent you from painting the door red before it’s too late. It’s easier to comply if you know what the bylaws are.

3) Participation: Don’t leave all the work to the same four council members every year.

4) Voting: Show up at your general meetings and vote. If you don’t vote, you shouldn’t complain.

5) Communication: Tell the owners what they need to know before it happens. The fact that there will be no hot water at 8 a.m. tomorrow, is best found out before it happens.

6) Security: Stratas that take security and safety seriously protect both people and their investments. Fix the gates before the 10 cars are stolen.

7) Contracts: Most business relations are contractual in stratas. Write the contracts to suit your needs and enforce the terms and conditions.

8) Education: Seminars and workshops on strata life are conducted around the province monthly and more than 300 info bulletins and resources are currently available.

9) Know your limits: Seek the advice of a professional before it’s too late.

10) Planning: the key to protecting your investments is routine maintenance and long-term renewals and financial planning. Don’t wait for the tank to leak before it’s replaced.

Tony Gioventu is the executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association (CHOA). Contact CHOA at 604-584-2462 or toll-free 1-877-353-2462, fax 604-515-9643 or e-mail [email protected]

© The Vancouver Province 2004

CREDIT: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun This view from his apartment is a prime reason why Barry Hoffman enjoys living on the 14th floor of a West End high-rise.

When modernist architect Ludvig Mies van der Rohe designed one of the first residential highrises — a glass tower in the 1920s — he knew it was just a dream. Building techniques had not yet evolved to handle such a project.

Outstanding architectural highrises were often only ideas on a drawing board in the mid-20th century.

But that was then and this is now.

Today, highrises are common-place in all urban centres offering a solution to the growing numbers of people who want to live in the downtown core.

Even the devastating loss on Sept. 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center in New York was attacked by terrorists, hasn’t stopped the trend of homebuyers wanting to own a place in the clouds.

The draw of spectacular views, particularly in a city like Vancouver with its ocean and mountain views, is too great. The vantage points provided by these monumental structures are indeed something to behold.

Vancouver‘s tallest building is the 150-metre tall, 48-floor glass encased One Wall Centre on Burrard Street. It was named “Best Skyscraper of the Year” in 2002 by Skyscraper.com, an architectural database on the Internet.

That highrise will soon be surpassed in height by the 196-metre, 60-storey Shangri-La tower to be built on Alberni Street, in the heart of Vancouver’s downtown, by 2008.

The residential units in Shangri-La, which will operate as a hotel/condominium project, experienced quick sales when it went on the market earlier this year.

As architectural author Andrew Weaving noted in his recently published book, High-Rise Living, “there is a huge resurgence of desire to live centrally in the city.”

“The only real solution to the increasing demand for city housing is to build higher,” he wrote. “In Hong Kong, the only place to build was up. This is what is starting to happen in the Western world now…New towers are going up in cities the world over, many of which are multi-purposed: you can live and work in the same place, go to the rooftop restaurant to entertain and park your car on the thirtieth floor.”

Indeed, New York architect Colin Cathcart said he believes high-rise architecture is the best option to go in the future because it’s easier to achieve sustainability.

“This [a sustainable high-rise] appeals to the inner tree hugger in all of us,” he said last week at the 50th annual convention of the International Downtown Association.

Cathcart’s firm’s claim to fame is the integration of photovoltaics (PV) technology into architectural design. PVs produce electricity from sunlight and can be used as building materials.

The National Building Museum commissioned his firm to design a speculative green high-rise, for an exhibit currently on until January, 2004 at the Museum of the City of New York.

The resulting 150-floor highrise called the 2020 Tower is “not a Utopian vision” but a building that has been carefully engineered to be practical and economical by the year 2020, he said.

“The trend over the last couple of hundred of years has been resource consumption and we [the architectural firm] found our root solutions seem to be converging on highrises. It seems strange to us environmentally conscious people but believe it or not it [the 2020 Tower] is a zero-impact skyscraper.”

CREDIT: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun “It’s a very comfortable space and has a nice feeling. But if I was to do it all over again there would be less things. The minimalist look is appealing to me.” – Barry Hoffman, Reflecting on the Overall Effect of His High-Rise Apartemnt Makeover.

Although no zero impact skyscrapers exists at the moment architects are renovating existing buildings to improve on their efficiency.

Weaving featured two such Vancouver homes in his recently published book Highrise Living, showcasing some of the most technically innovative high rise architecture from around the world.

One of the homes belongs to 56-year-old retiree Barry Hoffman, who lives on the 14th floor of a West End high rise built in the late 1980s. The 31-storey tower offers views of English Bay and the North Shore.

In Hoffman’s nearly 1,500 square-foot unit his four balconies look out over English Bay, allowing him a special seat each year for the annual fireworks.

“I have a good view of English Bay and get to enjoy the fireworks from here so I don’t have to be part of that madness [on the street below],” said Hoffman.

“I do like high rise living and the security, especially these days, given my age. It’s nice to have 24 hour security and when something goes wrong there is are resident managers at my disposal.”

Hoffman took possession in June, 2000 and immediately went to work to transform the apartment into a space that better suited his needs, creating a backdrop for his extensive art collection.

Working with designer Darren Onyskiw, of do-studio, Hoffman’s apartment was completely taken apart and rebuilt – an endeavour that lasted 10 months.

Onyskiw said the objectives were to not only maximize the space but to provide views to the “sights beyond the building perimeter to the magic light that exists around Vancouver – any time of the season.”

“In all of our work, the emphasis is [creating] flow within the space, light and the reduction of any obstacle we determine to restrict or prevent function, passage and the impressions beyond the interior plan extending out to the outside,” said Onyskiw.

He encourages clients to get rid of any clutter so the space, the views and the light outside can be enjoyed as art.

“We all live in boxes, regardless of their size, stylization, location or decorations, and unless the box is open and light and the images of outside are allowed to pour in, the box is nothing more than an oversized cage,” he said.

In Hoffman’s apartment custom-built storage helps hide all the electrical appliances, and by creating “face panels” or “wing walls” he was able to hide the heating system and create further wall space for Hoffman’s art.

The switches are also hidden out of view to aid with the goal of creating a “seamless interior.” This includes the wall plugs for the kitchen equipment, such as the toaster and blender, which are hidden out of sight under the upper cabinets.

The goal of creating a seamless space also extended to the lighting system. No light were placed in the ceiling because he wanted to have everything “clean and smooth.”

“Where electrical switches dominated the view more than the wall or the view outside…we removed or relocated them,” said Onyskiw.

His team created a a central vertical bank for switches, which they termed a “trough,” which provides one spot for all the lighting controls to come together and hide the switches.

The choice of flooring and wall colour also help with the effort to minimize clutter and maximize views. A dark Brazilian walnut flooring was laid throughout the apartment and a baseboard was removed to allow the flooring to directly connect with the large window panes. The walls are all eggshell white, again further adding to the sense that what truly counts in the space is the view.

Hoffman said while it was a “horrendous” project to live in the apartment while the changes were being made he is pleased with the results.

“It’s a very comfortable space and has a nice feeling. But if I was to do it all over again there would be less things. The minimalist look is appealing to me,” he said. “And, of course, the views.”

© The Vancouver Sun 2004

An introduction to GVHBA. Huh? Hands up all those who know what the acronym, GVHBA, represents.

Okay, some readers know the answer, but for the rest of you shaking your heads or shrugging, it stands for Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association. Incorporated under the Societies Act in 1974, GVHBA is governed by a volunteer board of directors and has grown over the past 30 years into one of the most prominent and active homebuilding industry associations in Canada.

Now that you have the condensed version of who we are, here’s what we do.

Ongoing liaison with elected officials and senior staff in 19 Lower Mainland municipalities is critical to ensure that housing affordability and choice are taken into consideration when new bylaws, regulations and policies are approved by municipal councils. After all, home buyers ultimately pay the tab for development cost charges and the seemingly endless array of transaction costs. Vancouver city council, for example, just approved a 50-per-cent hike in development cost charges. In a future column I will elaborate on the rather thorny topic of taxation on housing, including the tax-collector status of the federal, provincial, regional and municipal governments.

Access to current trends and technologies provides a competitive edge, so education and training programs are important to our members. We provide a variety of seminars, workshops and forums, including such topics as economic forecasts, construction law, project management, how to mitigate the high cost of construction, and interpreting the complexities of building-envelope science.

When it comes to consumer education, GVHBA is at the head of the class. Each spring we present North America‘s largest seminar for first-time home buyers. More than 800 young people attended our 10th annual seminar last April, after the unprecedented response forced us to stop accepting registrations more than three weeks prior to the free two-hour event. The young folks obviously left the seminar armed to buy because housing starts have climbed 32 per cent so far this year.

Twice a year we offer two-hour, evening seminars for homeowners eager to renovate their homes. Professional renovators, a building official and a lawyer de-mystify the renovation process and explain how, without due diligence by the homeowner, a dream renovation can easily turn into a nightmare. Our spring seminar was attended by more than 200 homeowners and we expect a similar crowd when we present our fall seminar on Oct. 26. We also offer a parade of renovated homes each spring, when people can tour a dozen or so recently renovated homes. More than $4.3 billion will be spent on home renovation this year in B.C., with 65 per cent of those dollars spent in the Lower Mainland.

Our What’s New in Homebuilding seminar is also quite popular. Held four times a year, this full-day seminar benefits people contemplating the construction of a custom home. Speakers address recent advances in architectural design, technology, indoor air quality and innovative building materials.

Most people in the Lower Mainland are familiar with the two home shows held at B.C. Place Stadium. GVHBA sponsors both the B.C. Home and Garden Show, held each February, and the Vancouver Home and Interior Design Show, which opened Thursday and runs through Sunday. Our renovators, architects, interior designers and home inspectors are on location to answer questions.

We also present two parades of new homes each year — one in April, one in October. From today until Oct. 24, 16 prominent builders will showcase 50 model homes and presentation centres at 25 locations in 10 Lower Mainland municipalities. The selection includes detached homes, condominiums and townhomes — all chosen for their superior architectural and interior design elements. Values range from $169,900 to $1.7 million. For details, click on www.paradeofhomes.ca.

The GVHBA leadership and members believe strongly in outreach activities which assist charitable and community-based organizations. We sponsor a scholarship for exceptional construction-management students, at BCIT, and support a carpentry skills course in two Surrey high schools. Our annual Coats for Kids campaign last year resulted in the collection of more than 1,600 warm winter coats which were distributed to children and teens through the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. And each Christmas our members donate more than 500 new toys to the Salvation Army Toy Drive.

GVHBA is an active group of committed volunteers who strive for excellence and professionalism in their business pursuits. Our members regularly receive a host of provincial and national awards. This year they led the country in national awards. Provincially, our members won 34 of 38 Georgie Awards for excellence in residential design, construction, technology and marketing.

This column introduces GVHBA to readers of Westcoast Homes. I will be joining colleague Bob Ransford on these pages, writing columns on alternative weeks. My next column will focus on accessibility in housing, an important topic for baby boomers who are starting to give some attention to mobility issues. Subsequent columns will address housing trends, community concerns about encroaching development, and much more.

Peter Simpson is the chief executive officer of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association. To learn more about GVHBA visit its website at www.gvhba.org or e-mail [email protected].

© The Vancouver Sun 2004