Renderings: Studio Balcaen Kwan
Wave Developments has applied to the City of Vancouver for permission to develop three lots at 315 to 319 East 2nd Avenue in the city’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The site is currently occupied by a 1960s-era industrial building with Tamoda Apparel Inc as its main tenant and is located within 400 metres of the proposed SkyTrain station at East 2nd Avenue and Thornton Street.
According to the proposal, the project responds to the City’s mandate to provide a mix of new housing and commercial spaces in the rapidly changing neighbourhood. It’s situated directly across from a proposed artist-focused rental building at 338 East 2nd Avenue.
“The City of Vancouver’s current False Creek Flats Area Plan has a mandate to increase employment in this area and there has been a shift towards redeveloping the Flats to support a new economic environment that favours innovation, education, technology and healthcare,” reads the design rationale. “With it comes the need for associated housing, public space, arts/cultural amenities and a sense of unique identity that would make such a district successful.”
The development proposes a nine-storey, mixed-use community designed by Studio Balcaen Kwan with two levels of underground parking, two levels of commercial space, five levels of residences and two levels of office use above. If approved, the project would offer a mix of microunits, studios, one- and two-bedroom suites.
The architecture boasts a modern facade with two distinct volumes that break up the building’s massing. The lower portion consists of the commercial base with glass retail fronts, an anthracite colour palette and a folded roof plane expression. Manufacturing, brewing and distilling are listed as possible commercial uses at level one and two, along with a Class A restaurant at level one.
The residential/office component is set back from the base and is further differentiated by a lighter grey tone and a dynamic undulating facade composed of cementitious siding and metal panels that provide a nod to the area’s industrial past. The direction of this undulation is offset at each floor, creating a distinct horizontal banding that highlights each floor while providing shade for residential units.
The uppermost storey is further setback with an exterior walkway on the south side and a common roof deck on the west side. Other amenities include a fitness centre, indoor multi-purpose room and a communal outdoor roof deck on the third floor.
