Hybrid Mass Timber Office Building Planned in Vancouver

01 October 2021 | Vancouver, Canada

Burrard Exchange is part of a major repositioning of the Bentall Centre campus in Vancouver. Image credit: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

A new 16-story hybrid mass timber office and retail development called Burrard Exchange at Bentall Centre in Vancouver has been proposed by Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc., operator and joint owner of Bentall Centre in partnership with Blackstone Real Estate.

Under the proposed plans, which were recently submitted to the city of Vancouver, approximately 41,806 square meters (450,000 square feet) of office and retail space would be added within the Bentall Centre campus, creating one of the tallest exposed mass timber office buildings in North America on one of the last large development sites in Vancouver’s urban core.

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Burrard Exchange’s design prioritizes both indoor and outdoor spaces to enhance connections to nature from within the building and meet growing demand for high-function outdoor areas and fresh air access. Replacing one of the site’s existing parkades, the development will create new street frontages, amenities, and retail space. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) was enlisted as the design architect and the Vancouver office of Adamson Associates Architects is the architect of record.

As proposed, the building would include approximately 2,787-square-meter (30,000-square-foot) floor plates, nearly twice the size of typical office buildings in Vancouver. Terraces and loggias would be featured on half of the floors. A rooftop deck would provide a conference area, meeting spaces and outdoor seating exclusively for tenant use, while an at-grade pavilion would help create one of the largest outdoor gathering places downtown.

Over the past year, Hudson Pacific and Blackstone Real Estate have embarked on a major repositioning effort to reimagine the 1.5 million-square-foot Bentall Centre campus, including re-activating public spaces, adding arts and culture offerings and enhancing tenant amenities.

This project represents Hudson Pacific’s first mass timber development and will build upon the momentum of other recently announced mass timber projects in British Columbia. As with the rest of Hudson Pacific’s portfolio, upon delivery Burrard Exchange’s building operations will be 100 percent carbon neutral.

The project is anticipated to begin construction as soon as early 2023.

For more on this story, go to Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.