On May 9, 2016, 13 examples of Vancouver’s architectural excellence were honoured in the second biannual Vancouver Urban Design Awards at VanDusen Gardens. There was no fanfare, almost no advance publicity by the City, and virtually no media coverage about the event… which is a shame, because the level of creativity and vision was remarkable.
First conceived two years ago, these awards are about more than outstanding architecture, they’re also a celebration – albeit a quiet one – of Vancouver’s renowned ability to create a city that works, a sustainable city that connects people on an emotional level with the city itself as well as those who live there.
Celebrated Residential Projects
The evening began with a surprising nod to the iconic yet often maligned Vancouver Special. Winning in the Small-Scale Residential Building category, 430 House used contemporary materials to enhance and modernize the home’s inherent simplicity, then reimaged the original car-focused backyard into an outdoor living space achieving the indoor/outdoor integration today’s homeowners aspire to.
Top honours for Medium-Scale Residential Building went to a mixed-use project, 133 East 8th Avenue. The building’s playfully articulated façade and unusual split-level suites were described as “allowing it to read as a finer scaled building while being complementary to a more rugged and gritty context.”
Love photos of award-winning local developments? See the Ovation Award winners here
Already a landmark at Fraser and Broadway, Kwayatsut took home gold in the Large-Scale Residential Building. The eight-storey provides 99 much-needed social housing units, 30 of them reserved for at-risk, homeless youth. An inviting communal recreation room increases interaction between residents and provides space for a diverse range of social programs. Active sun shading on the southern façade adds textural layering.
The award for Innovation went to Vanglo House in Mount Pleasant, East Vancouver. Designed by Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture, the project describes itself as a “provocative response within the context of prescriptive and constraining site and bylaw conditions.” The highly contemporary, sculputural house includes green materials and building processes, and is designed for multi-generational adaptability, with all three floors open concept in plan.
Transformation was the vision that garnered 250 Powell the award for Outstanding Sustainable Design. Once a dehumanizing jailhouse, today this structure is an airy, inviting residence that provides a dignified affordable housing environment with outdoor spaces for gardening and relaxation on every level. An unusual collaboration between various levels of government, non-profit organizations, and the design community 250 Powell now sends a positive message to future generations.
Other Major Winners
Adding another gold to its lengthy list of accolades, 564 Beatty was honoured in the Best Commercial category. This four-storey addition above a restored, three-storey heritage warehouse in Yaletown meticulously balances old and new to create a fresh, inviting twist to the downtown office scene.
Theatre lovers rejoiced when York Theatre was named Best Government and Institutional Building. Now with an eye-catching red exterior, the theatre also boast a soaring, two-storey lobby with glazed wall that gives a visual connection from the street – like an invitation to come inside and discover more about the city’s vibrant arts culture.
This year two projects stuck gold in the Urban Elements Category: Mid-Main Park’s Bendy Straw Trellis that infuses this high-traffic site with a playful energy (no matter what you think of the giant poodle sculpture above), and the dazzling TELUS Garden’s 300-foot glass and glulam pavilion. Judges agreed TELUS Garden’s sweeping sculptural element and new connection between street and laneway greatly enhance the urban experience of Vancouver.
New Awards
Some projects and features were so unusual the judges deemed them worthy of new awards. One, 999 Seymour – a 22-storey mixed use high rise at Seymour and Nelson – incorporates moveable exterior sunscreens to enhance homeowner’s privacy and create an ever-changing pattern on the façades. Another, the Skwachàys Healing Lodge, restored a heritage brick building while discreetly adding cultural elements of totem and longhouse above. The lodge now provides gallery space and 24 contemporary SRO units for First Nations artists. Finally, downtown office tower MNP Tower was awarded a special jury prize for Contextual Response as it fits so well into the downtown landscape and responds eloquently to the neighbouring iconic Marine Building.
For information on all the winners, visit the City of Vancouver's Urban Design Awards website. Be sure to check out the image gallery above too, because these projects prove a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
And if you like what you see, tell City Hall they need to raise awareness about the Urban Design Awards before they take place again in 2018, because Vancouver’s incredible architectural design is worth knowing about.
