Vancouver’s newest high-rise complex merges sacred and commercial buildings

Mixed-use construction and renovation are usually combinations of building types that typically include offices, residences, retail, and/or food and beverage. Less common are mixed-use projects with religious components.

Onen exception can be found in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada, where the recently completed Butterfly + First Baptist Church complex combines a 57-story, 556-ft tall residential tower with a seven-story social housing building and a restored, seismically upgraded, and expanded Gothic Revival landmark church that was first built in 1911.

Revery Architecture designed this 600,000-sf complex for Westbank Corp. and the First Baptist Church. The complex, which was completed in August, creatively harmonizes church land, civic space, and high-density living, and responds to this city’s growing demand for affordability, social integration, and sustainability, according to the architect.

Aside from the tower’s 330 market-rate condos, the complex offers 61 affordable rental units that consist of 20 which are below market rate and 41 whose rent is geared to the renter’s income at the province’s Housing Income Limit rates.

“More than a development, this project represents a vision for socially grounded density,” explains Revery in response to BD+C’s written questions. “It is as much about preserving legacy as it is about designing for today’s needs.”

The tower’s butterfly- and cloud-inspired sculpted façade—which according to Canadian Architect magazine started taking shape conceptually with design studies in 2012—was achieved through an assembly of undulating white glass-fiber-reinforced insulated prefabricated panels, high-performance glazing, and wide-spanning balconies. Together, these elements provide thermal resistance, high-quality acoustical performance, and occupant comfort.

The project is targeting LEED Gold certification by reducing operational carbon by 68%, energy use by 45%, and energy costs by 25%, surpassing Vancouver’s requirements for tall buildings on large sites. The buildings are powered by an onsite low-carbon energy plant. A water management strategy reduces potable water use by 50% and domestic water use by 35%. Daylighting, natural ventilation, thermal comfort, and integral shading strategies are embedded across all building zones.

The Butterfly + First Baptist Church complex features outdoor sky gardens at each residential level. The gardens’ purpose is to reconnect residents to nature, and to provide natural cooling, ventilation, and daylight.

The tower’s two-lane, 50-meter pool—made from high-performance modular precast concrete—bridges the building’s main amenity space with the podium roof. The pool is enclosed by triple-glazed glass and 36 high-performance modular prefabricated structural ribs whose installation required transporting 147 precast concrete sections by truck and craning them to the building’s fifth level. The ribs conceal acoustic panels, mechanical air supply and electrical conduit.

The project’s Building Team included Icon West Construction (GC on new construction), The Haebler Group (GC on heritage construction), Glotman Simpson (SE),  Introba (Mechanical and Plumbing engineer; sustainability and energy modeling), Nemetz & Associates (EE and Engineer of Record), SWA Group (landscape design, with Cornelia Oberlander & G|ALA), RDH Building Science (acoustics), and Donald Luxton & Associates (heritage conservation).