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Architects: Henriquez Partners Architects
- Area: 198000 ft²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Ema Peter Photography
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Manufacturers: European Touch Hardwood, Impression Veneers, Lumenwerx, OlympiaTile+Stone, Starline Windows, Whalen
Text description provided by the architects. Cardero is a modern obelisk marking the entrance to downtown Vancouver while acknowledging its unique setting at the intersection of two city grids.
Located just two blocks from Vancouver’s spectacular Coal Harbour waterfront, Cardero replaces an aging office building - commanding a key focal point on the prominent thoroughfare of West Georgia, at the gateway to downtown - with a striking mixed-use development befitting its prime location and the contemporary needs of the community.
The building’s formal expression is activated by the neighborhood context, which informs the facade and landscape design. The architectural sunshades on the residential tower’s south and west facades are an iconic feature, giving both practicality and a unique identity to the building. The origami-like screens were inspired by the nautical surroundings – seagulls and seaplanes in the adjacent harbor and hang-gliders that alight from nearby Grouse Mountain. The steel sunshades are galvanized and shop-painted white to provide a high-quality finish and clean seamless expression. Characterized by deeply angled V-shapes, the sculptural forms provide shading and privacy while reducing solar heat gain; a form of public art that imparts passive sustainability.
The surrounding context also informed Cardero’s striking geometry. The design responds to the project’s unique location at a pivot point where the old city grid from Gastown intersects with the modern, orthogonal downtown grid. One geometry relates to the eastern Gastown grid, then rotates and fractures to take form in another geometry addressing the downtown grid to the west. At West Georgia Street, the building comprises a slender 26-story tower, recalling the scale of the adjacent hi-rises. Then, along West Pender Street, the scale drops to 21 stories, receding into the background to compliment the neighboring residential towers. This dual identity gives the building its unique form and reduces the overall perceived mass.
Sitting atop a four-story podium with at-grade retail and 45,000 ft2 of co-working space, Cardero includes 118 market residential units, 60% of which are suitable for families, addressing the city’s crucial goal of increasing family-oriented housing. The units were designed to frame the spectacular water and mountain views of Vancouver and to provide creative solutions to maximize usability for residents. Special attention was dedicated to the kitchen design including convenient, functional items that create a clutter-free space – e.g. concealed range hoods and integrated TVs on lower counters. On-site amenities include multi-purpose spaces, a common roof deck, and urban agricultural plots.
Supplementing the solar shading on the south and west elevations, several sustainability features were incorporated to achieve LEED Gold certification including stormwater management, high-performance double-glazed curtain window wall, operable windows for natural ventilation, concrete with recycled content, and personalized thermal control. The design also allows for connection to a future neighborhood district energy system.
