Heart of the action
Grosvenor Americas’ The Pacific to take a prime position in downtown Vancouver
The Pacific, Grosvenor Americas’ striking addition to Vancouver’s skyline, is one of those buildings that will serve as a beacon that guides visitors to the city’s downtown.
But its developers, architects and interior designers have also spent a lot of time and energy making sure The Pacific “feels like home” to those who move into the building when it is complete in 2021.
“We ascribe to the idea that we want it to be a timeless home that in 10 years from now will still feel like it makes sense,” says Marc Josephson, Grosvenor’s vice-president of development.
“But we also really believe that there is a core fundamental idea that this will be a home,” he said. “(Buyers) want good, well-thought through space. They want highquality materials. They want comfortable living and energy efficiency.
“That is our focus and what differentiates us.”
When it is complete, the 39-storey building will rise 375 feet above the corner of Hornby and Pacific, serving as a beacon and landmark between the Granville Street Bridge and Burrard Bridge, says architect Maxime-Alexis Frappier, whose Montreal firm, ACDF, collaborated with the Vancouverbased IBI Group Architects in the design.
“This is a great site in the city,” Frappier said in a recent interview at the Pacific’s showroom on Homer. “We knew we had to address the territory and make the tower come alive.”
The building has several features that will make it stand out from any other in the immediate area. The east and west sides of the building feature staggered balconies — think ocean waves — that will create a sense of undulating movement to the building, said Frappier. The north and south facades of the trapezoid-shaped building feature an uninterrupted curtain of floor-to-ceiling windows that will reflect the mood or “humour” of Vancouver’s sky on any given day, he added.
Even the view from the street has been given special consideration, said the architect, who angles a mirror to show how the soffits under the balconies reveal geometric patterns to passersby below.
To take full advantage of the spectacular views of English Bay and the North Shore mountains, all the homes are relatively shallow in depth, but span the average 20-foot length of each balcony, said Josephson. “They are not deep, but wide, meaning they have good exposure to light, so everything is bright and very well lit .”
The Pacific is also distinguished from some other new additions to the downtown scene in that it has no retail or commercial space. That has allowed the designers the latitude to create a commanding entrance with double-height ceilings and a modified porte cochere, or covered entrance.
There are three townhouses at street level and Grosvenor has adopted the Leslie House, a heritage home on the site that was built in 1888 and probably best known to Vancouverites as the former home to Il Giardino restaurant. One of the few remaining examples of a Queen Anne design home, it is being considered for a café and office space.
The weighting of the allocation of homes in The Pacific also suggests Grosvenor is looking to attract downsizers and young urban professionals, including those considering starting a family, said Josephson.
Of the 214 units, one-bedrooms account for 35 per cent, twobedrooms 42 per cent, threebedrooms 21 per cent and the four-bedrooms just two per cent, he said, adding two-thirds of all homes are two- or three-bedroom units, which is higher than many projects built near rapid transit in the last few years.
Grosvenor, whose recent higherend projects include the Grosvenor Ambleside and Connaught developments on the North Shore, has a range of pricing on offer at The Pacific.
One-bedrooms start from $749,900, two-bedrooms from $1.390 million, and three-bedrooms from $2.875 million, which works out to an average of about $1,000 a square foot, Josephson said.
Grosvenor uses its show room space to present “vignettes” of interior design developed for The Pacific by Square One Interior Design of Vancouver.
Company principal Cynthia Ziolkoski, for whom The Pacific is the first multi-family project, pointed out some of the features her firm is particularly proud of during a tour of the presentation centre.
The washer and dryer closet features side-by-side rather than stacked machines and a counter above in select homes for folding clothes, she said.
A flex room beside it has a pocket door rather than a pivoting one. “This can be used as an office; it is usable space, and it doesn’t feel like a tight space or that you are in a closet.”
Another attractive feature in the display space is the use of barn doors for the bedroom that open up to a 180-degree view of the outside, she said. “Even when you are in the bedroom, you have this beautiful view.”
Buyers can select from three colour palettes of light to dark.
Cabinetry in The Pacific was produced by Italian design firm Snaidero and includes integrated flat panel cabinets to house the 30- or 36-inch Sub-Zero fridge, Wolf gastop, convection wall oven and microwave and Miele dishwasher.
Overhead cabinets are aided by motorized hinges for easy access while at ground level there are wide soft-close drawers and doors. Backsplashes are finished in marble.
Also contributing to the kitchen’s efficiency are customized island counters to maximize dining space.
To maximize storage, there are full-height pull-out pantries, and pull-out tray and towel holders. In the bedroom are fully equipped walk-in closets.
Bathrooms have large-format marble tile across walls and floors and the Snaidero floating vanities have deep pull-out drawers with nested internal organizers and under-cabinet LED lighting.
Amenities available for common use include a well-appointed multi-purpose lounge with entertainment and flexible seating areas and an air-conditioned fitness centre.
Outside the facility on the third floor is a spacious landscaped and illuminated outdoor terrace with barbecue, outdoor seating and dining areas and a children’s natural play area.
The Pacific, which is built to LEED Gold standards, also has a 24-hour concierge service attached to a private driveway.