The Springs Living Vancouver Waterfront Construction
The Vancouver Waterfront has grown from a vacant stretch of industrial land to a bustling urban community over the past decade. The Springs at the Waterfront brings 250 senior living units to Block 18, leaving only a few remaining developable lots. Designed by GBD Architects and built by Howard S. Wright Construction, the project includes a mix of senior living housing options with extensive indoor and outdoor amenity spaces.
FAA height limits for the nearby Pearson Field airport (east of I-5, adjacent to historic Fort Vancouver) constrain the massing into a 12-story “tower” with an 8-story sidecar. Both elements fill the unusually-shaped lot with 350,000 square feet above grade in a V-shaped form with a north-facing entry courtyard. The southern (waterfront) frontage features expansive river views. This project will be the tallest at the waterfront until Modera Vancouver is completed at Block 21 (where the FAA limit is slightly higher two blocks west of Block 18).
The two-story basement required careful planning to coordinate excavation with the adjacent water level of the Columbia River. Over a concrete mat foundation, the building structure features flat plate post-tensioned concrete slabs supported by reinforced concrete columns and a special reinforced concrete shear wall lateral system. Most elements of the elaborate cladding system are built with Starline window wall systems, with two sizes of brick veneer over metal stud framing distinguishing the tower base and sidecar facades. This gallery documents construction in 2023 from the basement through structure top out and primary enclosure.
The tower crane suggests the future scale of the building that will fill waterfront block 18.View north across the basement.The first elevated parking slab is formed up in the two-story basement.Level P1 bifurcates the basement, which was constructed during a period of low river levels due to groundwater following the adjacent Columbia River elevation.Work proceeds to the stepped level 1 slab at the future parking garage entry ramp.Structural elements slowly become visible above grade from the surrounding streets at the end of 2022.The new waterfront park and trails separate the future building from the Columbia River.The Springs will be a focal point at the end of Waterfront Way. Buildings on blocks 11 and 16 will also eventually frame it from this view at Grant St.The structure springs up to level 2.Formwork for the level 2 slab overlooks the south-facing views of the Columbia River.The concrete structure rises to level 5.As the structure rises, the V-shaped plan emerges, following the oddly-shaped lot lines.Views down to the waterfront park and the Columbia River.The tall ground floor will host expansive resident amenity spaces.Post-tensioned slabs cantilever out beyond the columns along the long southeast elevation.Reshoring supports the upper concrete slabs.Preconstruction mockup of the brick-clad sidecar.Preconstruction mockup of the window wall system with integrated flat and profiled metal panels and projecting slab edge covers.The east elevation fronts the interior park across Waterfront Way on block 15.As the structure rises to level 8, exterior wall framing begins on the sidecar.The 8″ thick post-tensioned concrete floorplates span up to 30 feet with up to 8 feet of cantilever, becoming more prominent as the shoring is removed.The proportions of the long southeast elevation continue to grow.View from level 3 across the waterfront park to the Grant St. Pier and the Interstate Bridge.A grid of wood reshores spread out the weight of new concrete slabs above.Reshores filter the expansive views across the Columbia River.View from level 4 to the BNSF 9.6 Railroad Bridge across the Columbia River.The south elevation features long slab cantilevers for riverfront balconies and terraces of varying sizes.Metal stud framed walls are installed as backup support for stone veneer on the south elevation.Walls begin to enclose level 2, where the center of the floorplate hosts a sea of rebar dowels for future tiered slab installation for the theater.Exterior walls frame large windows overlooking the Columbia River from the level 2 amenity spaces.The ground level will host an array of resident amenities, viewed here from the future central entry corridor. Future elevator lobby and back of house spaces at level 1.A series of deep concrete beams support the level 2 pool and discontinuous columns, allowing the parking entry ramp to nestle below the emergency generator platform.Pool beams and tower transfer beams.Another pair of concrete transfer beams in the northeast corner allow for fewer columns and more flexibility in the future retail space.Floors begin to stack up along the entry courtyard.Concrete columns above level 8 in the sidecar reach up to their final height at the level 9 roof terrace.View across the entry courtyard from the west wing to the east.Rainwater collects in the future pool on level 2.The pool includes an angled view to the riverfront, which is shared by all of the west-facing residential units above.View from level 2 to the east, where block 16 is being used for construction staging and will eventually develop with another building.The solid building mass fronting the interior park will be broken by varying final heights and cladding materials.Window wall installation begins in the punched openings of the sidecar, where brick cladding will follow.The sidecar reaches its final height at level 9, while the tower mass will still grow from level 8 up to the 13th-floor roof.The large structural bays will soon be divided into a unique mix of units that varies with the living options on each floor.This view from the level 9 roof terrace contrasts the taller concrete construction on block 18 with the mid-rise wood buildings on blocks 17 and 19 to the north. It also features a viewshed west to ships traversing the Columbia River. From level 8 up, views overlook the surrounding buildings.As the tower rises, the large scale of the project becomes more apparent from the entry courtyard.MEP systems begin to be installed on residential floors.Window wall units are staged for installation as interior wall framing begins on a lower floor. The Springs rises as the focal point at the end of Waterfront Way.The sidecar enclosure reaches level 5 as window wall begins on the “tower” wing beyond.The “tower” mass climbs to level 11, becoming distinct from the shorter sidecar wing.The tower and sidecar wings wrap a pentagonal-planned entry courtyard, where level 1 will extend past the tower crane to build out an entry sequence.The parking ramp curves down below complex structural framing to reach below grade.Shoring reaches up to level 12, where views are open in all directions.The tower mass overlooks the future level 9 resident amenity terrace that caps the sidecar.View down to the entry courtyard, where an elliptical fountain will feature a spring through basalt blocks.Shoring is removed in the sidecar, opening up the floorplate.Riverfront units will feature extensive windows and outdoor balconies.Steel stairs and elevator supports are installed inside of the concrete core.View up the future elevator shafts in the concrete core.MEP and cladding work continues in the sidecar.Window wall units for the sidecar with integrated louvers and projecting metal panels.The south wall of the entry courtyard is mostly transparent with north-facing window wall and dark metal panel trim.View north across the entry courtyard from level 5.A mix of all-window-wall and interspersed backup framed walls line the entry courtyard.Plumbing is installed at future unit walls on level 5.Two levels of below grade parking cover the entire site.The expansive 100,000 sf parking garage will hold a parking space for every independent living unit plus staff and visitor parking.Exterior walls continue to define the entry courtyard mass.The primary tower window wall system begins to wrap the lower floors with a mix of vision and spandrel glazing and smooth and corrugated metal panels. The structure tops out in August 2023 after just seven months of above-grade work.The entry courtyard encircles the tower crane.The future memory care terrace on level 8 is set into the top of the entry courtyard mass and includes a story-height wind screen.The tower mass rises four stories above the main level 9 amenity terrace.View from level 10 across the amenity terrace to the east.View north to Downtown Vancouver from level 10.Completed west wing tower mass from across the entry courtyard.The present parking entry from the courtyard will be complemented by a large covered canopy and drop-off turnaround encircling the springs fountain.The top two levels of the sidecar mass will be differentiated with a glass and dark-metal-panel “penthouse” expression over the brick base below.The west façade features views down the pedestrian easement to the Columbia River, until the upper floors overlook the seven-story apartment building on block 20.The ground level continues to be open as crews prioritize enclosing the upper levels so that interior construction can begin for the residential units.By December 2023, the exterior enclosure is nearing completion.Brick veneer is installed from level 2 up to level 7, supported by steel ledgers at each floor line.Crews lay brick cladding over the framed walls between the completed window walls.While window wall is complete on the southeast elevation to cover a majority of the façade, brick, stone, and ground level storefronts and canopies are still to come.Angled steel framing encloses a wedge of the entry courtyard to create the main entry sequence where the tower crane previously operated.Facades above the entry courtyard are nearly complete.Completed brick with punched openings on the sidecar mass. The design features variable staggered spandrels for variety.Steel framing is installed for the covered drop off canopy.The sidecar with its two-story penthouse over brick base expression.The west elevation is entirely enclosed with window wall, with a variety of projecting balconies.Future pedestrian street between block 18 and the apartment building on block 20.Projecting concrete balconies on the west elevation will be wrapped with glass railings.Recesses in the northwest corner of the tower reveal large outdoor terraces at levels 3, 7, and 12.While the exterior appears nearly complete, construction will continue until fall 2024 as crews build out the 250 living units, extensive amenity spaces, and landscaping across the site and occupied roofs.
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