Focal on 3rd
- Category: Commercial
- Address: 107 E. 3rd Avenue, Vancouver
- Date: 2022
Focal on 3rd is a new 8-storey building located in Mount Pleasant. The project responds to new mixed-use zoning that retains light industrial spaces at grade and allows for new office uses. The building has a prominent location in the neighbourhood marking the intersection of East 3rd and Quebec, and is highly visible from 2nd Avenue, due to a public open space across the lane. The façade grid of terra cotta panels set into a unitized curtain-wall system emphasizes the vertically of the building and obscures the regimented stepped back form imposed by zoning regulations. The natural terra cotta panels also pay homage to a neighbouring heritage building, while expressing an contemporary aesthetic and building technology.
The narrow site did not allow for a conventional parking layout. A car elevator, accessing the three levels of below-grade parking, maximizes the building size by allowing for the adequate number of car & bicycle stalls on site.
Intensive green roof terraces at level 5 and the building rooftop aid in rainwater capture and provide outdoor social spaces for the building occupants. Focal achieves significant energy saving and follows the City of Vancouver’s Zero Emission Building Plan (ZEBP). The building will be connected to the Neighborhood Energy Utility (NEU) and will not rely on fossil fuels.