Salt was a resounding market success, having completely pre-sold in less than six months during 2011. Since then, purchasers of the 194 suites have watched as this 31-storey highrise has been built to LEED Gold standards in Vancouver's emerging Downtown South neighbourhood. This month, Concert continued to welcome new homeowners to this now complete community.
What is perhaps most unique about Concert’s latest development in downtown Vancouver is how it makes innovative use of a uniquely-compact urban infill site, while at the same time differentiating itself in the City’s ever-evolving skyline. Form elements, glazing proportions, stacked balconies and bay windows, combined with relatively small floor plates, all contribute to the objective of creating a tall and slender tower. Selective “shadow boxes” create a canvas framework of subtly-coloured glass and random window mullions which emulate the work of 1920s Dutch modernist painter Piet Mondrian. At night, these sporadically-placed backlit elements show their true colours more clearly and create visual interest. Meanwhile, a bold public art piece – Idea for a Trellis by Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky – is integrated into the exterior of the north façade. Mimicking a garden lattice, the aluminum letters span the full height of the building and state “WE MUST CULTIVATE OUR GARDEN”, the famous phrase from Voltaire’s literary work, Candide.
With four master-planned communities in Concert’s development pipeline in the Lower Mainland alone, the company’s level of development activity has reached all-time highs. It is an exciting time for Concert, as the company looks towards releasing several new projects in the coming years.