A new, seven-storey, 53-home condo development in Vancouver’s Cambie Village launched today. W16 takes inspiration from the single-family homes created by architectural firm Olson Kundig.
The building reflects many trademark design elements of the Seattle-based firm, such as ten-foot ceilings, vertical panelling and darker finishes, as well as new features inspired by its Vancouver location.
“Homebuyers shouldn’t have to give up urban living in order to experience Olson Kundig’s world-class architectural design,” said Dean Johnson, vice president of development at Wesgroup Properties. “W16 gives buyers the opportunity to live in an Olson Kundig-designed home in the heart of Vancouver.”
Located at 480 West 16th Avenue, W16 features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes ranging in size from 537 to 1,665 square feet. Building amenities include an expansive rooftop deck with outdoor kitchen, putting green and panoramic views of downtown Vancouver.
Dynamic shifting – used by Olson Kundig for the first time on this project – staggers the positioning of each floorplate, which, when combined with insets along the sides of the building, creates corner windows for most units that improve airflow and covered balconies that are protected from Vancouver’s notoriously wet weather. Expansive windows maximize daylight even on gloomy days and are balanced with thoughtfully placed privacy walls.
“W16 demonstrates Olson Kundig’s design ethos of form following performance,” said Tom Kundig, Principal at Olson Kundig. “The building’s expression is a natural outcome of designing to enhance the residential experience, with each movement maximizing the potential for capturing daylight and framing views.”
Wesgroup partnered with Vancouver-based interior designer Inform Projects to source Stosa cabinetry from Italy that has been specially designed to be smudge- and fingerprint-resistant. Vancouver-based Matthew McCormick also created versions of his famed Line Light for each home and certain amenity spaces.