Vancouver in Focus: The City's Built Form

The latest incident caused by the unusually harsh winter storms of 2006-07 occurred on the afternoon of January 5th. The air-filled roof on B.C. Place Stadium tore open and was later collapsed by workers to prevent further damage, raising new questions about the future of the 23-year-old building.

Any long-time resident of Vancouver will have memories of seeing a movie at the Capital 6 on Granville Street’s theatre row. It was an institution of sorts - one of the first Famous Players multiplex theatres in the region, built in the 1977 at a cost of $6 million.

Not only is it expensive to buy a home, be it a house or condominium, in Vancouver, it is also expensive to rent. The city has experienced a building boom in recent years that continues, with scores of residential towers being constructed in the downtown peninsula.

The much-loved steam clock in Gastown will be undergoing an overhaul during late summer 2006. The clock is suffering from electrical malfunctions, which resulted in the clock’s whistle blowing continuously for 15 minutes at a time on several occasions - much to the frustration of local merchants and residents.

Nobody can deny that real estate is expensive in Vancouver. With some of the country’s highest prices, many people have difficulty purchasing a home. First-time buyers - usually purchasing a 1-bedroom condominium - are often priced out of the market. With rising construction and land costs, the days of sub-$300,000 downtown condos has come […]

The Marine Building, completed in 1930, is one of Vancouver’s most important heritage buildings and one of the finest examples in North America of the art deco style. Its architects conceived it as a tower rising from the sea, clinging with sea flora and fauna; a building to house the city’s marine-oriented businesses and […]