Georgia + Abbott: Rezoning Western Canada’s Tallest Towers | 2025
A transformative development inspired by BC’s glass sea sponge
The three project sites at West Georgia and Abbott Streets will provide a comprehensive mixed-use development that supports the City’s and Metro Vancouver’s goals to provide commercial job space in the Central Business District, increase hotel rooms downtown, and deliver a broad spectrum of housing types including Social Housing, Rental and Condominiums at a major transit node.
The architectural expression of the project tells a story that is unique to British Columbia and inspired by rare and ancient glass sea sponge reefs — living structures found off the BC coast that demonstrate strength and adaptability. This natural metaphor is expressed not only in distinct silhouettes and the sculptural form of its tallest tower, but in their environmental performance towards a net-zero carbon operation. Informed by the sea sponge’s structural ingenuity and ecological purpose, the towers offer a uniquely Vancouver expression of sustainability, beauty, and vertical urbanism.
In total, the development will create 1,939 new homes, a 920-room hotel, 70,000 ft2 of much-needed conference space, Indigenous-led reconciliation through art, and introduce major public amenities across all sites. This transformative project will serve as a major economic catalyst for downtown Vancouver, creating thousands of construction and permanent jobs. By bringing a critical mass of residents, workers, and visitors into the core, the project will contribute to the creation of a more vibrant, welcoming, and safer downtown.
388 Abbott Street is a 402 ft tall tower with an 8-storey podium and 30-storey tower above. It is proposed to be 100% City-owned with 378 Social Housing units and childcare facility. The ground floor is proposed as a Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh (MST) gallery, with three artists-in-residence studios for MST artists.
595 West Georgia Street is a 1,033 ft tall hotel tower consisting of long term stay & short term stay hotel rooms. The tower is topped by a restaurant and publicly accessible rooftop observation deck. The tower will include a café/bar and restaurant, conference facilities and meeting rooms, as well as hotel amenity facilities.
501 West Georgia Street consists of two towers on a 3-storey podium. The north tower is a 783 ft tall market residential building with a shared rooftop amenity deck. The south tower is 889 ft tall with market rental at the base and market residential above.
Category:Mixed-Use BuildingsYear:2025Location:Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaArchitects:Henriquez Partners ArchitectsLandscape Architects:PFS StudioDesign Team: Gregory Henriquez, Rui Nunes, Edgar Leon, Brad McCoyClient: Holborn GroupPhotographer: Courtesy of Holborn Group
