MODE designed to speak to its historic roots

MODE, Wesgroup Properties’ new residential tower in Vancouver’s River District, will evoke the neighbourhood’s rich heritage by featuring industrial-inspired materials in the architectural design and incorporating historic artifacts – reminders of the sawmills that once dominated the area – in the building’s elegant lobby.

The 25-storey building, to be built on the aptly named Sawmill Crescent, is part of the second phase of the 130-acre master-planned community on land between Kerr Street and Boundary Road in southeast Vancouver. MODE includes 257 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes ranging in size from 562 to 1,537 square feet.

When completed, the River District community, approved by Vancouver city council in 2006, will include 250,000 square feet of retail space, 25 acres of green space and approximately 7,000 residences. It will be home to more than 15,000 people.

Brad Jones, Wesgroup’s vice-president of development, notes that the first phase — the western neighbourhood — is almost complete and the town centre area in the middle of the site, which includes residential development and most of the retail space, is now the focus.

MODE’s proximity to the town centre plaza, where services like financial institutions and stores like Everything Wine are located, is an added benefit, Jones says.

While design guidelines apply to all buildings in the River District, Jones says Wesgroup has been deliberate about recalling the industrial heritage of the site through the use of materials like board-form concrete and incorporating the look of weathered, rusted steel in the buildings it has developed.

“For MODE, we’ve taken it a step further,” he says. “The mills had old beehive-shaped steel burners on the site and they weathered to a beautiful patina – that patina will be reflected in the fins on the podium façade.”

The entrance to the building will be marked by salvaged V-rollers once used in the sawmills, while a daytime concierge will greet visitors and accept packages in the lobby with its backlit metal panels and detailed millwork.

While architectural design features may recall the past, MODE is attracting a lot of attention for its 9,000 square feet of modern-era amenities and sophisticated interior design, Jones says.

“The name of the building, MODE, represents the story of the amenities,” he says. “We created a broad offering of amenities in the building so [residents] could switch between different modes of life – dinner party, exercise or work mode.”

The building has a large entertaining space, which includes an indoor kitchen and dining space that opens to an outdoor terrace with a barbecue and plenty of seating; a work hub that includes two boardrooms, individual booths and meeting spaces for residents who may work from home; a private theatre room with a large-screen projector and surround sound; games lounge with pool table; fitness facility and adjacent studio or yoga room with direct access to an outdoor hot tub; a workshop and bike repair room and, for pet owners, a dog-wash station.

Erin Kenwood, Wesgroup’s vice-president of interior design, says that while she expects the common spaces to be popular and well used, residents will find a serene and calm ambience in their own homes.

Buyers can choose from two schemes – light or dark – both with a grey palette.

“The interior design has a contemporary, urban feel. We worked hard to create a timeless, sophisticated design, a backdrop that enables residents to put their own stamp on their home when they move in with their possessions,” she says.

The display unit at the sales centre at 3202 Riverwalk Avenue showcases the dark scheme. The kitchen features a grey marble-look quartz countertop on the three-by-five-foot island, perimeter cabinets and the slab backsplash. The dual-tone cabinetry has flat-panel high-gloss grey doors and drawer fronts while the island, the oven and microwave tower, and the panels that integrate the Blomberg refrigerator/freezer are a warm wood-look laminate.

The double stainless-steel sink is enhanced by a signature black matte Brizo pull-down faucet.

“It’s the jewelry in the space,” says Kenwood, adding that in the light scheme, the faucet is matte white.

That contemporary flair is repeated in the ensuite bathroom, where the black matte towel rod gives the space a timeless custom look without being too trendy.

A frameless glass shower enclosure with a built-in niche, LED lighting under the large mirror and medicine cabinet and over-sized white porcelain wall tiles all contribute to the spa-like look, Kenwood says. While the display unit shows a shower, Kenwood says all main bathrooms feature a tub and showers are included in the ensuites.

The light scheme features light grey cabinetry complemented with a lighter wood laminate, marble-look white with grey veining quartz countertops and a light quartz for the bathroom vanity.

Kenwood says Wesgroup’s in-house design team is a real advantage.

“We’re part of the team from the beginning through to the end. We have input and collaboration throughout the process. Because we’re part of the team, we can ensure the original vision is executed,” she says.

MODE is expected to be complete by summer 2022.

MODE
Project address: 3438 Sawmill Crescent, Vancouver
Developer: Wesgroup Properties
Architect: Ciccozzi Architecture
Interior designer: Wesgroup
Project size: 25 storeys; 257 units, with one, two and three bedrooms
Unit size: One bedroom 562 to 775 square feet; two bedroom 789 to 1391 square feet; three bedroom 1,059 to 1,537 square feet
Price: Starting at $449,000
Sales centre: 3202 Riverwalk Avenue, Vancouver
Sales centre hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 604-879-8830
Website: wesgroup.ca/mode