Retail, office space in addition to 202 condo units
Ashley Ford
Province
An artist imagines how Atelier will look in the fall of 2009
Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Fashionable Robson Street will get some more curves in the shape of a new, semi-circular tower at the corner of Robson and Homer.
The 29-storey, $140-million Atelier on Robson project is being developed by Magellen Developments (20/20) Inc. and complements the circular design of the public library across the street.
It also incorporates a retail-and-office component in addition to its 202 condo units.
With office space already at a premium in downtown, putting such space into future developments will likely become the trend for developers, Magellen president Henry Man said yesterday .
“I think we will see more developments with an office component and it appeals to many clients who want office space downtown but not in an all-office highrise,” he said.
“It appeals to a lot of professional and smaller companies such as engineers and architects. This way of providing new office space is good.”
Atelier will have 27,000 square feet of high-ceiling office space with its own separate entrance from the residential portion of the building.
Man says the IBI-HB Martin Bruckner Architects-designed tower will occupy one of the last prime sites downtown.
“We wanted to create a distinctive building that reflects the other buildings in the area. It is one of the last pure sites downtown,” he said.
“To give a greater sense of space we have set the building back on the site and the residential component starts at [15 metres] above the street level,” Man said.
He hopes construction will begin this August, with completion set for the fall of 2009.
Atelier on Robson is an upscale development aimed at trade-up buyers, retirees and investors, Man said.
A one-bedroom unit, including a parking spot, will be priced at $338,000. All units will have top-quality kitchens, appliances and fittings. Units will average 830 square feet.
A further potential bonus is Atelier sits on the same block as city-owned land that is earmarked for a downtown park.