Wesgroup?s MODE to take its place in an expanding Vancouver neighbourhood
Kathleen Freimond
The Province
MODE
What: a 25-storeys building with 257 homes
Where: 3438 Sawmill Crescent, Vancouver
Residence size and prices: One bedroom 562 to 775 square feet; two bedroom 789 to 1391 square feet; three bedroom 1,059 to 1,537 square feet; Starting at $499,900
Developer: Wesgroup Properties
Sales centre: 3202 Riverwalk Avenue, Vancouver
Hours: Open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Telephone: 604-879-8830
The 25-storey building is part of the second phase of the 130-acre master-planned community between Kerr Street and Boundary Road in southeast Vancouver.
MODE, Wesgroup Properties’ new 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 is part of the second phase of the 130-acre master-planned community between Kerr Street and Boundary Road in southeast Vancouver.
When complete, the River District will include 250,000 square feet of retail space, 25 acres of green space and approximately 7,000 residences.
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.
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 building has a large entertaining space, which includes an indoor kitchen and dining space that opens to an outdoor terrace; a work hub with two boardrooms, individual booths and meeting spaces; a theatre room with a large-screen projector and surround sound; games lounge with pool table; fitness facility with access to an outdoor hot tub; a workshop and bike repair room and dog-wash station.
Erin Kenwood, Wesgroup’s vice-president of interior design, says that while she expects the common spaces to be popular, residents will find a serene and calm ambience in their homes.
Buyers can choose from two schemes – light or dark – both with a grey palette.
The display unit at the sales centre showcases the dark scheme. The kitchen features a grey marble-look quartz countertop on the 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 ensuite has a black matte towel rod that gives the space a timeless custom look. 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 contribute to the spa-like look, Kenwood says.
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