The city of Vancouver is world-renowned for the stunning nature that surrounds it: water, beaches, mountains. A 42-story tower, Fifteen Fifteen, will envelop residents in that natural beauty. Designed by Ole Scheeren, the residential skyscraper will include 202 residences ranging from studios to three bedrooms—all with floor-to-ceiling windows and access to outdoor spaces.
On the mid and upper levels, the tower also will boast 18 glass-encased homes called “Observatory Residences.” With a starting price of $5 million, each Observatory Residence features 270-degree, floor-to-ceiling windows in a cantilevered space that protrudes from the building, engineered with steel I-beams and diagonal bracing. For residents, the design creates the sensation of floating above the city, ocean, and mountains.
Located on Vancouver Harbour in the downtown neighborhood of Coal Harbour, Fifteen Fifteen is starchitect Ole Scheeren’s first North American residential building. It’s also the only one for which Scheeren has designed both the interiors and exteriors. His design aims to maximize space and light while maintaining privacy and security. The building has over 65 floorplans, and each residence can be customized with bespoke features and finishes. Residents can choose from three color and material palettes that Scheeren designed to reflect Vancouver’s natural surroundings.
“For many years, I have explored the question of how we want to live—in relation to our own private spaces as well as our communities, our cities, and the environment—and what architecture means in this context,” Scheeren says in a statement. “Fifteen Fifteen is about connectivity—connecting people to each other and to their surroundings—and offers an interactive way of living.”
Commissioned by Bosa Properties and Kingswood Properties in 2015, Fifteen Fifteen is expected to open in 2026.
Owner-developers: Bosa Properties and Kingswood Properties
Design architect and architect of record: Ole Scheeren
MEP engineers: Bycar and Nemetz
Structural engineer: Glotman Simpson
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Dec 17, 2015
Developers respond to demand from tenants for ‘smart’ design
A number of green prerogatives are having a beneficial impact on multifamily design and construction.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 14, 2015
Study finds increase in cost-burdened renters
Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies released its biennial rental housing report, and it found that 21.3 million renters spend 30% or more of income towards rent.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 10, 2015
Developer of Jean Nouvel-designed New York City condo complex sued
One resident says living in the curvy, glass 100 Eleventh Avenue building is like being in a wind tunnel.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 7, 2015
Are long-term apartment rentals Airbnb’s next target?
Some developers are thinking about that possibility, says one West Coast real estate consultant.
Smart Buildings | Dec 7, 2015
AIA Baltimore holds rowhouse redesign competition
Teams competed to provide the best social and environmental design solutions for the city’s existing rowhouse stock.
Multifamily Housing | Nov 19, 2015
Herzog & de Meuron designs curving NYC luxury apartments
The 160 Leroy building will have 49 luxury homes, along with a white concrete façade covered with large windows.
High-rise Construction | Nov 17, 2015
CTBUH awards '2015 Best Tall Building Worldwide' to Bosco Verticale
Designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, the building design was applauded for its “extraordinary implementation of vegetation at such scale and height."
Multifamily Housing | Nov 17, 2015
A new luxury high rise reflects a resurgent condo market in Miami Beach
GLASS is one of several residential buildings in the works in that city’s hot South of Fifth neighborhood.
Multifamily Housing | Nov 5, 2015
Architects propose residential tower in Singapore with gardens on every floor
Imagine a high-rise with lush greenery on every floor—that’s the design Ingehoven Architects and A61 propose for Marina One, a series of residential towers in Singapore.
Multifamily Housing | Nov 4, 2015
Labor City: The Qatari complex for 70,000 migrant workers opens
The project is just one of seven house complexes built by the government for the country’s approximately 260,000 labor migrants.