New Vancouver Centre II tower complete with Douglas Coupland sculpture

New Vancouver Centre II office tower complete with Douglas Coupland salmon sculpture (PHOTOS)

Exterior of Vancouver Centre II office tower with the 29th floor skyline rooftop outdoor deck shown (left), and the "Spawn" salmon sculpture by Douglas Coupland in the lobby atrium (right). (GWL Realty Advisors)

After more than five years of construction, the new Vancouver Centre II office tower in downtown Vancouver is now complete and open.

The official opening event was held Thursday afternoon, which involved the unveiling of a striking sculpture by renowned local artist Douglas Coupland, suspended over the three-storey lobby atrium inside the tower.

Coupland’s latest art work, measuring 30 ft in length and made of stainless steel, is called “Spawn,” resembling a salmon that swims through the atrium.

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“Mythologically, fish represent the soul,” said Coupland. “What is Vancouver’s soul? We are lucky to live in the city we do, but it’s a privilege, not a right to be here. Part of that privilege is a pact between us and nature – that we nurture it alongside our metropolitan lives, and that we never think of ourselves as being the more important side of the equation.”

The atrium is covered by an expansive skylight, allowing natural light to pour in, and framing the verticality of its space being wedged by Vancouver Centre II and Scotia Tower.

vancouver centre ii office tower douglas coupland spawn salmon sculpture

The “Spawn” salmon sculpture by Douglas Coupland in the lobby atrium of Vancouver Centre II office tower. (GWL Realty Advisors)

The “Spawn” salmon sculpture by Douglas Coupland in the lobby atrium of Vancouver Centre II office tower. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Vancouver Centre II office tower. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Vancouver Centre II replaces the parkade of the Vancouver Centre complex, which includes the the underground Vancouver Centre Mall corridor between CF Pacific Centre and Hudson’s Bay, and the 1977-built, 34-storey Scotia Tower.

The new tower with the address of 733 Seymour Street is immediately west of the Telus Garden office tower.

From the atrium lobby, there is a direct connection to the complex’s underground mall, which leads to SkyTrain’s Vancouver City Centre Station on the Canada Line and Granville Station on the Expo Line. The leasable retail space of the underground mall was expanded as part of the new tower project.

Additionally, the Scotia Tower’s atrium lobby underwent extensive renovations to enable a direct integration with Vancouver Centre II’s atrium lobby.

Entrance into the underground Vancouver Centre Mall from the lobby atrium of Vancouver Centre II office tower. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Entrance into the lobby atrium of Vancouver Centre II office tower from the underground Vancouver Centre Mall. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Renovated lobby atrium of the existing Scotia Tower for integration into Vancouver Centre II’s office tower’s lobby atrium. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

About 370,000 sq ft of premium AAA office space is found within the 403-ft-tall tower, which was designed by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership.

The building’s largest tenant is mobile gaming creator Kabam, which pre-leased 100,000 sq ft of space in 2018. Other major tenants include PI Investments, which has 40,000 sq ft of space, as well as Sandstorm Gold Royalties and Owen Bird. The building is not completely leased.

Workers in the building have access to significant shared amenities, including a large skyline rooftop outdoor deck on the 29th level, which faces the southwest to provide impressive urban and English Bay views.

A large programmable lighting feature has also been installed along the facade of the floors above this deck.

Exterior of Vancouver Centre II office tower with the 29th floor skyline rooftop outdoor deck shown. (GWL Realty Advisors)

Vancouver Centre II office tower’s rooftop lighting feature from Robson Square. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Vancouver Centre II office tower from the Granville Entertainment District. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Other amenities include a fitness facility with change rooms, showers, and end-of-trip ccling facilities, as well as a private dog park. The large public atrium in the base of the building is designed in a way to be suitable for community events.

The building’s extensive green building features and health workspace considerations have given it a certification for SmartScore Platinum and WiredScore Gold. Additional certifications for LEED Platinum and WELL Gold are also being pursued.

Vancouver Centre II was developed by GWL Realty Advisors (GWLRA) on behalf of the project’s owners, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan and The Canada Life Assurance Company, which pursued the project as a long-term investment.

“With the opening of Vancouver Centre II, we celebrate the evolution of the Vancouver Centre complex into an amenity-rich, spacious, and sustainable office development,” said Glenn Way, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GWLRA.

“Together with our owners, we built a leading-edge smart and sustainable building that supports forward-thinking organizations that want to provide employees with inviting, engaging and comfortable spaces.”

Construction on Vancouver Centre II first began in October 2017 with the demolition work of the parkade. The building’s completion, originally planned for Summer 2021, was delayed due to pandemic impacts.

Vancouver Centre II office tower. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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