HOLY ROSARY PRECINCT PART III
PART THREE THE “CATHEDRAL PRECINCT”
D U N S M U I R S T.
Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
R I C H A R D S S T. Page 5
“This urban precinct is a manifesto that liberates itself from the politics of inconvenience and engages into its core values of sublimity”. — Chris Doray
Proposal
Design Rationale
The creation of the Cathedral when the city of Vancouver was only a decade old, followed years later by the creation of a major public space that it now fronts on, known as Cathedral Square, presents a circumstance to contribute a range of public and community benefits, improve substantially the quality and usefulness of the existing public realm, and properly restore and render seismically competent the Cathedral itself.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
All of this benefit is made possible by the creation of a significant mixed-use development on the balance of the Cathedral lands to the south of the Cathedral itself, presently occupied by the Diocese Social and Administrative facilities which will be re-incorporated in the first five floors of the new development. The Cathedral itself is an A-list designated heritage structure, while the annexed facilities are listed but not designated.
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
The key to the significance of this proposal is through the opportunity to more effectively connect, integrate, and render more coherent as a whole the two half-blocks that make up the precinct crossing Dunsmuir Street. Dunsmuir Street itself is, of course, destined to evolve from what has been a significant downtown peninsula arterial feeder into a local, two-way mixed modal street as a result of the removal of the high level viaduct that connects it, along with Georgia Street, to the city to the east.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
The significance of the impact of this change can best be understood in Vancouver, by looking at the impact of the removal of the lowlevel Cambie Street Bridge, that previously charged Robson Street as a crosstown connector. The deletion of this connection to the south side of the city has left Robson Street very much more a local secondary artery, to the extent that the restriction, and subsequent closing of Robson as it crosses Robson Place between Howe Street and Hornby, a relatively insignificant alteration to local traffic patterns.
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Proposal
We are not, of course, suggesting closure of Dunsmuir Street, but are proposing a possible alteration to its alignment, to temper and calm its present straight-through alignment, and more importantly, accommodating the re-establishment of a much more generous, gracious stair platform to better present and access the Cathedral, and more effectively integrate the Cathedral portion of this precinct with an upgraded and activated Cathedral Square that it fronts on. Interestingly historic photographs reveal that the fronting staircase to the Cathedral was originally much more generous, as is the re-institution being proposed, and that
the significant, original presence was altered some time ago to the more abrupt, congested configuration that now prevails, in the interest, evidentially, of widening the traffic corridor. It can also not go unnoticed that the presence of the Cathedral from the east, moving west on Dunsmuir Street, has been largely obliterated by the new development immediately to its easy. Modifying the street alignment in way of the Cathedral, combined with the re-institution of a more generous staircase, will go some way to reacknowledging its presence from the east in the public realm.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
Readdressing Cathedral Square itself begins fundamentally with bringing it up to Dunsmuir Street level, integrating it sideways to Richards Street on the west and the laneway to the east through stepped and ramped terraced landscape, and containing it spatially to the north through the introduction of a building element embracing its entire width, incorporating a new home for Ballet BC, and assisted residencies for dancers and other artists. Page 19
Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
These two components, one above the other, establish a gently curved façade focused, and centered on the axis of the Cathedral itself. As a building element, this edifice is seen not so much as an “object in spaceâ€? as a building that defines space, in this case the north end of the square.
The south wall of this component is seen as a simple, continuous glazed screen, incorporating refinements into the patterning of the glazing supports that introduce, playfully, a reference to a recollection of the pointed arch language of the Cathedral itself. The intent is that the ongoing practice and rehearsal of dance can be experienced through the modulated glazed walls. Page 24
Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
The principle programmatic component of the BC Ballet facility is a major practice and rehearsal studio duplicating the dimensions of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre’s stage (60’ X 40’), their major performance venue. By locating this studio at the level of the square, and incorporating a bi-parting opening wall, the studio can be used as a stage and presentation space on the square itself.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
All of this “Cathedral Park Public urban space,” and the Ballet School defining it to the north is of course over a major BC Hydro substation below. The substation is of course owned and operated by BC Hydro, but it is on city-owned land.
VENTILATORS
EVENTS STAGE LEFT
GLAZING
DN
OVERSIZED AIRCRAFT HANGER DOORS
OVERSIZED GLASS SLIDERS
WARM-UP CROSS-OVER
LARGE STUDIO 60' x 40'
BLEACHERS
LOBBY
DN
STAGE RIGHT
VENTILATORS
0
3
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10
17
23
30 FT
GROUND FLOOR scale 1/16
Proposal
BC Hydro’s long range intention is very much to continue with a substation in this location, their ambition is to upgrade and modernize the facility in the near future, and are open to, indeed desirous of, continuing with public open space or other possible facilities at grade, on what is tantamount to the substation’s roof.
VENT.
BC BALLET LOADING BAYS
BC HYDRO
LOADING RECEIVING
1.
2.
MALE RESTROOM
3.
BC HYDRO BELOW
BC HYDRO ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING HUB FEMALE RESTROOM
BC BALLET LOBBY
VENT.
BC HYDRO ENTRY
0
3
10
17
BC BALLET ENTRY
23
30 FT
EV. CHARGING HUB ENTRY
UP TO CATHEDRAL PARK
UNDERGROUND FLOOR scale 1/16
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Holy Rosary Precinct
One such possible component that Hydro is interested in including its flagship electric vehicle charging station, being incorporated in this proposal immediately below the Dunsmuir Street grade, and accessed off Richards Street some distance north of Dunsmuir Street, where the grade has dropped away roughly a level. Page 30
Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
If this facility proves not to be practical in this location, Hydro has an alternative site that could be made available for this facility off the lane that borders the east side of Cathedral Park.
Option 1 Page 32
Option 2
Option 3
Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
It is proposed that on both the Richards Street side and the laneway that the present nominal walls between the sidewalk and the Cathedral itself be reduced or eliminated, to engender a sense that the whole of the land between the Cathedral edifice and the road be perceived as accessible public realm.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
Landscape, including paving of the urban floor and tree planting integrating the street and adjacent publicly accessible spaces is seen as the “backbone� to the integration and cohesion of the precinct.
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
Ordered paving patterns, including the street and lane paving, and disciplined geometries of urban tree plantings are seen as a means to define and make comprehensible this precinct as a whole.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
The focus of the whole of this precinct, and indeed the economic engine that makes the whole of it possible, is of course the mixed-use tower to the south of the Cathedral.
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
Beginning at street level, the tower incorporates the entrance, lobby space and elevator access to its three principle uses – the first five floors housing the diocese facilities referred to earlier, twenty floors of hotel, and thirty-one floors of rental housing. The roof is envisioned as an all seasons garden, surrounded by high glass screens to afford wind protection while providing access to sun and views. Page 42
Proposal
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1. RESTORE CATHEDRAL AND ESTABLISH FULL SEISMIC COMPETENCE 2. REPLACE DIOCESE ADMINISTRATION SPACES & SOCIAL FACILITIES 3. REPLACE CATHEDRAL SQUARE CITY PARK & OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE SPACE/ARENA 4. INTRODUCE 25 BC HYDRO ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS BENEATH THE NEW CATHEDRAL SQUARE 9
5. REALIGN DUNSMUIR STREET TO PERMIT RECONSTRUCTION OF CATHEDRAL ENTRANCE STAIRS TO IT’S ORIGINAL STATUS, AND BETTER INTEGRATE THE CATHEDRAL AND THE PARK 6. CREATE NEW FACILITIES FOR BALLET BC WITH IT’S MAIN REHEARSAL STUDIO FRONTING ONTO CATHEDRAL SQUARE 7. CREATE ASSISTED HOUSING FOR LONG + SHORT TERM ARTIST RESIDENCES OVER BALLET BC FACILITIES
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8. HOTEL 9. RENTAL HOUSING 10. ROOF GARDEN
7
2
1
5
3 6
4
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Holy Rosary Precinct
This tower is square in plan-driven largely by the available site, centered in the axis of the Cathedral, and “buttressed” figuratively by a subtle “shoulder” at each of its four corners, demarking the quarter-points of each of its four aspects.
LANDING
RAMP DOWN TO PARKADE RECTORY LOBBY
STORAGE ABOVE @ MEZZ.
LOADING + UNLOADING
SERVICE
HOTEL RECEPTION LOUNGE
CATHEDRAL CAFE
RESIDENTIAL ELEV. HALL
HOTEL LOBBY
0
3
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10
17
23
30 FT
CATHEDRAL CAFE
GROUND FLOOR scale 1/16
Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
Vertically the building’s shaft steps in subtly at the point at which each of the building’s principle uses change, which coincide with the development of successive harmonic intervals as the building shaft makes its way skyward. Page 46
Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
The first, or lowest interval housing entrances and the diocese facilities, is seen as a more positive volume, penetrated by deeply incised openings that vary according to their purpose. Cladding envisaged, over a base of stone as it meets the ground, is seen as high-fired ceramic panels, which devolve in the second interval, the hotel floors, to a skin predominately of high performance green-blue glass, incorporating varying amounts of opaque panels, with intermittent diagonal tracery, marked at the corners with a “bundle� of ceramic cylinders, the same colour as the cladding of the base floors.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
These “bundles” begin at grade, and diminish in size and scale as the building moves skyward, overlapping at the point each interval steps in, engendering a contemporary metaphor of “finial”, and recollecting, figuratively, the corner buttressing of the Cathedral itself.
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Proposal
The hotel interval is demarked on the north face by a bank of glazed elevators, that afford a guest arriving at grade the experience of ascending behind the Cathedral for the first five floors, then “exploding� to a view of the harbor and mountains seen through the Cathedral spires. The lift will transport a guest to the sky lobby on the seventh level, or directly to their room on the levels above.
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Proposal
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Proposal
The uppermost, or third, interval houses rental residential, modest on average in size, but for the top few floors. Outdoor living space – or “balconies” – will be cut into the wall face rather than project out, and transparency/ opacity, along with diagonal “tracery” will vary according to orientation, sun exposure, and height in the building. Page 59
Holy Rosary Precinct
The “ramparts�, or building top, will be developed as a continuation of the building skin skyward to create and shelter a garden on the roof, part associated with the uppermost floors, and part for the use of the residential tenants.
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
The ceramic building corner encrustations referred to earlier will continue all the way to the roof, and the roof screens just described, then will represent themselves as an encrustation on the core, creating an ephemeral evaporating resultant as the building meets the sky. Page 63
300sq.ft.
TYPICAL HOTEL 0
3
10
17
23
30 FT
Gross: 8760 sq.ft. Net: 6200 sq. ft.
472sq.ft.
685sq.ft.
672sq.ft.
ALL BALC 4' X 8'
TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL 0
3
10
17
23
30 FT
Gross: 8008 sq.ft. Net: 6400 sq.ft. EFF: 80% Balcony area: 320sq. ft.
“Outstanding architecture can become environmental transformers and change our everyday lives and open up new perspectives”. — Peter Wall
Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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Holy Rosary Precinct
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Proposal
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DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT TEAM
PETER WALL BRUNO WALL CHRIS DORAY PAUL MERRICK PUYA KHALILI PIOTR PASIERBINSKI LING MENG
PRODUCTION TEAM LUKAS VAJDA NAHAL JAFARI SAI DI RENDERHOOD FYFE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP 3D
SPECIAL THANKS TO PEER GROUP ADVISORY PANEL JAMES CHENG · DONALD LUXTON · MICHAEL HEENEY
VANCOUVER MAPS FROM “VANCOUVER - A VISUAL HISTORY” BY BRUCE MACDONALD - TALON BOOKS 1992
HRC PRICINCT BOOK DESIGNED BY PUYA KHALILI ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2020 CHRIS DORAY STUDIO INC.