Design And Planning Teams Bring Luxury Living To The Waterfront Vancouver
July, 2020
Vancouver, Washington has been undertaking a full-scale renovation of its downtown over the past several years. The goal is to restore the area to a desirable riverfront community for visitors, residents, and businesses. The cornerstone of the City of Vancouver’s efforts is to make Vancouver a destination on the west coast; the area known as The Waterfront Vancouver. This is where Otak’s Portland, OR office has been working over the past few years.
Otak was contracted by Kirkland Development to provide comprehensive planning and design services for the Hotel Indigo and Kirkland Tower mixed-use project. Construction includes 10,000 square feet of retail, 7,700 square feet of restaurant space including the signature steakhouse El Gaucho, the boutique-style Hotel Indigo, and a luxury condominium building called Kirkland Tower. The hotel and tower are the sixth and seventh buildings to rise in the overall master plan.
Brian Fleener is the principal in charge for Otak, working alongside senior designer Gary Larson, director of design Gary Reddick, and project architects Michael Payne and Wayne Yoshimura. After three years of design and planning, Kirkland Development broke ground on the property in June 2018 and the project should be completed this winter.
The “Kirkland Tower,” a twelve-story luxury condominium building, will feature sweeping views of the Columbia River from its one, two, or three-bedroom units that have access to the amenities of the Hotel Indigo. Amenities include maid and turn down service, valet parking, and room service. The Kirkland Tower will also feature a rooftop health club and a rooftop lounge with a chef’s kitchen for entertaining guests. There will be 40 units overall. On the eighth floor, there will be a modern bar and the ninth floor includes a roof terrace.
The eight-story, 138-room Hotel Indigo will adhere to the hotel chain’s signature brand that promises no two of its properties are alike as they reflect the neighborhoods in which they sit. This property will take advantage of river views with a glass curtain wall and an expansive terrace. A large conference space will spill out into an 8-story atrium. Amenities will include concierge services, valet, food delivery, dry cleaning, and a dog-washing station.
“This is a terrific example of quality placemaking that is a focus of Otak and further illustrated by other projects we have on the drawing board,” Reddick said.
The project was not without challenges that mostly stemmed from its location, on the river, and on a flight path. “So many agencies get involved.” Reddick continued. “To get through that and realize something is actually coming out of the ground is amazing.”
Fleener explained that special permission was needed to keep the cranes up over the winter when planes were flying from a nearby airport. Building a 2-level, below-grade stacker parking deck next to the Columbia River mandated the use of an intricate sheet pile and concrete cofferdam-like structure to keep the water out. To add to that, the construction was shut down in Washington during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The team overcame the challenges and are excited to see the project completed and another step of the rebirth of Vancouver realized. The south-facing site featuring a restaurant with a wall of windows, and the outside decks on the buildings, will be the perfect place to sit in the sun and be out by the water,” Fleener said.