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Wesbrook Village is no stranger to Polygon. At Wordsworth , the developer’s sixth completed residential project in the neighbourhood, Polygon Homes and Francl Architecture are taking a more nuanced approach, one that aims to fold into the area rather than make a splashy condo statement. Completed in January, the 231-home project borders Mundell Park at the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey campus.

With fewer than 30 homes remaining, buyers can choose from move-in-ready condos, penthouses and cityhomes. Studios to two-bedroom apartments range from 470 to 896 square feet, with penthouses up to 1,144 square feet. Three-storey, three-bedroom cityhomes range from 1,565 to 1,625 square feet with sundecks, green sedum roofs and ground-floor patios, while penthouses include private garages with attached storage rooms. This new collection of concrete homes is designed to appeal to a wide range of residents, from students and faculty to young families and downsizers drawn to an active lifestyle.

For principal Walter Francl, that sense of fit begins at street level, where the cityhomes visually break down the scale of the project and help it sit more comfortably along the street. “The townhouses are a welcome rhythm as one walks down the streetscape at a very appropriate scale. They modulate the streetscape as you walk down it,” says Francl.

The cityhome facades feature canopied raised entries, eight-foot doors, charcoal grey brick and medium grey metal finishes. While earlier Polygon projects closer to Pacific Spirit Park drew on a more autumn-inspired palette, Francl says Wordsworth’s setting called for something more refined and polished in character: “This is a little bit more removed from Pacific Spirit Park. It’s back a block and has a more urbane feeling to it.” The darker brick, he adds, has an almost “metallic, iridescent quality” that plays off natural rock features found in the neighbourhood, while also feeling cohesive with nearby buildings.

That focus on community fit also shaped the design of the 16-storey tower, positioned at the north end of the site to minimize shadowing on park space and neighbouring buildings to the south. But with a 10,000-square-foot floorplate, the structure risked feeling broad and bulky. To soften its presence, the Francl team curved the north and south faces to give a more slender appearance, with balconies arranged “in a rhythm” to add further movement to the exterior. “They don’t repeat all the way up,” adds Francl. “They have a language that modulates the facade, and the curves add a certain amount of grace to the building itself.”

Inside the building, the shared spaces follow a similar approach. Rather than carving out an oversized amenity package, the team focused on a smaller set of practical features, including a fitness studio, concierge, electronic parcel system, dog wash and bike repair area, while also drawing on the broader neighbourhood amenities around Wordsworth. Polygon and Francl point to the project’s proximity to playgrounds, restaurants, shops, schools and the nearby Wesbrook Community Centre, which includes wellness programs, fitness facilities and space for meetings and events.

The cityhome patios open onto a semi-private courtyard and a pedestrian greenway, extending the main living space outdoors and providing direct access to parks and walking trails. Francl notes that the north-south orientation helps bring sunlight into the courtyard and patios. “It’ll be a really pleasant place to share with your neighbours,” he says.

All cityhome patios and penthouse balconies are fitted with barbecue gas outlets and hose bibs for flexible hosting, while the landscape design by Hapa Collaborative was carefully balanced to provide privacy without closing off views entirely. “The shared open spaces are really something that enhances a sense of community,” says Francl. “It’s where you meet your neighbours in the coming and going day-to-day” — an idea that also extends to the tower’s double-height lobby.

Designed to give a “sense of arrival,” the lobby leans into a calm West Coast-inspired palette. Developed in collaboration with Polygon’s interior design team, the space features limestone-toned porcelain flooring, sculptural Petite Friture Vertigo pendants and a curved marble feature wall that echoes the tower’s rounded form. The walls are clad in light wood panelling with vertical slot detailing that helps define lounge seating.

Francl explains that the lobby was designed for both residents and guests — somewhere to stop, talk and get a sense of the community they’re about to enter. “You get a real warm feeling as you come into the building and [realize] that’s the neighbourhood you’re living in,” he adds.

That same inviting, neutral palette carries into the suites, where interior finishes include engineered wood flooring, natural stone tile walls in ensuites, engineered stone countertops and backsplashes and natural wood or matte white cabinetry with integrated Bertazzoni appliances.

With Wordsworth marking the fourth project completed with Polygon in Wesbrook Village, Francl reflects on the evolving neighbourhood he’s helped shape: “There’s much more yet to come, and I look forward to being part of it and helping this grow into the community that it is becoming.”

Project: Wordsworth

Project address: 6138 Birney Ave., Vancouver, B.C.

Developer: Polygon Wordsworth Homes Ltd.

Architect: Francl Architecture

Interior designer: Polygon Interior Design Ltd.

Project size: 231 apartment homes and cityhomes

Price: One-bedroom homes from $688,800

Number of bedrooms: Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments; three-bedroom cityhomes

Sales centre: 6138 Birney Ave., Vancouver, B.C.

Centre hours: Noon to 5 p.m. daily except Fridays

Phone: 604-882-0098

Website: polyhomes.com

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The first, most striking feature of the property at 800 Taylor Road on Bowen Island is its sky-high peaked timber frame roof that sits atop 5,349 square feet of custom-built oceanview luxury.

The second-most impressive elements are the 2,400 square feet of covered decks and patios sprawled over two levels. The main floor’s expansive deck with built-in fireplace and two Bromic built-in heaters, built-in barbecue, bar fridge, counter space and cupboards allow for year-round outdoor entertaining.

The third-most striking feature is the 180-degree view over Howe Sound, coastal mountains, and the mainland. The current owners say they often spot surfacing whales and seals, as well as eagles soaring by at eye level.

And then there are the deer who pick their way down from the mountainside behind to nibble the green grass of the property’s front lawn.

What’s inside

The home’s accordion-type door opens up to create a smooth flow from the kitchen and dining room straight out onto the spacious porcelain-tile deck for indoor-outdoor entertaining.

Kitchen amenities include custom cabinetry, quartz countertops, Thermador appliances, a Wolf built-in espresso/coffee unit, a wine fridge and an attached, reclaimed fir six-seat dining table that stays with the house. Another larger dining table made of live edge monkeypod/raintree/suar wood can be negotiated as part of a furniture package.

Spread out over the engineered hickory flooring with radiant heating throughout are four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, and a living room with floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace that extends horizontally to accommodate a built-in TV.

The oceanview primary bedroom with patio has a propane fireplace with built-in TV, bright spacious primary ensuite with a large shower, soaker tub, double sinks and, in behind, a roomy walk-in closet.

The main floor powder room, says listing agent Barry Thomas of West Vancouver’s Macdonald Realty, grabs a lot of attention from potential buyers. “There’s a copper sink and a full, floor-to-ceiling slate wall, which is reversed on the other side going up the stairwell to the loft area, which also features a bedroom and three-piece bathroom.”

Downstairs, two brick walls flank the games room, one surrounding a wood-burning fireplace (the fireplaces in the primary, living room and outdoor entertainment deck are all propane, says Thomas, as Bowen Island doesn’t have natural gas). Both the games room, which features a wet bar, and a bedroom lead out onto the covered flagstone patio where there’s a hot tub and fire pit.

“This home is a vertical two acres on a slope,” says Thomas explaining the lack of a large yard. “It’s primarily about the living space and the outdoor decks and patios. There’s a bit of a grassy area and the flat area of the driveway (with a three-car garage). It’s really about scaling back the gardening component of the lifestyle and having flowerpots and box gardens and really enjoying the entertaining versus becoming a slave to your property. That’s why it’s appealing to empty nesters in particular — they’ve already paid their dues with gardening and landscaping. They like the idea of low maintenance.”

He says what struck him overall about the home is its “sheer magnificence. It’s quite grand. It’s 5,349 square feet with soaring 24-foot timber frame cathedral ceilings, but when you’re in the home it doesn’t feel oversized. It’s quite warm and cosy and has a really lovely feel about it.”

He says that, in addition to interest from empty nesters who value the lower-level guest rooms for visiting family, he’s getting calls from Canadians living in the U.S. who are contemplating a return. “They want to be close to an international airport without necessarily living in Vancouver.”

In the neighbourhood

Built in 2017, the home is in the prestigious Queen Charlotte Heights subdivision, a quiet, scenic hillside above the main harbour on the east side of Bowen Island. It’s a quick 20-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.

Amenities such as grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacy, a new medical centre, and community centre are all in Snug Cove, less than a five-minute drive away.

Private and public schools are nearby, as are a marina and the Bowen Island Golf Club. Plenty of parks, including Crippen Regional Park, Cates Hill Nature Park, and Singing Woods Nature Reserve are a short drive away.

Since Bowen is an island just 12 km long and six km wide with 37 km of coastline, there are, of course, many beaches within a short drive, including Sandy Beach and Pebbly Beach near Snug Cove. September Morn Beach, a popular spot for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding, is just a 20-minute walk away from the property.

Location: 800 Taylor Road, Bowen Island

Listed for: $3,195,000

Year built: 2017

Type: Four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms

Size: 5,349 square feet

Realtor: Listed by Barry Thomas, Macdonald Realty, West Vancouver

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In Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, just off Commercial Drive, a striking new residential building now stands where an older apartment block was destroyed by fire in 2017. The earlier building burned down around Christmas, displacing dozens of families and leaving many without their possessions. What has risen in its place is not just larger and newer, but more thoughtful in every way. The Chief Leonard George Building is a nine-storey project designed as Canada’s first mixed-use, tall mass-timber passive house building.

Designed for comfort

Achim Charisius, associate principal at GBL Architects and lead designer on the project, has been involved from rezoning to occupancy. From day one, the intention was not simply to replace what had been lost but to create a culturally meaningful building.

Charisius says the aim was for the building to feel safe, grounded and welcoming for the people returning to the site. This idea is carried by the building’s passive house design.

“Passive House (certification) originally was a comfort standard. It’s a very, very high air quality,” he says.

This is part of what makes this project so appealing. The building feels calm and pleasant to live in.

“It’s amazing when you’re in a passive house, because you hardly know just the city around you,” he says.

A facade with meaning

The building’s facade is inspired by Coast Salish woven basketry, one of the oldest art forms on the Northwest Coast. It is an image with beauty and emotional weight.

“For generations, these cedar baskets have carried food, medicines and children. This building follows that teaching as a contemporary basket that holds families, culture and community in an urban setting,” says Charisius.

In total, this building provides 81 homes, including studio apartments and several three and four-bedroom units, a rarity in a city where family-sized apartments can be hard to find. There is a child care centre on the ground floor, a generous shared amenity space and views to the North Shore mountains and Vancouver Harbour. The architecture feels considered without ever feeling cold.

Shaped around family life

Brenda Knights is CEO of BC Indigenous Housing Society (BCIHS) and worked with GBL Architects to bring this building to life.

She recalls when the fire at this site happened and how difficult it was for many of the tenants. The holiday season is already a tricky time for a lot of people, but added to this, families had to evacuate, scramble to find housing in an already punishing market and deal with the loss of belongings.

“We’ve had the first tenants return to the building. They’re just so excited,” says Knights.

“We often use the basket as a metaphor for the weaving of generations in our families. The basket is also a metaphor for how we used to live together. Its symbolism is meaningful to our organization as we seek to bring back traditional ways of living together,” she says. That idea runs through the whole project, from the larger family units to the child care and shared spaces for cultural programming.

Knights feels there is real strength in having grandparents involved in raising grandkids, as it was for her own children.

“I just can’t say enough about that intergenerational living and how it sets kids up for success,” she says.

From loss to renewal

Knights gives the best plain-spoken endorsement of the building’s energy-smart design. “When I walked through the building now, it’s such a comfortable temperature, I’ve never felt too hot or too cold,” she says.

“We are pleased the architects were able to bring back a wonderful sense of community for tenants, and where families can thrive in a positive environment.”

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