[deasine]

New office tower to adjoin GM Place
Businesses hope location will help lure the best employees with Canucks perks
Bruce Constantineau

Sun

Saturday, August, 18, 2007


GM Place will soon be the site of a 22-storey office tower


GM Place owners plan to build a 22-storey office tower that will connect to the arena's northwest corner, Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership announced Friday.

A formal application has been submitted to the City of Vancouver for permission to build a 312,000-square-foot building designed by architect Peter Busby.

Busby said the building will become a signature Vancouver office tower because of its design and plans to make it among the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in North America.

Sustainable features will include using "energy synergies" between GM Place and the connecting office tower. Heating and cooling systems between the two buildings will work together so waste heat from one building will be used to heat the other.

Part of GM Place's underground parking, which is used mostly at night, will be used for the new office tower.

Vancouver Canucks chief executive officer Chris Zimmerman, who was uncertain about the project's cost and potential opening date, said the new building will enhance the fan experience by providing new amenities like restaurants and retail shops.

He noted office tower tenants will be able to walk from their lobby straight onto the concourse level of GM Place for hockey games or concerts.

"We always want to have more concourse space because it gives us the opportunity to create more food and beverage options," Zimmerman said in an interview. "It will allow for better flow throughout the arena."

He expects the new tower will attract a lot of potential new tenants who will enjoy the unique opportunity to be directly linked with an NHL venue.

"In a highly competitive job market, I think it gives the primary tenants some wonderful recruiting tools," Zimmerman said. "We'll be able to provide some unique benefits around utilization of the building, the ice surface and probably some inside access to certain team events. It will be a great way for companies to differentiate themselves."

He said the current high demand for Vancouver office space makes it an ideal time to build the new tower. The downtown Vancouver office space vacancy rate is currently at an all-time low of 3.5 per cent, according to CB Richard Ellis Ltd.

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Source: http://www.lestwarog.com/newsArticle-3599.html