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Beyond the Clouds: The Era of the Supertall in Western Canada

For decades, the Vancouver skyline was defined by a cautious approach to height, governed by a desire to preserve mountain views and avoid the “canyon effect” in the downtown core. Still, the tide is turning. The emergence of supertall proposals—buildings exceeding 1,000 feet—signals a fundamental shift in how the region envisions its urban identity.

The proposed redevelopment of the Hudson’s Bay parkade by Holborn Group is a prime example of this new ambition. By envisioning a hotel tower that rises more than 1,000 feet, the project aims to introduce the first technical supertall to Western Canada. This isn’t just about prestige. it’s about maximizing land value in one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets.

As the City of Vancouver revisits its Higher Buildings Policy—a framework first introduced in 1997—the conversation is moving beyond whether we should build higher, to where and how it should be done. The goal is to balance the economic drive for density with the livability of the street level.

The Polycentric Shift: Why Height is Moving to the Suburbs

One of the most striking trends in Metro Vancouver is the “suburbanization” of height. In a reversal of traditional urban patterns, the region’s tallest structures are no longer concentrated in the primary city centre. Instead, they are migrating toward transit-oriented hubs in Burnaby and Surrey.

Burnaby’s Brentwood and Metrotown districts have become the new frontiers for vertical growth. With the 708-ft.-tall Two Gilmore Place and the 755-ft.-tall Grand Tower, Burnaby has already overtaken downtown Vancouver in terms of peak height. Further proposals, including an 853-ft.-tall tower in Metrotown, suggest that these satellite cores are becoming secondary business hubs.

The Role of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

This shift is largely driven by the proximity to SkyTrain stations. By concentrating massive density around transit nodes, the region can limit urban sprawl although providing thousands of residents with car-free lifestyles. We observe this reflected in Surrey City Centre, where plans for a 754-ft.-tall office and institutional tower are designed to leverage the connectivity of the Surrey Central Station.

This trend creates a “polycentric” metropolitan area—a city of multiple cores rather than one single heart. This reduces pressure on the downtown peninsula and distributes economic opportunity across the region.

Trading Height for Housing: The New Social Contract

Modern urban planning is increasingly based on a system of trade-offs. To secure the right to build beyond standard height limits, developers are now expected to provide significant “public benefits.” What we have is essentially a social contract: the city grants additional vertical space in exchange for community infrastructure.

The Holborn Group proposal illustrates this trend perfectly. In exchange for the ability to build their supertall towers, the developer has offered the construction of a new 38-storey social housing tower gifted to the municipal government. This allows the city to acquire critical affordable housing without utilizing direct taxpayer funds.

Beyond housing, these benefits often include:

• Public plazas and green spaces to offset the density.
• Cultural venues and First Nations art galleries.
• Transportation infrastructure improvements to handle increased foot traffic.

The Engineering Challenge: Wind, Weight, and View Cones

Building higher isn’t as simple as adding more floors. As towers climb toward the 1,000-foot mark, they encounter exponential increases in engineering complexity. Structural costs rise sharply, and the “wind tunnel” effect at the street level becomes a serious safety and comfort concern for pedestrians.

Vancouver faces a unique constraint: the protected mountain view cones. These regulations ensure that the city’s iconic backdrop remains visible from key vantage points. While the city is open to rethinking its Higher Buildings Policy, these view cones generally remain a “hard line” that developers cannot cross, forcing architects to get creative with “slender” designs or strategic placements.

The future of the skyline will likely be a mix of these slender, high-efficiency towers and mixed-use “vertical villages” that combine hotel, residential, and office spaces in a single structure, as seen in the 650-ft.-tall proposal for 601 Beach Crescent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the tallest building in Metro Vancouver?

Currently, the title belongs to Two Gilmore Place in Burnaby, standing at 708 feet. However, this is expected to change as the 755-ft.-tall Grand Tower in Burnaby reaches completion.

What is a “supertall” building?

A supertall building is any skyscraper that reaches a height of 300 meters (approximately 984 feet) or more. Vancouver currently has no buildings of this height, though proposals are in the works.

Why is the City of Vancouver changing its height policies?

The city is updating its policies to reflect advancements in construction technology, population growth, and the need for more housing and public amenities in the downtown core.

Will new tall buildings block the mountain views?

Generally, no. The city maintains protected mountain view cones that limit the height of buildings in specific corridors to ensure the mountains remain visible.