THE DUKE APARTMENT BUILDING DESIGNED FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION In recent years, the City of Vancouver has introduced new housing policies designed to address the current and future need for housing affordability and choice in the rapidly-evolving urban environment. The new policies allow strategically located sites to be rezoned to permit greater height and density, in exchange for developers committing to provide and operate rental housing for a period of 60 years or for the life of the building. The Duke responds to these challenges with a new rental building typology inspired by precedents from the United Kingdom. By Jim Taggart Completed in 2018, The Duke is a 15,263m2, 14-storey mixed-use development with 13 storeys of residential rental accommodation located above a single storey commercial podium. Of the 201 residential apartments, 50 are two-bedroom family units, 43 are onebedroom units and 108 are studios. At the time The Duke was being designed, the Rental 100 program did not allow for three-bedroom units. As a result of lobbying by both architect and developer, this policy has now been changed. To achieve economic viability as a rental development, the project had to achieve a relatively high density within the 14-storey height limit imposed by the City. It quickly became clear that the typical double-loaded corridor form of development set back from the lot lines could not realize the density required. (Article continues on page 18.)
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Commercial retail unit Residential entrance Rental residential units Residential terrace Building manager’s office Mailroom SABMag - WINTER 2019
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Elevators Stairs Parking access ramp below Loading bay Storage Service area