Jameson House is the first mixed-use residential building in North America designed by architecture and design firm, Foster and Partners. The architects are bringing their signature vision to Vancouver, championing sustainable design with the innovative mix of retail, office and residential spaces. The 37-storey glass tower is located in the heart of downtown's heritage district at 838 West Hastings Street. Construction of the project will begin in Summer of 2006 with a scheduled completion date of Fall 2009.

Jameson House - click to enlarge

Foster and Partners is currently working on Beijing's new airport, the largest terminal in the world and the second World Trade Centre Tower in New York. Past projects include Swiss Re's London Headquarters; the new German Parliament, Reichstag, Berlin; Research Centres for Stanford University, California; Hearst Headquarters, New York; and HSBC Headquarters, Hong Kong.

"Jameson House is a powerful distillation of a number of Foster and Partners' key themes that have evolved over many years. It is a historic building that has required a sensitive response to Vancouver's heritage district," said Nigel Dancey, Senior Partner at Foster and Partners. “It is also mixed-use, providing high-density accommodation in the downtown area, and a more sustainable strategy for the future of the city. Finally, it is a high quality residential development, which maximizes views to the waterfront. These factors combine to make this project an exciting articulation of our design philosophy as well as a model for contemporary urban living."

Sir Norman Foster

Foster and Partners is the building's lead architect and on this rare occasion Foster and Partners is also the interior designer. Jameson House is the first residential tower in the world with the Foster designed ‘Place' kitchen designed for Dada in Italy featuring a modern, custom built kitchen including illuminated backsplash and a cantilevered island countertop which may be lowered or raised for bar seating or dining seating. In addition, Foster and Partners is working in collaboration with Vancouver architect, Walter Francl, and heritage consultant and architect, Robert Lemon to design a landmark building that will be a benchmark for future developments.

The building's unique curved shape is designed to complement the surroundings, sustainable performance and urban living concept. Jameson House will include the restoration of the 1921 Ceperley Rounsfell Building and the retention of the façade of the Royal Financial Building. The vision for designing this landmark building has been to refer to the historic setting, where the old inspires the new, and the new enriches the old.

Jameson House will be home to North America's first fully automated non-pallet car park. The computerized parking system has been proven for over forty years in European countries including Germany, Switzerland and Italy and will now be introduced in Canada. To park a car, users pull into the secure transfer station, lock the vehicle and with the swipe of a card activate the system. Then a mechanized shuttle will quickly and safely park the car in the underground parkade. The valet of the future is convenient by saving both space and time while increasing security for the owner and vehicle. When the owner is ready to depart, it will take an estimated 90 seconds to retrieve the car.

Jameson House will feature a total of 131 residences on floors 14 through 37. Residences range in size from 600 to 3,551 square feet. While the development's limited edition “O" residences on floors 14 to 20 offer curvaceous organic interiors and signature finishes at approximately 900 to 970 square feet. The penthouses located on the two top floors boast spectacular harbour and city views.

Jameson House is designed to exceed the aspirations of LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a hallmark for sustainable design excellence around the globe. Sustainable materials have been specified for the construction of the project as well as a waste-and-energy-conscious approach to construction and site management. Mixed-use is fast becoming an international standard, as the benefits become more widely acknowledged with Jameson House and Foster and Partners at the forefront.