Oxford Properties Group (Oxford) and James K.M. Cheng Architects have officially opened The Stack at 1133 Melville Street.
The Stack is the first office tower to obtain certification under the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building – Design standard, and is also the first high-rise commercial tower in North America constructed to meet zero carbon standards. Ownership of The Stack is shared by Oxford and CPP Investments.
This 37-story, AAA-class office tower spans 550,000 square feet and boasts a premium location in downtown Vancouver. Its distinctive twisted, stacked box design by architect James K.M. Cheng adds to the city’s skyline.
The achievement of zero carbon status by The Stack also plays a crucial role in advancing the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia toward their shared goal of achieving zero carbon by 2030. The Stack’s attainment of this status is made possible through the incorporation of innovative features designed to reduce both carbon emissions and energy consumption. These features include low carbon building systems and a high-performance triple-pane glazing system.
The Stack also leverages smart building technology to offer insights into energy management, optimize building performance, and enable proactive maintenance. On-site renewable energy is generated through a rooftop photovoltaic solar panel array, producing an annual output of 26,000 kilowatt-hours.
“The Stack is leading the real estate industry to new levels of sustainability and reflects Oxford’s commitment to integrating ESG best practices throughout our assets,” commented Andrew O’Neil, Vice President of Development, Oxford Properties. “We’re incredibly proud to deliver a building that creates economic and social value for the city of Vancouver, and actively contributes to our partners and customers’ ESG goals. By being the first to achieve a Zero Carbon high rise office building, we can use the insights and learnings from this project across our portfolio and share best practices with the wider industry as we collectively tackle decarbonization as one of the most pressing issues of our times.”
The design of The Stack incorporates architectural features that prioritize employee comfort and health, such as operable windows that allow for natural ventilation, outdoor terraces and a landscaped pocket park, which includes a public art installation by Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.
To encourage active transportation and overall wellness, The Stack provides a 5,000-square-foot fitness center and accommodates 250 bike parking spaces. A 6,000-square-foot rooftop terrace is accessible to all tenants, providing unobstructed panoramic views from a height of 530 feet.
“With its architectural prominence, unrivalled suite of amenities and breathtaking views, The Stack redefines the workplace experience in Canada,” commented Ted Mildon, Vice President, Office Leasing and Operations at Oxford Properties. “We have long foreseen the evolution of the office from simply being the ‘production floor’ where employees congregated to complete tasks into a destination that creates employee engagement, and drives collaboration, learning and mentorship for high performing teams. We’re seeing in cities across the globe that providing employees with a high-quality workplace experience has been an integral part in successful ‘Return to Office’ programs for firms looking to unlock the benefits of in-person collaboration.”
“We have enjoyed enormous recent leasing success with The Stack, with the majority of the building’s leasing being secured over the past 12 months. This is further evidence of our ongoing conviction that high quality, highly sustainable office buildings in the best locations that are focused on the employee experience and wellness will continue to outperform.”
“In addition to the building’s achievements in sustainability and the workplace experience, we have also received a lot of compliments from our neighbours as to how well this project is fitting into the community, and how much they appreciate the Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun sculpture and the pocket park connecting to the existing network of mid-block passages and plazas,” said James K.M. Cheng, Principal, James K.M. Cheng Architects.