A major mixed-use project in Vancouver, British Columbia, is showing what it looks like when new vertical housing and heritage preservation share the same footprint. The Butterfly + First Baptist Church Complex rises 57 stories and spans about 605,000 square feet, combining a market residential tower, a seven-story affordable rental building, and the restored and expanded First Baptist Church campus.
For mason contractors, the most direct takeaway is the church scope. Completed in 1911 and recognized as a municipally designated heritage landmark, the Gothic Revival building underwent a conservation program that included extensive seismic upgrading, foundation work, restoration of heritage windows and masonry, accessibility improvements, modernization of building systems, and rehabilitation of significant interior spaces such as the Heritage Listed Sanctuary and Pinder Hall.
Pinder Hall, previously divided into two floors during an earlier renovation, was restored to its original double-height space. That work revealed historic timber columns, beams, and trusses, while reopening the room for performances, weddings, community gatherings, and other uses. The project team also emphasized a careful approach to preserving historic elements while integrating upgrades needed for contemporary use.
The larger development leans into natural ventilation and outdoor space through open-air sky gardens on every residential floor. Designers estimate those sky gardens contribute to roughly 400,000 kWh in annual energy savings and reduce tower energy use by more than 10% compared with conventional enclosed corridors. The project is also targeting LEED Gold, with stated goals that include cutting operational carbon by 68%, reducing energy use by 45%, and lowering energy costs by 25%.
On the heritage side, the listed trades point to the specialized labor that this kind of work demands. The heritage contract includes masonry restoration and replacement by Van den Kerkhof & Son Masonry, alongside window restoration and other preservation-focused scopes.
Read the full, original article from e-architect here.