A zero-emission future, built today.
Designing for density, daylight, and a decarbonized future—Focal on 3rd aligns with the City of Vancouver’s Zero Emission Building Plan, achieving significant energy savings and a complete transition away from fossil fuels.
Behind its striking massing lies a series of technical innovations:
🚗 A car elevator enabling full density on a narrow site
🌱 Green roof terraces that capture rainwater and offer shared outdoor space
⚡Full connection to the Neighborhood Energy Utility, eliminating fossil fuel reliance
Built using an off-site prefabricated curtain wall system, the terracotta façade supports circular design principles and reduces construction timelines while maintaining craft and precision.
This is urban progress made visible—and sustainable. What if every building strengthened the city it belonged to?
Photography by @georgevancouver
Form that follows context—and conversation.
Anchoring a visible corner in Mount Pleasant, Focal on 3rd responds to its surroundings with precision and intent.
Angled setbacks create a dynamic profile at the intersection, while vertical fins catch shifting light throughout the day—turning a narrow urban lot into an architectural landmark.
Terracotta cladding references a 1912 heritage building across the street, drawing from Mount Pleasant’s industrial past to inform a contemporary expression of materiality and form.
How can architecture honour history while shaping what’s next?
Focal on 3rd has received international recognition, winning the 2025 @architecturefoundationbc Architectural Award for Design Excellence in Commercial, two 2023 @architecturemasterprize Honourable Mentions in Commercial and Mixed Use Architecture, and two 2023 @loopdesignawards in Industrial and High-Rise Building categories.
Photography by @georgevancouver
WINNER: Design Excellence - Commercial
Congratulations to @ph5architecture for winning the Design Excellence Award in the Commercial category for their project "Focal on 3rd"
Focal on 3rd, a slim 8-storey, 30,000 square-foot building in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, represents the next evolution of urban industrial architecture. It retains light industrial use at grade, while upper floors offer flexible office space geared toward the digital entertainment and information technology sectors.
Photos by Graham Handford
We’re proud to share that Focal on 3rd has received the 2025 @architecturefoundationbc Architectural Award for Design Excellence (Commercial).
At eight storeys and 30,000 square feet, this hybrid industrial building redefines what density can look like on a narrow urban lot. Its prefabricated red terracotta façade and slim profile introduce a new typology for mixed-use development in Mount Pleasant—one that connects craft, context, and sustainability.
Congratulations to our team, collaborators, and clients who helped bring this forward-thinking project to life.
What happens when context and innovation share the same foundation?
Photography by @georgevancouver
Smart design starts with curiosity, not assumptions.
To reimagine Gastown, we:
📊 Mapped traffic + pedestrian flows
🧠 Brought together City staff, businesses + the Gastown BIA
📍 Observed how people already use the streets
The insight? Cordova could take more traffic—opening room for Water Street to evolve as a people-first, heritage-rich, multi-modal street.
Because when you listen, the city tells you how it wants to grow.
Pilot projects are where ideas meet asphalt.
This summer in Gastown, we saw:
🌳 Pedestrian-only moments at Maple Tree Square ☕ Patios reclaiming curb lanes 🎶 Water Street transforming for the Gastown Sunday Set car-free series—thanks to @mygastown
All made possible by one key design move: redirecting vehicles to Cordova. That simple shift gave Water Street freedom to flex—community one day, multi-modal the next.
Small steps, big proof: when you open space for people, they fill it.
What if every pilot was a glimpse of the future?
Cars don’t make memories. People do.
That was the heart of our Gastown Urban Design Study: designing streets around gathering, not gridlock. The study gave @mygastown tools to advocate for people-first streets in line with Vancouver’s Transportation 2040 Plan.
The vision? Shift traffic to Cordova, freeing Water Street to act as a multi-modal hub—pedestrian-friendly most days, flexible enough to close when the community comes together.
🛑 Calmer intersections
👟 Wider sidewalks
☕ Spaces for patios and people
🌿 Events like the Gastown Sunday Set car-free series.
If we can design flexibility into streets, what else becomes possible?
When space holds meaning, community flourishes.
The @burnabyalliance church annex was designed to be more than a building–it’s a hub for connection.
A sanctuary that becomes a gym. Gathering spaces that adapt. Permeable pavers that quietly manage stormwater. Every element supports the rhythms of a thriving congregation.
What does a space for community look like to you?
Design that anticipates what’s next.
The Burnaby Alliance Church Annex is more than meets the eye.
We reimagined constraints–integrating parking within the building’s form and using brick screens to transform a necessity into a bright, airy space.
It’s how thoughtful design turns today’s limits into tomorrow’s possibilities.
How do you design for what’s ahead?
Designing with purpose, from the ground up.
At @burnabyalliance church, every line, material, and space was considered through a holistic lens – balancing social needs, functional uses, technical demands, and sustainable choices.
The outcome is a monolithic brick annex that adapts to a growing congregation, with flexible spaces that move seamlessly from sanctuary to gymnasium.
Built for lasting impact. Shaped for community.
Challenges? We turn them into opportunities.
During the Cloverdale Library Renovation, we discovered the second floor couldn’t support the planned bookshelves. Our solution was a structural upgrade that stayed within budget while meeting the community’s needs.
The result: a library that’s safer, smarter, and ready for the future.
Transforming spaces, one thoughtful design at a time.
During the Cloverdale Library Renovation in Surrey, BC, we dug deep to understand the community’s needs – expanding the children’s area, creating a new teen study space, and improving accessibility for all.
From pre-design workshops to custom millwork, every detail was crafted to make this 12,000-square-foot space more functional and inviting.
What’s your favourite library memory?
