The Smithe offers stylish living in the heart of downtown

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By Kathleen Freimond

Excited by its first downtown Vancouver project, Boffo Developments has defined a new neighbourhood – the arts and events district – to better describe the location of its 27-storey highrise, The Smithe.
“It’s a great location on the edge of Yaletown – we’ve coined it the arts and events district,” says Boffo’s director of marketing and sales, Karen West. “There are so many art galleries, fine-dining restaurants and theatres, The Orpheum, the Queen Elizabeth, the Vogue, Vancouver Playhouse, Rogers Arena and BC Place. It’s great for the downsizer enjoying a night out at the symphony, starting or ending with a meal at one of the restaurants,” she says.
The Smithe will be built on a sloped 15,000-square-foot site at Smithe and Cambie streets. The development includes retail space at the ground level, three floors of office and commercial space, and 23 storeys of residential space comprising 94 two-and three-bedroom homes ranging from 1,000 to 1,429 square feet (excluding the larger penthouses). Balconies range from 80 to 170 square feet.
“We wanted the units to benefit from the great views and access to daylight,” says architect Andrew Emmerson of GBL Architects. “We designed from the inside out knowing that we wanted to open up access to light and amenities.” he says.
While the condensed site could not accommodate a typical “tower and podium” design, GBL came up with a creative solution to maximize outdoor space.
“Above the commercial levels, we undercut the tower on the south/southwest edge of site and opened up 2,500 square feet of usable outdoor space and amenities. This outdoor area opens up to indoor amenities where a communal kitchen and dining area gives residents the opportunity to host social events,” says Emmerson.
The more than 4,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities include a fully equipped fitness space, a lounge and media room, barbecue, children’s play area and raised planters for green-thumb residents.

While City of Vancouver rezoning bylaws require multi-family buildings be designed to LEED Gold standards, Emmerson views those criteria as a minimum.
“Over 50 per cent of the building envelope will be insulated wall, maximizing the intake of natural light without creating a series of units that perform poorly from a thermal efficiency perspective,” he says. “Opportunities for view exposure and passive ventilation have been carefully integrated into every unit, with 80 per cent of typical tower level units benefiting from corner orientation,” he says.
At the sales centre at 1035 Seymour Street, the display suite’s entry door – solid rift-cut white oak with custom chrome inlay – is the first sign of the attention to detail that is evident throughout the units’ sophisticated and classic interior designed by Scott Trepp of Trepp Interior Design. Trepp created two palettes for buyers to choose from, Walnut and Palisander.
The warm hues of the 24-by 24-inch umbra marble floor tiles and the walnut cabinets set the tone for the two-bedroom three-bathroom show suite. The Palisander palette features striking graphite marble floors and rosewood-like feature cabinetry.

The Caesarstone quartz countertop and backsplash and the gleaming Dornbracht faucet establish an elegant ambience in the kitchen. Custom Binova cabinetry, imported from Italy, features honed white-lacquer door fronts and integrated panels that contrast against the walnut finish on the upper cabinets and the drawers in the island.
“The walnut on the cabinets is all book-matched: it’s a very time-consuming and meticulous process, you don’t often see this design feature in multi-family homes,” says West, who points out thoughtful details like the stainless steel trim on the top edge of all the kitchen cabinet doors, to protect them from moisture.
The quartz countertop on the island extends to a waterfall edge on both ends and three bar stools easily tuck under the generous overhang. Along with wide drawers featuring motion-sensing LED lighting, the large island also accommodates a wine cooler.
A full-height pantry with pull-out shelves and mechanisms to more easily open the upper cabinet doors maximizes space in the large kitchen. The integrated hoodfan, under-mount stainless steel sink, Asko dishwasher and convenient storage containers for recyclables all contribute to the practical aspects of the space, while high-end appliances emphasize its modern presentation. The major appliance package includes a Wolf cooktop and wall oven plus a 36-inch Sub-Zero refrigerator with two freezer drawers.
The homes are all air conditioned and the Savant smart home automation system is a standard feature. The Savant enables wireless communication and the app lets users control a range of devices, including the TV, sound systems and lighting. The Nest Thermostat integrates with the Savant system, making it easy to remotely set a comfortable temperature in the condos.
Heated floors, floating vanities with back-lit mirrors and wall-mounted Dornbracht fixtures enhance the hotel-style design of the bathrooms where the frameless glass shower enclosure has a flush-set stone slab base with a linear drain.
While each unit comes with the standard one parking spot (larger units have the option to buy a second bay), it is perhaps the cycle-friendly aspects – like a dedicated elevator for cyclists and their bikes – that will differentiate The Smithe. Each condo is allocated bike storage and the developer worked with HUB Cycling, a non-profit special interest group that works to promote cycling, to include a workshop with the tools and resources to maintain the two-wheelers.
Construction is scheduled to start later this year with completion slated for 2020.
The Smithe
Project address: 885 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Developer: Boffo Developments
Architect: GBL Architects
Interior designer: Trepp Design Inc.
Project size: 27-storey highrise; two- and three-bedroom homes
Unit size: 1,000 – 1,429 square feet (not including penthouses)
Price: $1.2 million+
Sales centre: 1035 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Sales centre hours: noon — 6 p.m.
Sales centre phone: 604-689-7003
Website: www.TheSmithe.ca
 
Photography by Raef Grohne
Original article: Vancouver Sun
Read original article here.