On September 29^th, the City of Vancouver, along with Non-Market Housing Development and Operations (NMHDO), BC Housing, Community Land Trust (CLT), QMUNITY, and Kindred Construction, celebrated the groundbreaking of 981 Davie project that will bring long needed affordable housing and community spaces to the heart of Vancouver’s Davie Village. 981 Davie symbolizes more than just housing, it will be a dedicated sanctuary for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, offering spaces where they can live authentically and express themselves freely. The development will feature a dedicated space managed by QMUNITY, who will provide essential programs, culturally safe gatherings, workshops, and educational events tailored for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, QMUNITY will collaborate with Sky Spirit Studio, an organization that liaises with Indigenous and Queer communities, to design an innovative and transformative project that will create visibly approachable and welcoming spaces for all members.

Once completed, 981 Davie will be one of the world’s tallest buildings that combines both passive house and mass timber construction, establishing a global standard while standing as Vancouver’s beacon of innovation and commitment to sustainable, affordable, and inclusive living. Kindred Construction is honoured to be working alongside NMHDO, BC Housing, CLT, ZGF Architects, Fast Epp, to bring this pioneering approach to multifamily residential construction to Vancouver.

The Marriage of Technology and Purpose

Spanning an expansive 161,050 square feet, 981 Davie will soar 17 storeys into the Vancouver skyline. It is a mixed-use development with ground level commercial retail, 15 storeys of affordable housing, and 2 levels of below grade parking. This project will deliver 154 units of affordable housing, 31 of which will be dedicated to individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. But it’s not just about numbers, it is about community. The building will also house the new QMUNITY space which will span both the ground and first floor, where they will provide community services to support 2SLGBTQIA+ people through counselling, educational workshops, peer-support, and community events. In addition to these, the building will also offer an array of indoor and outdoor amenities— lush inner podium, roof top courtyards, lively children’s play areas, and urban gardens— that have been mindfully designed to foster connection, well-being, and inclusivity.

Designed as a high-performance structure, 981 Davie will use a hybrid mass timber structural system including a concrete core, HSS posts and cross-laminated timber platform. It will also adhere to Passive House standards to deliver an airtight building with passive solar shading, efficient heating and cooling, and heat recovery ventilation. In addition to addressing important environmental concerns, these features, along with the technology and construction methods employed, will bring significant savings for the building’s residents, turning sustainable living from an ideal into a tangible reality.

These carefully considered construction choices result from an integrated design process that brought the primary design and construction partners together early in the design phase. This collaboration was instrumental in optimizing the pre-construction work, during which the team enhanced building and feature designs, conducted analyses on various emergent building technologies, such as prefabrication and mass timber to support effective Passive House strategies, and worked closely with manufacturers to plan the fulfillment and delivery of components, thereby creating construction efficiencies. This integrated design approach is crucial for developing efficient construction plans to deliver 981 Davie to the market as quickly and economically as possible.

Building Beyond Walls

At its essence, 981 Davie transcends the mere construct of a building; rather, it stands as a unifying symbol that blends the values of community, sustainability, innovation, and quality. Grounded in a profound sense of purpose, it is a testament to the potential that emerges when communities come together with a shared vision of acceptance, equality, and compassion towards each other and the environment. This will be our driving force as we embark on the construction phase of the 981 Davie journey.

November 29, 2023