INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE
VANCOUVER, CANADA

This mixed-use hub provides an innovative mix of residential, commercial and public spaces in its 1.5 million square feet of building area designed by the architectural joint venture of which VIA was a member. 

The completion of Paris Place in 1994, created a vital new link from downtown to this sector of the city which had been in decline for several years.   VIA headed up the planning team that reformulated its original zoning plan to include more entertainment uses.   Anchored by the stabilising influence of its own residential population and park amenities, linked to the regional SkyTrain rapid Transit system, the village’s second phase, Europa, opened at the end of 1999.  This furthers the renaissance of this warehouse area as a key entertainment and retail destination in conjunction with the adjacent G.M.Place Arena, and promises to assist in the rejuvenation of the nearby Gastown and Chinatown Districts also.

The Keefer Steps development within International Village knits downtown Vancouver together with Chinatown and the False Creek basin by providing a layered series of urban gardens that follow the forty foot rise of the downtown escarpment. The first phase was built in 1994, connecting with the Stadium ALRT and the two commercial levels of Paris Place, providing public access and cafe gardens.