Living Shangri-La is a mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is the tallest building in the city and province. The 62-storey Shangri-La tower contains a 5-star hotel and its offices on the first 15 floors, with

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

apartment units occupying the rest of the tower. The building's podium complex also includes a spa,

Urban Fare Urban Fare is a supermarket chain located in British Columbia. It is a subsidiary of the Overwaitea Food Group, which, in turn, is owned by the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group. The chain has six locations, four located in downtown Vancouver an ...

specialty grocery store, a Vancouver Art Gallery public display, and a curated public sculpture garden. The high-rise stands tall and there is a private roof garden on floor 61. It is the 44th tallest building in Canada. As part of the development deal, the Coastal Church, built in 1919 and located at the west end of the site, underwent a $4.4million restoration.

Hotel

The Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver is a full-service hotel that is part of the building. It is a member of the

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts () is a multinational hospitality company. Founded in 1971 by tycoon Robert Kuok in Malaysia, the company now has over 100 luxury hotels and resorts with over 40,000 rooms in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East ...

chain, and is Shangri-La's first

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n property. The hotel occupies floors Ground to 15 with 119 rooms (including a presidential suite on the 15th floor). There is no 4th or 13th floor. The hotel includes 5-star services such as restaurants, shops, and Chi The Spa at Shangri-La.

Residences

Living Shangri-La also contains 307 residential units, consisting of 234 general

live-work Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

homes on floors 16 to 43 and 63 private access residential units on floors 44–60 with three penthouses on floor 61. The condominium units are accessible from the entrance at 1128 West Georgia Street and 1111 Alberni Street.

Construction

The project required 3.1million man-hours of employment, 15,000 truckloads of earth excavated, of concrete, and of reinforcing steel. During the height of construction activity, 1,000 workers were on site constructing one floor per week. The Shangri-La set Vancouver's record for the deepest excavation of , defeating the past record of set by the

One Wall Centre One Wall Centre, also known as the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre North Tower, is a 48-storey, skyscraper hotel with residential condominiums in the Wall Centre (Vancouver), Wall Centre development at 1088 Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver, B ...

, and it officially became the tallest building in Vancouver on October 2, 2007. The total cost of this building was near . The tower crane on top of the building was fitted with Christmas lights on November 13, 2007, and was the tallest crane illuminated in Vancouver in 2007. A windstorm on January 15, 2008, caused loose construction materials to blow off the building and into the streets below. Parked vehicles were damaged by falling plywood, but there were no injuries. The neighbouring Terasen Gas building also sustained damage in the storm. Police closed off West Georgia Street for over twelve hours. The development was marketed by

Bob Rennie Bob Rennie (born 1956) is an art collector and a real estate marketer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the founder and executive director oRennie which is one of Vancouver's largest real estate marketing firms. The company's business di ...

of Rennie Marketing Systems.

Cultural references

The building was featured in the 2010 film '' Tron: Legacy'' as the headquarters of the fictional company ENCOM International.

Gallery

File:Living Shangri-la.jpg, The Shangri-La Vancouver in the final stages of construction in 2008 File:Living Shangri-La Nov 09.jpg, Completed skyscraper in November 2009

References

External links

Official Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver WebsiteSkyscrapernews.com article on the Living Shangri-La Tower
{{Vancouver landmarks Skyscrapers in Vancouver Hotels in Vancouver Tourism in Vancouver Condo hotels in Canada Residential buildings completed in 2009 Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Residential skyscrapers in Canada Skyscraper hotels in Canada James K. M. Cheng buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Canada