As their business continues to expand, lululemon decided they have outgrown their current Store Support Centre and need to expand to achieve its growth plan. Located on Great Northern Way, two blocks from either the SkyTrain’s VCC-Clark Station or the future Millennium Line extension station at Thornton Street, the 210-ft-tall, 13-storey building at 1980 Foley Street will have a total floor area of 574,000 square feet. When the new Store Support Centre is completed, it will enable the multinational athletic clothing retailer to consolidate its existing four offices spread throughout the city. It will initially house 2,600 employees, with the capacity to expand to 3,700.

Project Essentials

  • LocationVancouver, BC
  • Clientlululemon athletica
  • ArchitectMorphosis Architects, Francl Architecture
  • Size574,122 ft² (53,338 m²)
  • Sustainable FeaturesLEED Platinum, Well Platinum, and Zero Carbon Certification compliance

The building massing changes through the height, creating stepped back terraces, sloping façades, and carved-out entry plazas. To create the organic shape of the structure, Fast + Epp developed a series of sloping concrete columns and both reinforced and post-tensioned concrete transfer structures are utilized.

A series of concrete cast-in-place planted façades project from the structural slab in the carved-out portions of the façade to create green spaces that also provide natural shading to the building. The brise-soleil skin, composed of interlocking shading fins, “float” above the framework on the sunniest faces. The glass walls concealing the fins remain visible, creating a stunning surface and shadow line interplay in the streetscape.