henriquez-partners_georgiaabbott_hotel-seymour vancouver

Holborn Submits Plans For Vancouver’s 3 Tallest Towers, Including A Supertall Hotel


Big things are coming to downtown Vancouver, and this time they’re reaching record heights.

Source: Storeys
Holborn Group has officially submitted rezoning applications for three massive tower sites across downtown, including what would become the three tallest buildings in Vancouver, with one of them qualifying as a “supertall,” the first in British Columbia.

The Vancouver-based developer, which operates as the local arm of Malaysia’s TA Global, first introduced the idea in May. Now the full details are public, outlining an ambitious multi-site proposal that combines homes, hotel suites, public plazas, and Indigenous art.

Altogether, the four planned towers, spread across three sites, would bring 1,939 new homes, 920 hotel suites, and over 70,000 square feet of conference space. The design, by Henriquez Partners Architects, is inspired by the rare glass sea sponge reefs found in the Pacific Northwest.

 501 W Georgia Street (1), 595 W Georgia Street (2), and 388 Abbott Street (3) in downtown Vancouver. / Henriquez Partners Architects, Holborn Group

“This project is designed not only to meet today’s challenges, but to inspire future generations,”

said Holborn president Joo Kim Tiah when the proposal was first announced.

 A rendering of the three-level observation deck and restaurant at the top of the 68-storey hotel planned for 595 W Georgia Street. / Henriquez Partners Architects, Holborn Group

Site 1: 501 West Georgia Street

The largest site covers an entire downtown block along Richards Street between Dunsmuir and West Georgia. It currently includes several commercial buildings, a large parkade, and two vacant lots. One of them previously held a heritage structure that was demolished earlier this year after being declared unsafe.
Holborn plans to replace the block with two residential towers, one 63 storeys (783 feet) and the other 79 storeys (889 feet). Both would sit above a three-storey podium. For comparison, the current tallest building in Vancouver, the Shangri-La, stands at 659 feet.
Between the two towers, the site would deliver:

  • 1,288 strata units
  • 273 rental units
  • A 17,000-square-foot public plaza at Seymour and Georgia with a restaurant pavilion and an underground SkyTrain connection to Granville Station

In total, 1,561 homes are proposed, most of them one-bedroom units. There are no studios planned, and the project includes 870 underground parking spaces across nine levels.

Site 2: 595 West Georgia Street

Across the street, at Seymour between Dunsmuir and Georgia, Holborn is proposing a 68-storey hotel tower that would reach 1,034 feet in height. That would make it the tallest building in British Columbia and Vancouver’s first “supertall.”
The building would include:

  • 920 hotel suites (680 short-stay and 240 long-stay)
  • An eight-storey podium with restaurants, café/bar, and 70,000 square feet of conference facilities
  • A publicly accessible rooftop conservatory and observation deck with free entry

The design features 14 elevators arranged in a stacked-shaft system for efficiency. The tower will also include a tuned mass damper, a pendulum-like device that stabilizes the structure during wind and seismic activity.

A rendering of the public plaza at the corner of Seymour Street and W Georgia Street (left) and the retained heritage Randall Building (right). / Henriquez Partners Architects, Holborn Group

Site 3: 388 Abbott Street

A few blocks east, at Abbott and Hastings, Holborn plans to transform a surface parking lot into a 38-storey social housing tower with 378 homes.
This building will be donated entirely to the City of Vancouver as the project’s community amenity contribution, the largest single social housing donation in city history according to Holborn.
Plans include:

  • 112 studio, 112 one-bedroom, 126 two-bedroom, and 28 three-bedroom units
  • An Indigenous art gallery (5,900 sq. ft.)
  • A 37-space childcare centre (6,900 sq. ft.)
  • Three artist-in-residence homes
 A rendering of the 38-storey social housing tower planned for 388 Abbott Street in Vancouver. / Henriquez Partners Architects, Holborn Group

A Massive Undertaking With A Complicated History

Because all three sites are tied together through design and public benefits, the City of Vancouver is reviewing their rezoning applications at the same time. The public Q&A period will run from November 19 to December 2.

However, Holborn’s track record could raise questions. The company has previously faced criticism for delays in delivering social housing at the Little Mountain redevelopment and for neglecting the heritage building at 500 Dunsmuir Street, which was eventually demolished. The city even explored potential legal action that could affect this new proposal.

Whether this marks a new chapter for the developer or reignites public frustration remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: if approved, this project would dramatically reshape Vancouver’s skyline for decades to come.


To read more local news and updates, please check our BLOG PAGE
To view Geoff Jarman’s Listings, CLICK HERE