The City of Vancouver opened a cultural hub in the downtown South area that is also the tallest certified commercial Passive House development in Canada. 221A Artist Society External will operate the 21,000-square-foot space as a shared artist production, presentation, and administrative facility for more than 40 artists and non-profit organizations.

825 Pacific is a seven-storey facility that includes 26 non-market artist studios and co-working spaces, along with 221A’s headquarters, a research library, and an event space. Among the new tenants will be the inaugural recipients of the 221A Fellowship Program External Program.

The Passive House design makes the interior environment very quiet and comfortable and greatly reducing its operating energy costs. The all-electric building also doesn’t use any fossil fuels and will produce nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions during its lifespan. To advance Vancouver’s sustainability goals, all new city-owned buildings must be certified to the Passive House standard.

“We recognize that the most critical challenge facing arts and culture in Vancouver, and globally, is affordability of space,” said Mayor Ken Sim. “Enabling partners to build affordable, accessible, and sustainable long-term arts and cultural spaces is one of Vancouver’s key cultural objectives and helps to support a vibrant arts sector which is vital to our city’s identity, quality of life and economic prosperity.”

825 Pacific is the result of a $15.7 million Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) by Grosvenor Americas. 221A completed the $2.5 million interior fit-out of the building funded primarily through support from the City of Vancouver Cultural Spaces Grant Program, the BC Arts Council, the province of British Columbia, Canadian Heritage, and the Community, Culture, and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of Infrastructure Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

The location will complement other cultural venues in the area including Howe Street Studios, The Cinematheque, Cineworks, Canadian Music Centre, The Dance Centre, Orpheum, VSO School of Music, Contemporary Art Gallery and the Vancouver International Film Centre. It will also serve as a connection to the Granville entertainment district and the Cultural Precinct.

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