Vancouver, Canada / Sep 4, 2025
Büro Ole Scheeren has unveiled new photography of its inaugural North American project, Fifteen Fifteen by Ole Scheeren, as the tower reached a significant milestone with the successful lift of its first cantilever.
This entailed the on-site assembly of the structural steel components, followed by their lift into final position. Developed by Bosa Properties and Kingswood Properties, the 42-storey residential tower introduces a sculptural form to Vancouver’s skyline, defined by bold cantilevers that project outward from the tower creating panoramic views of the city.
The project’s global significance was recently underscored when Fifteen Fifteen by Ole Scheeren was named winner of the 2025 International Architecture Award, in the Multi-Family Housing category, celebrating its design excellence. The distinction places the project among a select group of groundbreaking international developments shaping the future of urban living.
Comprising 186 condominiums that range from studios to three-bedroom homes, the design introduces a new concept of high-rise living, combining both horizontal and vertical modules within a slender tower. Among its most striking features are 18 cantilevered apartments, known as Observatory Residences, that offer residents a breathtaking sensation of floating above the city and 270-degree panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.
Ole Scheeren approached the design with a holistic vision of architecture, designing all aspects across its 186 residences and communal spaces. A recurring palette of natural materials, colours, and textures establishes a sense of coherence and continuity, seamlessly connecting the building’s elegant interiors with its distinctive architectural identity.
“The sculptural design challenges conventional notions of sky-rise living, dissolving the boundaries of interior and exterior, between private living and surrounding cityscape,” said Ole Scheeren. “The cantilevers frame Vancouver’s characteristic waterfronts while creating a distinctive silhouette that engages the city beyond the residents themselves.”
By minimising the tower’s footprint through the vertical offsetting of modules, the design liberates the ground plane to create a generous public plaza. Anchoring the plaza in its historical context, Ole Scheeren preserves and augments the existing iconic water cascade while inviting new forms of community engagement. A network of pedestrian pathways weaves through the landscape, generating a permeable and accessible urban zone.
Located in one of Vancouver’s most prominent positions between downtown and Stanley Park, Fifteen Fifteen by Ole Scheeren marks a pivotal urban moment where the city’s grid transitions from the West End to the diagonal of West Pender Street, serving as an architectural gateway into Coal Harbour and the downtown centre.
With construction progressing steadily, Fifteen Fifteen by Ole Scheeren is set to become a defining landmark in Vancouver’s skyline upon its anticipated completion in late 2027.
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