Four -story vertical expansion by Sarah McLachlan Vancouver Music School Building

This two-story building in the 138 East 7th Avenue in Vancouvers Mount Pleasant District was later built as a bowling gasse and was later converted into a production facility.

In 2011, it was subjected to a renovation that converted it into the new constant home of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SOM), including interior equipment and improvements in the building sex, which replaced the East 7th Avenue brick facade with an expansive glass facade.

And now this building, which is now 64 years old, will see a four-story vertical expansion that increases the height of the existing building from a two-story structure from 43 feet to a six-story structure of 99 feet.

This four -story vertical expansion, which maintains and improves the existing two -story structure, is 100 percent office space, which increases the entire area of ​​the building from the existing 26,800 m² to around 91,000 square foot.

Previous illness in 2009 (before 2011 renovation work):

Existing condition:

Future condition:

While Som will return to the building after completing the building, the new office space does not serve as an expansion of the music school. The Wolverton Foundation-a non-profit organization that offers young musical educational opportunities that are in their lives according to obstacles has made Som available free of charge since 2011, including the full coverage of the basic rent and the maintenance of buildings.

In a new application for application, it is proposed that the income from the new office space will not only support the extended lifespan of the structure, but also the long -term financial viability of maintaining Som at the location.

From July 2024, the property has an estimated value of $ 18.8 million, including $ 18.66 million for the country and $ 143,000 for the structure.

In addition, some improvements are made for Som, including new joint amenities and a equipment area outdoors on the new building roof for the music school and the tenants of Büro- orchie a secondary entrance to the music school and an improved area of ​​the students, the collection/collection of students.

A large, illuminated sign that includes most of the length of the building facade shows the full name of the music school.

Existing condition:

Future condition:

The project is taken into account as part of the city of Broadway Plan, which intensify that the jobs in the protected mountain Pleasant Industrial Area and near the future stations of Skytrain Millennium Line Broadway extension of Skytrain. The off-road crossing of the Main Street, the East 7th Avenue and the Kingsway, is about four minutes on foot from the future train station of Skytrains future Mount Pleasant.

Such a considerable vertical expansion, which triples the number of soils of a building built over six decades ago, requires innovative technical solutions.

According to the application, the existing gravity framing structure consists of a concrete waffle plate system between the concrete bars and straps that pour specific columns directly. Such a design was common from the 1950s to 1970s and was praised for its ease and unique form.

In order to achieve the four-story addition, there will be basic and structural upgrades, including the installation of several new seismic shear walls.

“The proposed addition supports the concept of adaptive reuse in order to expand the usefulness and lifespan of the existing concrete building,” says the application.

“The design of the additional floors to the building reacts to the local, historical and emerging context of the location. The design, which is proposed for the location, will improve the urban environment and contribute to placemaking in this important part of Vancouver.”

The project is listed by the Pacific Investment Corporation with the inclusion of viable urban planning, the GWA architecture, the RJC -Engineering and the Connect landscape.

Som offers children and young people free music courses after school who are at risk and are faced with obstacles to access to traditional music programs.

When the recognized Vancouver singer Sarah McLachlan founded the music school in 2002, there were only 75 students. According to the most recent annual report of the charity, he will have over 1,000 students from 2023, with 79 percent financial obstacles and 53 percent being faced with “high social emotional needs”.

In 2023, Som delivered over 40,000 hours of lessons and more than 200 group classes and recorded a retention rate of over 80%, with most students staying with the program for a period of eight years.

Som also has satellite places on the Douglas College campus in downtown New Westminster, which was opened in November 2024 as a move of Surrey and in Edmonton.