Details unveiled about plans for Vancouver’s tallest residential tower

As a lad growing up in England, Tom Wright fancied someday becoming a soldier.

“But my father decided that instead of me joining the army, which is what I wanted to do, he said, ‘Don’t destroy buildings, put some buildings up.’”

The next Wright-designed building to go up, Downtown Vancouver’s CURV, is the British architect’s first in North America. He may be most famous for his design of the “seven-star” dhow inspired Burj al Arab in Dubai, but it’s the CURV he likes most to talk about, he says.

Construction begins next year at Nelson and Thurlow streets, with a projected completion date in 2029. When built, the CURV, at 60 storeys, will be the tallest passive house in the world and the tallest residential tower in Vancouver.

It’s also the first building project in Vancouver for Montreal-based developer Brivia.