Project Profile: The Vancouver Post

The Original Downtown Vancouver Post office, circa 1960. Credit: Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia

LOCATION: Downtown Vancouver, BC

COMPLETION: Ongoing

SIGNATURE SOLUTION: FutureCast Active on Conventional and Inverted Roof, Digiscan 360

INDUSTRY: Office Space

Details:

The Vancouver Post has a long history of hosting Vancouver’s mailing needs. First opened in 1958, the Post acted as the main regional processing facility for the city of Vancouver, and has remained to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in British Columbia. As the city has changed over the years, the Post had to be updated to fulfill the needs of Vancouver. That need comes from tech giant Amazon wishing to expand their headquarters into Vancouver, utilizing the building to increase operations in Western Canada.

Construction began in fall of 2018, and is expected to be completed in phases from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023. After completion, Amazon has committed to hiring 6,000 Vancouverites to work in this new space, boosting our job market and creating opportunities for locals. In the new spaces, the Post will be home to other retailers such as Loblaws City Market and multiple food and beverage vendors; everything one needs for a productive work day or stroll through the buzzing neighbourhood.

This development is particularly significant, as a large portion of the original post facility such as the façade and existing structure will be kept and integrated into the new design. This not only protects Vancouver's heritage, but will also save carbon emissions from not having to create all new materials.

Rendering of The Post once completed. Credit: Quadreal.com

During construction, SMT was engaged to scan the roof's waterproofing membrane with our signature Digiscan. By providing this service we were able to verify the roof's quality at the time of construction; identifying construction damage, allowing it to be repaired before overburden was installed. This helps mitigate the risk of repair work and costly leak investigations in the new build.

However, we often see leaks show up in a roof weeks, months or years after construction is completed, which is why SMT installed our signature FutureCast Active monitoring system; to ensure the Post stays protected from leaks well after construction has been completed.

Using Active monitoring is especially beneficial for this project as there will be a lot of inhabitants in this building at any given time, and with a heritage building such as this one, it's crucial we use all available technology to preserve the integrity of the structure. As the building ages, our permanently installed system will continue to monitor the roofs for leaks, allowing proactive and targeted repairs so we can enjoy the Post for fifty more years.

Construction is ongoing, so be sure to check back for more updates!