Over the past few years, Vancouverites have seen changes aplenty on Georgia Street between Homer and Hamilton as the iconic former central post office undergoes a transformation into The Post.
The Post is an ambitious redevelopment of Canada Post's former Vancouver hub; the historic building, which occupies an entire city block, is being modernized and built up to include high-profile office and commercial space.
Now one of Canada's best-known Lego-certified masters, Graeme Dymond, has unveiled his impressive model of the building.
Dymond's 12-cubic-foot model not only offers us a unique and engaging "first look" at what features The Post will boast but also will be a permanent display for the building itself, starting early next year.
The Post is in its final stages of construction, and the first employees of anchor tenant Amazon are set to arrive for work in early 2023.
Some fast facts about Dymond's incredible model are that he used 25,000 bricks, comprised of over 200 kinds of pieces, for the construction. The Post's Lego model, which is 36 inches long, 26 inches wide, and 30 inches tall, also happens to feature 100 Lego people, aka minifigures, enjoying the property.
Here's what the model highlights, according to developer QuadReal:
- A rooftop dog run for the canine companions of Amazon employees, through its Dogs at Work program.
- The preservation of historical features, including the blue and terracotta tile façade, the relief sculpture of a postal worker and coats of arms, and original artwork.
- A central atrium, green spaces and outdoor plazas open to the public as gathering places for the local community.
Until it's installed permanently at The Post, the model will reside at Vancouver Tech Hub offices for Amazon employees to enjoy.
Other noteworthy aspects of The Post include its planned "food hall" offerings, headed up by Metro Vancouver's Joseph Richard Group.
Occupying 26,000 square feet of the 185,000 square foot retail footprint of The Post, the food hall will feature "a mix of full service, sit-down, table service and quick service restaurants which together will create an experience unique to Canada," according to developer QuadReal.
The food hall joins other food tenants moving into the development, like Deville Coffee and Buro The Espresso Bar, as well as The Post's anchor tenants, Loblaws City Market and Amazon.
While the development will be abuzz with modern bells and whistles, The Post will also feature many elements of its own past
Rebecca Catley, vice president of corporate communications for QuadReal Property Group, previously told the Vancouver Courier the two 5.8-metre cast-aluminum Arms of Canada by Pearson Iron Works will remain in their current location on the Georgia side of the building.
The 4.9-metre-tall bas-relief of the Postman that dates from 1956, which was on the Homer side of the building, will be reinstalled once construction is completed but it will be placed in a more prominent position on the Hamilton side, facing Queen Elizabeth Plaza.
A large interior painted mural by Orville Fisher depicting early methods of transportation, and the original mosaic tile mural of a woman and child by Paul Huba, will be reinstalled once the building is completed as well.
Catley said QuadReal also has the mailboxes from the interior of the building, which will be installed in common areas (the atrium) where the public will be able to see them.
Those features from the past will cozy up to contemporary elements of the modernized property, for which two new office towers of 21 and 22 storey apiece have been set atop the old Canada Post building’s existing central podium and welded-steel frame. That means 1.1 million square feet of office space; "Amazon will lease 18 floors in the building’s North Tower and 17 floors in its South Tower, as the sole corporate tenant," explains a media release. The Post is also on track to achieve LEED Gold Certification.
With files from Naiobh O'Connor
