Living Shangri-La, Modern skyscraper in Downtown Vancouver, Canada.
Living Shangri-La is a skyscraper in Downtown Vancouver with 62 floors above ground and 7 levels below, rising to 201 meters (660 feet). The structure combines glass and steel, housing a luxury hotel with 119 rooms on the lower floors and 307 residential units in the upper levels.
Construction started in 2005 and finished in January 2009, creating a major addition to the city's skyline. The project became part of Vancouver's downtown transformation during the 2000s and shaped the modern appearance of the area.
The name comes from the fictional Himalayan paradise in James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon, which gave the Shangri-La hotel chain its name. At street level the podium holds a public sculpture garden and a display space run by the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the 1919 Coastal Church at the west end of the site was restored as part of the development deal.
The tower stands at 1120 West Georgia Street, with condo entrances at 1128 West Georgia and 1111 Alberni. The podium holds an Urban Fare grocery store, a Vancouver Art Gallery display and a public sculpture garden; the Coastal Church at the site's west end was restored. A 595-space underground garage serves the complex.
The excavation reached 26 metres, deeper than the previous Vancouver record of 23 metres held by the One Wall Centre. The tower crane atop the unfinished structure was fitted with Christmas lights on 13 November 2007, making it the tallest illuminated crane in the city that year.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,127 contributors worldwide.
