First Church of the Nazarene
Vancouver, BC
Concept design complete 2018
The First Church of the Nazarene (TFCN) occupies a unique site just off the thoroughfare of Kingsway in Vancouver’s Kensington Cedar-Cottage Neighbourhood. It is caught between the higher density development of the arterial and the smaller scale neighbourhood to the south.
The Church has long been an important part of the local community and wants to remain an urban church - one that’s actively engaged with its neighbourhood by providing much needed services and space, including a chapel, kitchen, and classrooms. Most importantly, the church also wanted to use this redevelopment opportunity to provide much needed rental housing, particularly for seniors and families, without surrendering control of the project to a for-profit developer.
Our team has provided specific support to TFCN, including sourcing external expertise where necessary, evaluating feasibility, navigating the evolving housing policy of the City of Vancouver, and assisting the Church in finding a values-aligned development partner.
Early concept work has tackled the challenge of combining living units with a complex mixture of other uses, while also developing a clear identity for TFCN that’s visible along Kingsway. “Being a good neighbour” has been a strong driver for design decisions - affecting the many tangible and intangible impacts of the project on the larger community.