A new downtown Vancouver luxury condominium tower is beginning to draw attention for its unconventional shape, as its construction progress is finally making it becoming easier to recognize its distinct architectural design.
The Fifteen Fifteen tower, often compared to a game of Jenga because of its stacked, offset floors, has reached a stage where its unique design features are now highly visible in its construction ascent.
After years of excavation, groundwork, and lower-level construction, several of the cantilevered protruding sections in the mid-section of the tower are now in place, giving passersby a clearer sense of what the building will eventually look like when complete.
Construction has now reached approximately the 30th floor on this 436-ft-tall, 42-storey building.
From a distance, the building’s irregular profile stands out from the more uniform high-rise towers in the surrounding area.
February 2026 construction progress on the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Kenneth Chan)
February 2026 construction progress on the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Kenneth Chan)
February 2026 construction progress on the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Kenneth Chan)
The tower features a total of 202 upscale condominium homes, including 18 units that are “Observatory Residences” — units that are suspended within the cantilevered protruding forms. These unique residences feature 270 degrees of uninterrupted floor-to-ceiling views, made possible by exposed steel I-beams and diagonal bracing within the living spaces.
Previous listings put the starting price of the Observatory Residences at about $5.6 million, while other units in the building have been as much as over $15 million.
The project is designed by internationally renowned German architect Ole Scheeren. This Vancouver tower is Scheeren’s first North American residential building, and the only one in the world where he has designed both the interiors and exteriors.
Concept of the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Ole Scheeren/Bosa Properties)
Concept of the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Ole Scheeren/Bosa Properties)
Concept of the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Ole Scheeren/Bosa Properties)
Concept of the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Ole Scheeren/Bosa Properties)
Observatory Residences; concept of the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Ole Scheeren/Bosa Properties)
Fifteen Fifteen is located at 1515 Alberni St. (formerly addressed as 1500 West Georgia St.) at the southwest corner of the intersection of West Georgia Street and Nicola Street, right on the border of the West End and Coal Harbour neighbourhoods. It is being built on the footprint of the Crown Life Place complex, replacing a large water feature and single-storey pavilion retail building.
Fifteen Fifteen has been more than a decade in the making. As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized over the years, it was first proposed in 2015 as a 500-ft-tall, 51-storey tower, but was later shortened to its current height due to the municipal government’s height restrictions imposed at the time by the protected mountain view cones.
Pre-sales for the project launched in 2021, timed with the initial pandemic-induced spike in housing demand, a period that also saw low interest rates. Construction began in 2022, and the project is on target for a completion in 2027.
February 2026 construction progress on the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Kenneth Chan)
February 2026 construction progress on the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Kenneth Chan)
February 2026 construction progress on the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Kenneth Chan)
This project by Bosa Properties and Kingswood Properties is a continuation of downtown Vancouver’s pre-pandemic wave of upscale condominium towers with striking architectural designs.
So far, this group includes Vancouver House, The Butterfly, and Alberni by Kengo Kuma, which is located just across the street from Fifteen Fifteen.
Several other major projects have also been proposed or approved nearby along the Alberni Street corridor, with many of these projects delayed or stalled due to the prevailing weak market conditions. Some of these projects have also pivoted into rental housing with a simpler architectural design.
Concept of the Fifteen Fifteen tower. (Ole Scheeren/Bosa Properties)