A new 10-storey office building is now rising at the southeast corner of the intersection of Prior Street and Station Street in Vancouver, with construction on the project now reaching the concrete pour of the seventh-floor slab.
When construction first began on “Nexus” at 220 Prior Street in Summer 2022, local developer Keltic Development had reached an agreement with US-based global medical tech company Masimo to occupy the entirety of the building’s 100,000 sq ft of medical office space.
Masimo had plans to open a clinical research and product development hub in Vancouver, strategically located adjacent to the future St. Paul’s Hospital campus in the False Creek Flats.
However, it was announced today that Masimo had pulled out of the project as part of a “strategic shift in their global operations,” which no longer includes Vancouver in their expansion plans.
“We understand and respect Masimo’s decision to realign their business focus,” said Rachel Li Lei, managing director and CEO of Keltic Development, in a statement today.
Site of 220 Prior Street, Vancouver. (Avison Young)
Artistic rendering of Nexus at 220 Prior Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Keltic Development)
Keltic Development is still continuing with the project’s construction towards full completion, which is now anticipated for the third quarter of 2025.
Without Masimo as the sole tenant, they are pivoting to seeking “prospective purchasers and partners” who seek strategically located office space suitable for medical clinics and research facilities.
In addition to the premium AAA-class office space, this building also has space that can be used for creative/light industrial uses and ground-level retail/restaurant units. Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership is the project’s architectural design firm.
“Our commitment to delivering a state-of-the-art medical office facility remains unwavering. This development will offer unparalleled convenience for medical practitioners and patients, fostering seamless integration with the new St. Paul’s Hospital,” Lei continued.
Construction progress on Nexus at 220 Prior Street, as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on Nexus at 220 Prior Street, as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on Nexus at 220 Prior Street, as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Just to the southeast of Nexus, construction is progressing on the new St. Paul’s Hospital building, which will span 1.2 million sq ft of space across its 12 levels, including a new emergency room and a wide range of specialized and provincial-level clinics. Construction on the project topped out on the rooftop in Summer 2024.
Set for a completion and opening in 2027, the new $2.2 billion acute care hospital by Providence Health Care is about twice the size of the existing Burrard Street facility in the West End, which will close and undergo a major high-density, mixed-use redevelopment.
Later in 2025, Providence Health Care will begin construction on its new 12-storey Clinical Support and Research Centre building, which will have over 400,000 sq ft for research office and medical clinic space, such as specialty physician practices, to complement hospital care. This $638 million project incorporates a two-level enclosed skybridge that directly links the research centre building with the acute care hospital. Construction is expected to reach completion in 2028.
Future phases of the St. Paul’s Hospital campus include additional medical office space, hotel uses, and rental housing for hospital workers.
Construction progress on Nexus at 220 Prior Street (left) and the new St. Paul’s Hospital (right), as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on Nexus at 220 Prior Street (left) and the new St. Paul’s Hospital (right), as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
Construction progress on the new St. Paul’s Hospital, as of January 27, 2025. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
2021 rendering showing the final design of the new St. Paul’s Hospital. (Providence Health Care)
Artistic rendering of the Clinical Support and Research Centre Building at the future St. Paul’s Hospital campus in the False Creek Flats. (Providence Health Care)
Just to the east of Nexus and north of the future emergency department entrance of the hospital, Strand Development has plans to achieve “Prior Place” — a two-tower, 14-storey, mixed-use complex at 456-496 Prior Street with about 300 secured purpose-built market rental homes, 228,000 sq ft of office space (including 109,000 sq ft of general office uses and 119,000 sq ft of medical office uses), and about 23,000 sq ft of ground-level retail, restaurant, and cultural spaces.
In December 2024, GWL Realty Advisors announced its decision to pivot its project at 1220 Station Street — immediately south of Pacific Central Station — into two mixed-use towers up to 28 storeys with about 400 secured purpose-built rental homes, a possible grocery store, and some office space for medical or laboratory uses. Previously, there were plans to build a 13-storey office tower with 270,000 sq ft of AAA-class office space, but the project encountered issues with finding tenants.
Upon full buildout, the Providence Health Care-owned campus of the hospital, medical office and research facilities, and commercial uses could employ up to 10,000 people on-site. Vancouver’s Chinatown district, situated just north of the campus, could see an economic boost from the high concentration of employment and activity.
Artistic rendering of Prior Place and the new St. Paul’s Hospital. (Strand Development)
December 2024 concept for mixed-use rental housing towers at 1220 Station Street, Vancouver. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/GWL Realty Advisors)