A former Canada Post hub in downtown Vancouver — now known as The Post — has been revitalized into a premier retail destination and Amazon tech hub. The reimagined structure includes the addition of two new towers on either side.Supplied/MCMP Architects/Graham Handford
The former site of Canada Post Corp.’s western hub in downtown Vancouver has been transformed into a high-rise tech hub for Amazon.com Inc., signalling the 21st century’s digital transformation.
Once proclaimed as Vancouver’s biggest building and the world’s largest welded-steel structure, the block-long property that’s home to The Post is a story of the city’s past, present and future.
“This building, which was once all about physical communication, is now about digital communication,” says Mark Thompson, partner at MCMP Architects, the project’s lead base-building firm. “It’s really a story about the change of our lives.”
With Canada’s office construction pipeline at a multiyear low, real estate firm Altus Group reports, and down by 80 per cent from its 2020 peak, Amazon’s investment in downtown Vancouver signals a positive harbinger both for the city and for other urban areas across the country.
Reimagining an architectural marvel
When the former five-storey Canada Post building opened at 349 West Georgia St., in 1958, local architect McCarter Nairne & Partners and the Federal Department of Public Works designed it international-style with straight lines of steel and concrete.
The site’s mail operations continued until 2013, when the federal government – the property’s previous owner – sold it to QuadReal Property Group, a Vancouver-based real estate firm. With QuadReal’s vision for the historic landmark, MCMP Architects was hired to help reimagine part of the structure for Amazon, the building’s main tenant.
The site’s adaptive reuse was not only intended to invigorate the structure as an architectural marvel – it was also meant to re-establish a bustling community and attract future investment in Vancouver, one of North America’s growing tech hubs.
“The Post is a place where downtown Vancouver comes together, preserving our past while being driven by our passion to invent for the future,” says Jesse Dougherty, vice-president of global networking at Amazon Web Services.
Building the future
As a protected heritage building, MCMP Architects worked with several consultants to preserve and incorporate as much of the former development as possible.
MCMP kept the original steel-framed structure, much of the granite and concrete cladding and the facade’s terra cotta panels. The podium that was part of the original building was also restored and reinforced to accommodate the two new office towers that now sit on top.
The centrepiece of the building’s reinvention is the 43,000-square-foot atrium within the original structure. Primarily located on the eighth floor and only accessible to Amazon employees, the atrium was designed to encourage innovation among workers through its light-filled, open-concept design. It features a café, a 200-person venue for corporate events and breakout areas for collaboration.
Designed by Vancouver-based PFS Studio, Amazon’s 10th-floor rooftop is its piece de resistance and includes a basketball court, barbecue, ping-pong table and off-leash dog run.
“Vancouver is a very young city, so there’s not a lot of heritage,” says Mr. Thompson. “That’s one reason why this building from the 1950s was seen as culturally and architecturally important.”
Amazon has leased all of The Post’s 1.13-million square feet of office space. While its north tower offices are on track to open in 2026, 4,500 employees currently work at the site’’s south tower.Supplied/Amazon
The Post’s public ground-floor retail concourse was leased to other businesses. Its reimagining now includes 300,000 square feet of retail and mixed-use space, with tenants such as Loblaw Companies Ltd., Deville Coffee and Body Energy Club.
With respect to the building’s artwork, much of the original pieces displayed in the former Canada Post location were refurbished and reinstalled in the current structure. A new 18-foot mural, resembling a pixelated postage stamp and featuring more than 200 reclaimed mailbox doors, was also commissioned as a nod to the property’s heritage.
“From the beginning, we were inspired by the vision of our partners at QuadReal and MCMP Architects and their passion for the building’s heritage redevelopment,” Mr. Dougherty says. “Personally, I love the little touches like the historical artifacts on display in our atrium’s Marketplace café area – like vintage post boxes and stamps.”
Decline in remote work
While the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in remote work, the trend has started to reverse as more companies call workers back to the office. In August, Statistics Canada reported the proportion of people mostly working from home was down to 17.4 per cent, declining for the fourth year in a row.
The dip in remote work has been echoed by Amazon, whose chief executive, Andy Jassy, announced in September, 2024, that the company would require employees to return to the office five days a week.
It’s also why it may not be surprising to learn that Amazon leased all of The Post’s 1.13-million square feet of office space. There are 4,500 employees in the site’s south tower daily, with the north tower scheduled to open in 2026.
“Amazon is committed to being part of the local community, and we’ve been present in downtown Vancouver since 2015,” says Mr. Dougherty. “The Post offers an exceptional place for our employees to collaborate and invent, and a welcoming, central location for the local community.”
In September, 2024, Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, announced the company would require employees to return to the office five days per week beginning January, 2025. The move represents a decline in remote work across Canada.Supplied/Amazon
Creating a thriving downtown community
When it came to the building’s adaptive reuse, Mr. Thompson says a major challenge was figuring out how to transform the unwelcoming, sterile structure into an inviting community. “The original Main Post Office building was designed to be secure and to keep people out rather than invite people in,” he says.
Amazon’s arrival and The Post building’s reimagination not only adds foot traffic to Vancouver’s downtown core, it also benefits locals and visitors with the addition of retail options.
“The Post building revitalization and Amazon’s investment here has knit this neighbourhood together and created better streets, better community connections – activated by the SkyTrain rapid transit nearby – and has also attracted a lot of other peripheral elements,” Mr. Thompson says.
Mr. Dougherty agrees, adding that Amazon brings thousands of people into downtown Vancouver almost daily.
“It’s kind of a passing of the torch, and Amazon is proud to help usher this iconic building into its next chapter.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article inaccurately named B+H Architects as the firm that designed Amazon's 10th-floor rooftop in Vancouver. The Vancouver-based firm PFS Studio designed this part of the building.