There are several modern buildings in the downtown area, including the Harbour Centre, the Vancouver Law Courts and surrounding plaza known as Robson Square (designed by Arthur Erickson) and the Vancouver Library Square (designed by Moshe Safdie and DA Architects), reminiscent of the Colosseum in Rome, and the recently completed Woodward’s building Redevelopment (designed by Henriquez Partners Architects).
A prominent addition to the city’s landscape is the giant tent-frame Canada Place (designed by Zeidler Roberts Partnership Partnership, MCMP & DA Architects), the former Canada Pavilion from the 1986 World Exposition, which includes part of the Convention Centre, the Pan-Pacific Hotel, and a cruise ship terminal. Two modern buildings that define the southern skyline away from the downtown area are City Hall and the Centennial Pavilion of Vancouver General Hospital, both designed by Townley and Matheson in 1936 and 1958, respectively.
A collection of Edwardian buildings in the city’s old downtown core were, in their day, the tallest commercial buildings in the British Empire. These were, in succession, the Carter-Cotton Building (former home of The Vancouver Province newspaper), the Dominion Building (1907) and the Sun Tower (1911), the former two at Cambie and Hastings Streets and the latter at Beatty and Pender Streets.
The Sun Tower’s cupola was finally exceeded as the Empire’s tallest commercial building by the elaborate Art Deco Marine Building in the 1920s. The Marine Building is known for its elaborate ceramic tile facings and brass-gilt doors and elevators, which make it a favourite location for movie shoots.
Topping the list of tallest buildings in Vancouver is Living Shangri-La at 201 metres (659 feet) and 62 storeys. The second-tallest building in Vancouver is the Trump International Hotel and Tower at 188 metres (617 feet), followed by the Private Residences at Hotel Georgia, at 156 metres (512 feet). The fourth-tallest is One Wall Centre at 150 metres (490 feet) and 48 storeys, followed closely by the Shaw Tower at 149 metres (489 feet).
| Country |  Canada |
|---|---|
| Province |  British Columbia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gregor Robertson (Vision Vancouver) |
| • City Council | |
| Area | |
| • City | 114.97 km2 (44.39 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,878.52 km2(1,111.40 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0–152 m (0–501 ft) |
| • City | 631,486 (8th) |
| • Urban | 2,264,823 |
| • Metro | 2,463,431 (3rd) |
Construction and architecture 