TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK:945
TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2015 /CNW/ – Manulife Real Estate today announced the grand opening of 980 Howe Street. Construction on the 16-storey, 250,000 square foot, AAA office building in downtown Vancouver began in June 2013.
Located on the corner of Howe and Nelson Streets, 980 Howe is within walking distance of Vancouver’s iconic Robson Square, Vancouver Art Gallery and provincial law courts. 980 Howe is designed to achieve LEED® Gold Certification. The building features rain water harvesting, triple-paned windows for energy efficiency and electric vehicle charging stations.
Amenities at 980 Howe Street include a rooftop terrace and boardroom, fitness centre with end-of-trip facilities, conference facility, 200 underground parking spaces and 55 secured bicycle parking. 980 Howe features a unique public art installation by local artist Bill Pechet. This installation of back-lit dichroic glass on the exterior is the first of its kind in downtown Vancouver and allows art to be accessible not only by those who work and visit 980 Howe, but also those within sightlines to the building.
“Developing and acquiring high quality assets such as 980 Howe Street, in the cities in which we do business, is part of Manulife Real Estate’s growth strategy,” said Kevin Adolphe, President & Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Real Estate and President & Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Asset Management Private Markets. “We currently own more than 3.5 million square feet in the city of Vancouver and 60 million square feet globally. We are pleased to increase our presence here and look forward to continued growth in Vancouver and Western Canada.”
Manulife Real Estate partnered with CEI Architecture (Architect of Record), Endall Eillot (Design Architect), Ellis Don (Construction) and Pivotal (Project Manager) in the development and construction of 980 Howe.
Key office tenants of the building include BGC Engineering, ACL services and Jarvis McGee Rice Trial Lawyers and retail tenants Railtown Café and Freshii.
About Manulife Real Estate
Manulife Real Estate is the global real estate arm of Manulife with fully integrated in-house capabilities and 70 years of expertise as an active investor, owner, developer and asset manager of commercial real estate. Diversified by both geography and asset type, the portfolio consists primarily of prime office and industrial properties, as well as select retail and multi-family residential properties, in key metropolitan centers throughout Canada, Asia, and in the United states, through Manulife’s U.S. division, John Hancock. In addition to equity real estate, Manulife Real Estate manages the space requirements and own use facilities for Manulife’s operations around the world. Manulife Real Estate also extends the benefit of its long established real estate asset management expertise to external investors. As at September 30, 2015, the Manulife Real Estate portfolio totaled more than 62 million square feet with an AUM market value of C$ 19.6 billion (US$ 14.6 billion). Additional information about Manulife Real Estate can be found at www.manuliferealestate.com
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group providing forward-thinking solutions to help people with their big financial decisions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2014, we had 28,000 employees, 58,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving 20 million customers. At the end of September 2015, we had $888 billion (US$663 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $23 billion in benefits, interest and other payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under ‘945’ in Hong Kong. Follow Manulife on Twitter @ManulifeNews or visit www.manulife.com or www.johnhancock.com.
SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
Image with caption: “980 Howe features a unique public art installation by local artist Bill Pechet. This installation of back-lit dichroic glass on the exterior is the first of its kind in downtown Vancouver. (CNW Group/Manulife Financial Corporation)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151119_C9339_PHOTO_EN_44474.jpg
Image with caption: “Manulife Real Estate today announced the grand opening of 980 Howe Street. Construction on the 16-storey, 250,000 square foot, AAA office building in downtown Vancouver began in June 2013. (CNW Group/Manulife Financial Corporation)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151119_C9339_PHOTO_EN_44475.jpg
