The Salt Building harkens back to the rich industrial past of sawmills, shipbuilding and steel fabrication that made up Vancouver’s historic working waterfront. Constructed in the 1930s, the building was originally a refinery for salt shipped from San Francisco to Vancouver. The aim of the adaptive reuse was to create a social hub for athletes competing at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games that would continue to perform a similar function for the emerging Olympic Village residential neighbourhood. The building was raised with steel pile extensions to align with the new surrounding street system. The original building was completely restored—most notably the network of heavy timber trusses—and the historic ‘Vancouver Salt Co. Ltd.’ sign was reconstructed from archival photos.