Vancouver House is such a wonderful example of great city building. It’s an awkward site hugging the off ramps of the Granville Street bridge. It’s less than ideal.
And yet Westbank (developer) and Bjarke Ingels Group (architect) have turned it into something remarkable. The tower is incredibly unique, though it is not form for the sake of form. It is a direct result of the site’s setback constraints.
But perhaps more importantly, the project manages to activate the ground plane and underneath the off ramps through its architecture, a mix of uses (retail and office) and a giant chandelier.
So if you happen to find yourself in Vancouver, I would encourage you to visit the Beach District and do a walking tour of Vancouver House.
There’s also a great Italian restaurant in the base of the tower (Autostrada Osteria) that you should try once you’ve finished your tour.
https://youtu.be/RbQv4lyfbAE
Each year, the Serpentine Galleries in London commission a leading architect to design a new temporary summer pavilion in Kensington Gardens. The installation usually runs from June to October. Sometimes it then travels around the world, as was the case with Unzipped Toronto (Bjarke Ingels).
Now in its 20th year, the Serpentine Pavilion is a tradition that started in 2000 with a building by architect Zaha Hadid. (There was no pavilion last summer because of COVID.) And as I understand it, the commission is usually awarded to an architect who has not yet completed a building in England.
This year's pavilion will open to the public on June 11. Designed by Sumayya Vally of Counterspace, the pavilion is intended to be a "puzzle of many different [historic] elements." See video above. Vally also happens to be the youngest ever architect to be commissioned by the Serpentine Gallery.
Architecture tends to take a long time. The Serpentine Pavilion happens much faster and happens every year (when there isn't a pandemic). This strikes me as a very good thing for the world of architecture. I think we should do something similar -- but of course better -- here in Toronto.
Vancouver House is such a wonderful example of great city building. It’s an awkward site hugging the off ramps of the Granville Street bridge. It’s less than ideal.
And yet Westbank (developer) and Bjarke Ingels Group (architect) have turned it into something remarkable. The tower is incredibly unique, though it is not form for the sake of form. It is a direct result of the site’s setback constraints.
But perhaps more importantly, the project manages to activate the ground plane and underneath the off ramps through its architecture, a mix of uses (retail and office) and a giant chandelier.
So if you happen to find yourself in Vancouver, I would encourage you to visit the Beach District and do a walking tour of Vancouver House.
There’s also a great Italian restaurant in the base of the tower (Autostrada Osteria) that you should try once you’ve finished your tour.
https://youtu.be/RbQv4lyfbAE
Each year, the Serpentine Galleries in London commission a leading architect to design a new temporary summer pavilion in Kensington Gardens. The installation usually runs from June to October. Sometimes it then travels around the world, as was the case with Unzipped Toronto (Bjarke Ingels).
Now in its 20th year, the Serpentine Pavilion is a tradition that started in 2000 with a building by architect Zaha Hadid. (There was no pavilion last summer because of COVID.) And as I understand it, the commission is usually awarded to an architect who has not yet completed a building in England.
This year's pavilion will open to the public on June 11. Designed by Sumayya Vally of Counterspace, the pavilion is intended to be a "puzzle of many different [historic] elements." See video above. Vally also happens to be the youngest ever architect to be commissioned by the Serpentine Gallery.
Architecture tends to take a long time. The Serpentine Pavilion happens much faster and happens every year (when there isn't a pandemic). This strikes me as a very good thing for the world of architecture. I think we should do something similar -- but of course better -- here in Toronto.
This Thursday is the launch of a brand new city event called the WRLDCTY Virtual Festival (vowels, clearly, suck). Presented by Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy, the "host cities" are New York, London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
The idea is to bring together thought leaders and city lovers from all around the world on a virtual platform for three days. The speakers include people like Richard Florida, Bjarke Ingels, and Dan Doctoroff.
The other thing they're doing is offering up over 20 virtual urban experiences. Think yoga on Santa Monica Pier, burlesque in Brooklyn, and graffiti art tours in Toronto. It's clearly no substitute for actual travel, but this is the best we've got right now and we're all trying to adapt.
A general admission ticket is free, but some of the headline events require a pro pass and if you'd like to do some virtual networking and chat with other guests in the "Community Center," you'll also need that same pass. Here's the full agenda.
This Thursday is the launch of a brand new city event called the WRLDCTY Virtual Festival (vowels, clearly, suck). Presented by Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy, the "host cities" are New York, London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
The idea is to bring together thought leaders and city lovers from all around the world on a virtual platform for three days. The speakers include people like Richard Florida, Bjarke Ingels, and Dan Doctoroff.
The other thing they're doing is offering up over 20 virtual urban experiences. Think yoga on Santa Monica Pier, burlesque in Brooklyn, and graffiti art tours in Toronto. It's clearly no substitute for actual travel, but this is the best we've got right now and we're all trying to adapt.
A general admission ticket is free, but some of the headline events require a pro pass and if you'd like to do some virtual networking and chat with other guests in the "Community Center," you'll also need that same pass. Here's the full agenda.
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