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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.
Today I stopped by the Exploring KING exhibit that is currently on at 134 Peter Street. It is an exhibition celebrating the design of KING Toronto.
It explains how the design came about. Note all the different unit layouts on the floor.
This week two new office buildings were announced in Toronto and Vancouver by Allied Properties and Westbank. Both are being designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). As you would expect, Alex Bozikovic of the Globe and Mail has done a proper writeup, here.
The building in Toronto (called Union Centre) is generally located at 171 Front Street West. It is a revision to a previous proposal for the site that was originally submitted back in 2014. That project got approved by Council, but the implementing by-laws were never enacted.
My favorite image from their rezoning resubmission is this one here:
It includes (foam) study models that go as far back as 2015. That's four years of design iterations.
It has samples of the glass blocks that will be used on the building's facades.
Related article: Glass blocks, that staple of 1980s kitsch, are trendy again. Sorry, it's behind a paywall.
It has a VR setup that allows you to explore the building's inner courtyard. It's going to be a fun space.
And there's even a KING Toronto candle for sale. (Aromatic woods with spicy overtones.)
I thought the overall exhibition was very well done and I am thrilled to see architecture and design so front and center. It is an exciting time to be living in this city.
It clearly shows the big idea behind the project, which is to push all of the building's elevator shafts to its north elevation. This opens up its large floor plates to the south, but also allows for a kind of elevator equalizer show on the outside of the building. The cabs are intended to be lit and the shafts are intended to be built using clear glazing. That's what you're seeing above.
I don't think we have enough fun with building lights here in Toronto. So I was pretty pumped to see this get proposed. What are your thoughts?
Rendering by Bjarke Ingels Group
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