Continuous cantilevered floor plates with translucent railings identify the new 43-story residential tower in downtown Vancouver. These striations define semi-public and private outdoor spaces throughout the tower, buffer the building’s envelope from glare and rain, and promote continuous horizontal views. The tower’s overhanging floor plates appear to sequentially shift in plane. Solar radiation and views were analyzed to differentiate these shifts between north, south, and east facades as well as through lower to upper levels of the tower.  Additional floor area is added on balcony spaces with prime views and on facades facing southern directions.

Primary project contributions included designing the tower’s primary organizational shifting scheme, drafting floor plans accordingly, creating conceptual diagrams, modeling surrounding site, and coordinating design updates from the project team.  Throughout the process, floors plans, unit plans, and cantilever abilities were informed by SOM’s structural engineers, Vancouver’s building code, and client meetings.  As this design has been excepted to be one of the tallest Passivehaus buildings in the world, Passivehaus consultants also helped inform the design process.