Arthur Erickson's architectural imprint has been left all over Vancouver, with some of the city's most exalted structures heralding his hallmarks. Completed the same year as his passing, an eponymous residential development, executed in partnership with Nick Milkovich Architects, is among the most striking highrise projects to be built in Vancouver over the past decade. The 17-storey development, simply dubbed The Erickson, embraces the movement of its waterfront setting by invoking a unique contoured design that continues to grab attention nearly ten years after its completion.

The Erickson under construction in July 2009, image by Darren Kirby

The organic shape of the tower sprouts from a similar curvilinear form at the base, where a collection of two-storey townhouses arc around the building to define the edge of the waterfront walkway. Each tower floor plate contains three units with full waterfront exposures, large balconies and expansive glazed walls. The 61-residence tower stretches its twisting motif over a 61-metre-high volume, topped by a two-level, 10,000-square-foot penthouse endowed with a private pool, lobby and two-car garage. 

The completed building, image by Bob Matheson via Glotman Simpson

Structural engineering firm Glotman • Simpson and developer Concord Pacific had their challenges throughout the design and build process. Rotating counter-clockwise and then clockwise, the tower's interior network of columns slope in opposite directions that offset most of the lateral torsional dead loading. 

The completed building, image by Flickr user Mike via Creative Commons

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