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While all eyes have been on Vancouver House's meteoric ascent, relatively little has been seen of the podium level now filling out its relatively close quarters tucked away below the Granville Street Bridge ramps in downtown Vancouver. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and DIALOG for Westbank, the highly distinctive, twisting, sculptural tower has rightfully captured the imagination of design enthusiasts and urban photographers, leaving little attention left over for the podium down below.
Tucked beneath an off-ramp, the mid-rise podium will be mixed-use, with 80,000 square feet of office space perched above 60,000 square feet of ground-level retail space. While the former is relatively self-explanatory, the latter will be comprised of a mix of cultural spaces, independent cafes and restaurants, and regular retail.
Wedged between two converging lanes of elevated roadway, the angular podium base has been forced to get creative with the very limited space afforded it, the tip of the development terminating in a narrow point.
Viewed from below, looking up, the relationship between the podium and the 49-storey tower tower component can be well-appreciatd, the contrasting angular lines of the former providing a sharp divide away from the more gentle, twisting, sculptural quality of the latter.
Viewed once more from street level, the two pieces can be understood as one contiguous whole, Vancouver House to soon be home to 388 residential units alongside the daily influx of office workers and retail staff who will soon call Vancouver House home.
SkyriseVancouver will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
