A 440 feet (134 meters) tall stack of twisting cubes, Nexus is an upcoming residential tower planned for the northern edge of downtown Seattle, as the city experiences a shortage of for-sale housing amidst a thriving rental market. Designed by local practice Weber Thompson and commissioned by Vancouver-based Burrard Development, the tower includes 367 residential units and 3200 square feet of retail, aiming to offer one of few residential opportunities in Seattle’s downtown core.
Designed with Millennials and urban loving empty nesters in mind, the entire project is conceived as a celebration of technology, with a focus on sustainable principles and a new way to live, explain the design team.
Formally, the twists of the stacked cubes differ by a margin of 4 degrees for each box, combining to create an 8-degree separation between the two. The design aims to achieve a level of perceived dynamism, enhanced as users circulate through the building and its programs. The space between rotations serve as rooftop gardens, adding greenery to the architecture and fragmenting the overall mass.
This condition of these “sky terraces” allows for a number of penthouse levels and wraparound outdoor decks, as opposed to simply one penthouse floor at the top. “Sculpted erosions” at the corners of these floors create 2-storey townhouse units, adding diversity to the floor plan and offering private balconies and transparent living rooms, capturing the cityscape.
Parking is available above grade at the base of the tower, also activating corners with micro-units. A backlit interactive façade responds to the movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, complimenting the street level retail opportunities including a major restaurant that opens up onto the street, weather permitting.
Currently under construction, Nexus is set for completion by mid-2019.
News via: Weber Thompson.
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