Buro Ole Scheeren recently revealed their design for two new towers to be built between Davie and Robson Villages in Vancouver, Canada. Named “Barclay Village,” the project combines residential units (with 30 percent of the units reserved for social housing), a variety of public amenities, and green terraces. The design was inspired by the "texture and scale of the surrounding urban fabric and folds the typologies of the two historic villages."
Commenting on the project, Scheeren said, “Whereas tower typologies by default reinforce isolation and division, ‘Barclay Village’ proposes a design that becomes an extension of the local neighborhood and community and that opens up the confines of the tower to reconnect architecture with its natural and social environment.”
Vancouver’s West End, where the project will be constructed, is known for its medium-scale buildings and dense green spaces. The building's design is comprised of stacked cubic volumes that are offset to create balconies and receding platforms.
The two towers were imagined as one united construction with a multi-level bridge at the base that joins the two residential structures and creates an internal courtyard. This allows the project to have a permeable approach that can extend the residential green spaces into the nature around the site. The ground level bridge contains the lobbies, retail areas, a gym, recreational facilities, and a daycare, among other programs.
News via: Ole Scheeren
