The building?s iconic profile claims its place on Vancouver?s skyline, marking the arrival of global urbanism to the city. Photo by Shawn Bukhari
PROJECT Vancouver House, Vancouver, British Columbia
ARCHITECTS Bjarke Ingels Group (design architect), DIALOG (architect

of record), James K.M. Cheng Architects (advising architect)
The most remarkable view of the recently completed Vancouver House is from Granville Bridge, where an eviscerated façade curves away from the bridge like a screen shot from a video game. The east façade?s cascade of drawer-like balcony boxes makes this residential tower an iconic addition to False Creek, and the kingpin in a cluster of buildings that squeeze up between three arms of the bridge at the edge of downtown. Vancouver House?s top-heavy silhouette is emblematic of our era. As Vancouver matures, developers are giving its empty and oddball sites a second look. Paltry pro formas mean that most of these real estate dregs get passed over. Downtown land is expensive, typically making up more than a quarter of a project?s costs. Combined with Vancouver?s hefty taxes and levies, more than half of a development?s proceeds are usually spent before construction starts.
Vancouver House cantilevers dramatically over the Granville Bridge, following the mandated setback lines while maximizing floor area on its highly desirable upper levels. Photo by Ema Peter
Westbank saw potential in the parcel at the base of the bridge. At first, the developer?s go-to ...