Compiled by Team IAnD
Photography: Courtesy V2com
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“The building should not be
an isolated object. Buildings should be part of the city, part of the environment. I believe
that is the goal of architecture in the 21st century,” asserts Kengo Kuma as he
talks about his first large-scale tower in Vancouver…
Addressed as the architect
without frontiers, Japan’s leading architect, Kengo Kuma, personally revealed
plans for his first North American, large-scale residential tower – Alberni by
Kuma – proposed for the globally renowned city on Canada’s west coast.
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Westbank and Peterson,
Canada’s premier developers of luxury, mixed-use projects, have engaged Kengo
Kuma, and his firm Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) to design the 43-storey
tower near the entrance to Vancouver’s famed Stanley Park. The proposed tower
is part of a small collective of internationally influenced designs in the
city, under their direction.
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The form of the building –
a gentle curve – is the most important architecturally; the Japanese garden – a
moss garden that surrounds the base of the tower – is the most important
spatially.
©Ed White
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“In Japanese space,
boundaries are considered mutable and transient. This is always an important
part of my work,” says Kuma. “In this project, the minimal glazing details and
the layered landscaping blurs conventional boundaries to enhance the sense of
continuity. The design celebrates the presence of nature in Vancouver.”
©Ed White |
The connectivity and
transparency of design is achieved through use of materials and rich subtle
layering that begins at the base. The architectural components of the tower
begin with small units; the panels on the facade, the timber of the woodwork,
the planks in the corridors – all are aggregated into a larger whole, which
form the tower. The use of anodized aluminium and glass on the exterior allow a
reflection of the neighbouring buildings and sky, giving the desired external
transparency. The use of various wood on the exterior and interior add a
signature similarity to Kuma’s other iconic designs.
©Ed White |
Located amongst downtown’s
most vibrant streets, Kuma’s design will see a building that complements the
evolution of the community. With a curved silhouette, the tower’s two carved
semi-inclusions will create the appearance of spatial balance. The tower’s 181 residential units will be
primarily located in the semi-inclusions and boast substantially sized patio spaces designed as
open gardens to create personal urban spaces. The mixed-use development also
includes a retail space and restaurant.
“I have always wanted to
have a project in Canada because of its closeness to nature,” says Kuma.
“Typologically, this is a large-scale project in North America, a dream for any
foreign architect. We have done towers, but not to this scale and level of
detail.”
Very inspiring! My dream is to become architect and designer. Love your blog and style.
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