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Not too far from the under-construction Brock Commons at the University of British Columbia, another timber structure could soon be gracing the Vancouver skyline. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has been appointed to the Terrace House project, which developer PortLiving claims will be the tallest hybrid timber structure in the world.
Renderings suggest the tower would be located near West Pender and Jervis Streets steps from the city's central waterfront. No height has yet been released, but the image above shows the proposed tower's sloped roof rising higher than many of its neighbours, including the 82-metre Harbourside Park. The upper section of the glass-clad building will be shaped by a British Columbia-sourced timber frame and supported by a concrete and steel core.
Timber has become a popular building material in the construction industry, which often utilizes the lightweight wood as a sustainable substitute to traditional concrete and steel forms. The Vancouver proposal follows recent news from London, where PLP Architecture is planning the city's first wooden skyscraper as a towering addition to the Barbican housing complex.
If constructed, Terrace House will be Japanese architect Shigeru Ban's first project in Canada and the tallest development under his belt. Ban has gained popularity for his innovative use of wood-based products like paper and cardboard tubes, which he has adapted to help create stable shelters in areas stricken by natural disasters.
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