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The unique glass dome and public plaza at the corner of West Hastings and Seymour streets in Vancouver would go caput under a plan by Morguard Corporation and B+H Architects, who are proposing a 25-storey office tower for the site. Envisioned as an urban stimulant for the intersection, the highrise development would enhance the area's public amenities and add another two dozen floors of office space to the booming downtown core.
Renderings for 601 West Hastings show a highly reflective curtain wall wrapping the building's linear walls and rounded corners. The base of the building is carved out and gently lifted up to maintain the public realm experience, which will be amplified by the provision of a new plaza. The verticality of this area also permits the entrance of natural daylight. At night, the space will be illuminated to allow after-hours enjoyment, while a water wall marks the border between the plaza and the commercial lobby.
The undulating soffit frames this space and captures the essence of the tower's irregular form. Curved setbacks provide a calming buffer between the tower and its neighbours, a move that maintains each building's views as much as possible.
601 West Hastings Street is strategically located within one of the most well-serviced transit nodes in the city, with nearby access to the SkyTrain's Canada, Expo, and Millennium Lines, the West Coast Express commuter railway, and the SeaBus. The influx of office space is expected to help contribute to Vancouver's 2020 target that 50 percent of trips be made by public transit, foot, or bicycle.
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| Related Companies: | B+H Architects |
