Controversial origami glass tower struck down by Vancouver urban design panel

The design for a controversial glass tower on Vancouvers waterfront that has been called everything from origami to the blob to the icepick didnt get approval in its first pass at the citys urban design panel.

The panel, a group of architects and engineers who provide advice to the city planning department, said the 26-storey tower crowded too close to the citys heritage Waterfront Station, a former train station that is now a central transit hub.

The current design, by internationally renowned Chicago architects Gordon Gill and Adrian Smith, shows a glass building rising from a narrow base close to the east side of the station and curving over its roof, with windows angled like the facets of a diamond.

I admire your work and Im very happy to see you working on a project in the city, Vancouver architect Matthew Soules told the two. But, he said, the proximity and overhang of the tower to the station is ultimately a disservice to the dignity of the station. By positioning the tower so close, it appears that (a future connecting road on the other side) is more important than one of the citys civic structures.

Mr. Soules, like others on the panel, said the 1914 station is one of this young citys few historic buildings and needs to be respected.

As well, the building, on a site that is currently a private parking lot between the station and the Steamworks restaurant and pub, doesnt do enough to make the public feel welcome, the panel said.

They noted that, whether owner Cadillac Fairview likes it or not, the public has come to see that parking lot along with the view of the mountains and water from it as their space. Cadillac Fairview also owns Waterfront Station.

Architect Jennifer Marshall suggested creating a winter garden that would extend through the lobby of the building, turning the whole ground floor, as well as the plaza outside, into a public space.

In spite of the criticisms, almost all the panel members agreed that the building fits with the citys future waterfront plan to have an office tower of that height and density there.

They also didnt have a problem with the very modern design next to the station, saying that many cities have shown that the blend of old and new can be attractive.

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Controversial origami glass tower struck down by Vancouver urban design panel