public architecture + communication: 2030 challenge architectural competition vancouver

dreams of vertical topographies by public architecture + communication
image courtesy public architecture + communication

the architectural insitute of british columbia together with the city of vancouver recently
held a competition to develop and improve the city's livability through greener, denser
development known as the 2030 challenge.

for the competition public architecture + communication developed a point tower typology
that is closely associated with the city. the proposal explores four distinct building programs
intergrated into a vertical topography - media tech, library, community broadcasting studio,
gallery and theatres using the following framework:

reef - individuals using a shared infrastructure
like a coral reef, the core building provides weather stabilized vertical topographies
that create a variety of spatial experiences and inhabitable spaces. variation in
cross section creates an array of spatial characteristics from large scale public
performance spaces, to small, intimate and private spaces.

jellyfish - individual as collective
some jellyfish, such as bluebottles, are actually a colony of four different types of
organisms that work together to survive and, as a result, express themselves as a
single entity. like a jellyfish, this building consists of four distinct buildings terrains
that can be understood as a single entity. these terrains inhabit different sides of the
cross section and overlook each other in longitudinal section. these terrains consist
of a performance and events center, a media center, a research library and an
interdisciplinary educational center. each individual terrain further breaks down
into three distinct zones: individual cells expressed on the facades, enclosed areas
in the core for group work, and exterior covered spaces for meeting and activities
beyond the scale of the enclosed spaces. individual primary circulation cores
give each terrain autonomy, while secondary circulation provides interconnection
between and within terrains.

leaf bug - mimetic amongst the corporate towers
surrounded by corporate towers proclaiming singular entities, this building absorbs
the built language that surrounds it. the scale is that of a corporate tower and the
building expression references existing constructed languages of the broadway
corridor, including advertising billboards, hotels, gas stations, and car dealerships.


dance steps - adaptability, movement, change as constant
core building programs are arranged when possible as open floor plans, creating
large tiers of adaptable space with furniture providing definition to changing
programmatic needs. these tiers spill into exterior covered spaces that are
immediately adjacent. from the core spaces, bridges span to individual cells that
express to the facade and can be expanded into a vertical favela.

transparency
the building is completely open air and spatially permeable at grade. facade
screens shade and protect from weather, as well as generate electricity. double
glass facades enclose interior spaces but allow for air movement. sustainability
is demonstrated by living within climatic extremes and eliminating hvac systems,
except in localized zones requiring conditioning, such as computer labs.



dreams of vertical topographies by public architecture + communication
image courtesy public architecture + communication


dreams of vertical topographies
image courtesy public architecture + communication


dreams of vertical topographies - drawing
image courtesy public architecture + communication


dreams of vertical topographies - drawing
image courtesy public architecture + communication


dreams of vertical topographies - model
image courtesy public architecture + communication


dreams of vertical topographies - drawing
image courtesy public architecture + communication