Since I arrived in Vancouver, I've been pleased - and somewhat mystified - but just how much I like the downtown of the city. The main reason I was so puzzled is that Vancouver is chock-full of modern high-rises; and as anyone who's talked to me for very long would know, I don't generally like modern and I don't realy like tall buildings. As a rule, I find that they detract far more from the urban landscape than they add to it, no matter how "iconic" they are purported to be. As I'm now in the middle of a panel session on going green with tall buildings, it seemed fitting to share my reflections on these unusually palatable towers.
The number one difference in Vancouver's towers from anywhere I've been in the world is the way they treat the street and near-street levels. I don't know why, but Vancouver designers seem to understand how to bring a building to the ground in an urban environment, as well as how to deal with the tall upper levels so that they don't overwhelm or overshadow the street life. I took the following photos in my walkabout on Saturday, and they are quite relevant for this purpose:
How about promoting urban life and active uses? It's not as if ground-floor retail is a particularly new idea, but somehow designers seem to either forget to do it, or forget how to do it well. This isn't just a shop tucked into a storefront of a giant hulk; this café is the most notable thing about the tower, reaching out to and integrating the public space with its overhang, its glazing and its patio, but at a scale that is completely comfortable and in a way that is totally welcoming. Not to mention this is an all-day, all-week use: a café and market, serving residences as well as downtown workers.
Next, this Ritz-Carlton caught my eye, and really charmed me. Not only does it have a pretty well-scaled base, but how about adding a little color? Our senses need this kind of variation and stimulation; it makes it much more enjoyable, not to mention visually legible in that I can tell different parts of the building apart.
Last of these examples: although I chide this building for the "no trespassing" sign at the edges of the plaza to keep passerby out, there's no denying the contribution of this plaza to the public space and the pedestrian experience. The building itself is a little hulky, but it's set back enough to let this plaza be your biggest lasting impression, in my opinion. (Still folks - just let the public sit there and enjoy; it won't kill you.)
I'd also like to note that these buildings sit pretty nicely against other things, although sometimes the juxtaposition is humorous, as here:
I did a double-take at this little building tableau. I don't know if I love it, but I love the oddity of it; it's a particular and peculiar part of the character of the city in the spots where it happens.
In closing, I also want to mention that they make a nice backdrop to the public space. My opening picture is a view of the towers from a lovely waterfront park; a better view of the actual park/walk is below:
All of a sudden, "towers in the park" doesn't feel like a modernist swear word to me. :-)
Neither does "canyon of towers" - it all depends on the view. In downtown Vancouver, here's what you see:
That's the waterfront, ladies and gentlemen; I was just walking west along a street and when I happened to turn my head north, I was called by the gorgeous promise of the water. I didn't get as a good a picture of the view to the west, but it's Stanley Park, an enorumous natural preserve in walking distance from downtown. If you saw that, or if the photo above had been taken on a clear day, you'd see the beautiful natural setting of Vancouver: deep green forested hills, and a gorgeous harbor with excellent public waterfront access in many places.
You can probably tell from my raving that I'm in love with this place, but this isn't even the half of it. More Vancouver scenes to come!!
So, it has been kind of a grueling month - I started my summer fellowship in mid-May, and then promptly began alternating between being at the office and traveling up and down the East Coast and across the country. This past Saturday was my one day at home between two week-long trips, one to DC and the other to San Francisco. I'm tired, and I miss my own bed and my cats. But as I sit here in the Yerba Buena Gardens enjoying a fabulous late lunch at the Samovar Tea Lounge, I realized one critical fact that makes it all worthwhile: I love to travel.
It doesn't really matter how many names I call the TSA in my head, I still love the getting there - whether by plane, train or busmobile. And I love the being there: discovering Root at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (look it up, then buy it and drink it with ginger beer); BBQing with my family and my best friend; watching the Nationals in the rain with my sister; standing in the Supreme Court; talking Doctor Who with my brother-in-law; finding out at the farmers market that emu eggs have two blue layers inside; getting my butt kicked on the Work-It Circuit at the gym with my hostess; and having tea and quiche in the California afternoon sun.
