The m separation from the bridge was defined as a minimum distance until the building reached m up in the air, after which it could grow back out, allowing BIG to double the floor plate. The Vancouver House emerges from the ground, expands as it rises, appearing like a Genie let out of the bottle. What seems like a surreal gesture is in fact a highly responsive architecture – shaped by its environment.
The roofscape is one of the most important components that shapes the spirit of the Cloud Valley. It allows for an abundance of nature to co-exist with the office programs, thus preserving the wild landscape experience that’s traditionally difficult to access within the city limits. The green roof also embodies an ecological cohesive coexistence between human, nature, climate, and technology. To display the ultimate gesture of nature meeting technology, the green roof carpet shaping the valley and the mountain turns into the largest digital display in China at night.
The project includes the restoration of the Daily Express Building grade II* listed building. The headquarters of the newspaper once the epicenter of the newspaper industry and one of London’s finest Art Deco interiors will for the first time in its history be given a stand-alone status. The project will provide inclusive public access to the original art deco lobby, as well as the exterior roof amenities that include views of the surrounding city.
A technical study has been undertaken to determine and address the nature of any conflicts with existing infrastructure and landowners. In February of , owing to this pro-bono BQP effort, the NYC Department of Transportation officially shelved previous plans, and an official New York City Council study endorsed the BQP approach, with City Council Speaker Corey Johnson stating “This is something we’re going to live with for the next years. Let’s make sure we do it right”. Work is now set to begin on establishing a governance structure to take the project forward.
Rather than a traditional block, the House stacks all ingredients of a lively urban neighborhood into horizontal layers of typologies, organized around two smaller, more intimate courtyards. Connected by a continuous promenade and cycling path up to the th floor, the building has become a three-dimensional urban community where suburban life merges with the energy of a big city and where business, housing, and nature co-exist.