The Beach and Howe Tower concept design by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) & DIALOG for the north end of the Granville Bridge has received the World Architecture News (WAN) Future Schemes Award.
From the WAN website:
Towering over the north end of the Granville Bridge in Vancouver is Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) & DIALOG’s Beach and Howe Tower which scooped the Future Schemes Award. This is a project which is set to create a new urban public space for local residents and is described by juror Jonathon Wyatt, Senior Project Director of Grosvenor as being a ‘dynamic space which contributes to a sense of place’.
[…]
Not only did BIG and DIALOG successfully overcome the complications of a complex site, the jurors felt that the scheme was overall a contribution to the surrounding neighbourhood. The provision of a new urban realm also added an edge to the scheme. The jurors hoped that the three additional elements to the design – working, shopping and leisure – would also help to contribute towards a sense of community and neighbourhood atmosphere. Not only was this is a scheme which helped to provide a sense of place but juror Craig Casci, Founding Director of GRID Architects felt that BIG and DIALOG’s scheme really ‘pushed the residential typology’ with juror Claire Bennie, Development Director of The Peabody Trust commenting that Beach and Howe was a ‘rather beautiful object’.
It should be noted that despite the recent media attention—and this award, the project still has to go through the City of Vancouver approval process, so it is not a done deal.
Image: Bjarke Ingels Group