Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has unveiled plans for what he is calling the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower. The mixed-use building is called Terrace House and will be built in Vancouver, BC. To construct it, they will use timber, glass, steel and concrete.
The Terrace House will contain 20 homes, with additional retail space on the ground floor, as well as a three floor underground garage. Local developer PortLiving will be in charge of the construction. The designers also made sure that the complex will blend in well with the surrounding structures, especially the adjacent Evergreen Building. In an effort to achieve this, the terraces of the new building will align perfectly with those of the Evergreen Building.
Terrace house will, as the name implies, feature many greenery-covered terraces. The first 12 floors of the building will feature a concrete and steel frame, and the remaining 7 will have a timber exterior, as well as timber floor plates, with a steel and concrete core to meet the local earthquake safety codes. All the timber will be sourced locally in British Columbia.
Judging by the renders, the homes will feature lots of glazing, which means ample amounts of light, but also raises some privacy concerns. Especially since the building is close to, and so well aligned with the adjacent one.
They have not yet announced when construction will begin, but PortLiving will be releasing further details on the project in the next few months. It’s definitely nice to see designers, and city planning commissions, start to incorporate more sustainable materials into the projects that get the green light. Hopefully, this complex will also have other sustainable features, apart from the green façade and the use of wood in construction.
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