Foster and Partners completed this outstanding contemporary building in Vancouver, Canada back in 2004. It is a spectacular 35-story tower that started as a restoration project (the lower levels), and continued as a dramatic new construction for residential purposes. This was the first residential building created by the London-based company in North America, and it was a resounding success. It was called the Jameson House.
While the more traditional first levels were designed for shops and offices, the upper stories were designed for luxe apartments. The architecture of the tower was influenced by the local climate and is now a new spectacular landmark in the city.
Plenty of innovative techniques were used for the construction of the Jameson House, all introduced by the architectural firm’s in-house engineering group. One example is the mechanized valet parking system which led to a smaller number of parking floors, and which in turn led to less ventilation and lighting requirements, not to mention the reduced need for excavation.
