Facades+ returns to Vancouver on May 6

The Facades+ conference series, presented by The Architect’s Newspaper, comes to Vancouver for the second time on May 6. This year, AN collaborated with Amirali Javidan and Venelin Kokalov, director and design principal, respectively, of Revery Architecture to assemble the day’s program. The event also features an exhibition hall with 19 building product companies represented.

Revery Architecture, the event’s co-chair firm, will present Butterfly, a new residential tower that has become the third-tallest building in Vancouver. (Courtesy Revery Architecture)

Dissolving Boundaries: Curvature, Tessellation, and GFRC at The Butterfly

The first session of the day looks at the design of Butterfly, a new residential tower that has made a striking mark on the Vancouver skyline. Venelin Kokalov and Brian Hubbs, principal of RDH Building Science, will discuss the complexities of the building’s facade design, including its curved GFRC envelope, tessellated glass chamfers, and precast concrete pool enclosure. The pair will also discuss the expansion of the historic First Baptist Church, which occupies the base of the site, as well as the integration of greenery within the tower’s circulation spaces.

The Shor House, an island retreat located outside of Vancouver, is clad in a Corten steel exterior envelope (Ema Peter)

The Shor House: Born From the Alchemical Transformation of Dis-used Wood

The next presentation highlights a project at a completely different scale. Clint Cuddington, principal of Measured Architecture, will showcase the Shor House, a single-family home that’s structure was assembled from a wooden barn and a house that previously stood on the site. This feat was achieved through collaboration with skilled tradespeople, who worked diligently to reuse as much of the deconstructed structures as possible. Cuddington will also discuss the design and installation of the home’s simple and monolithic Corten steel cladding, which complements the reused wood to create a rustic appearance.

Because of its honeycomb-like structure, a new office building at 2150 Keith Drive is known as “The Hive.” (Courtesy DIALOG)

The Hive: 2150 Keith’s Mass Timber Exoskeleton

In East Vancouver, construction is nearing completion on 2150 Keith Drive, a new office building that defies construction conventions. Sustainability drove the design of the project, which synthesizes a mass timber structure with spans of glass curtain wall. Justin Tompson and Lindsay Duthie, architectural technologist and principal, respectively, at DIALOG, will discuss the concept, technical details, and construction challenges behind the building’s unique, honeycomb-like exoskeleton, which earned it its nickname: The Hive.

While aquatic centers are typically operationally inefficient, hcma worked diligently to reduce the energy demand for a new facility in New Westminster, British Columbia. (Nic Lehoux)

Performance, Inclusion, and Reconciliation: The təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Center

The following session examines the design of the təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Center in New Westminster, British Columbia. Recognizing that aquatic facilities often consume outrageous amounts of operational energy, hcma designed the new building with robust exterior insulation, prioritizing air tightness and the elimination of thermal bridging. Ali Kenyon, principal at hcma; and Harold Louwerse, practice lead at Stantec, will present the building envelope strategy, and discuss the integration of pre-cast concrete, glass, and standing seam metal beneath a mass timber roof.

Source: www.archpaper.com