Adding Flare to a Skyscraper Façade
When iconic Canadian musician and poet Leonard Cohen passed away in November 2016 , many Vancouverites and visitors to the city were treated to a reminder of his legacy from an unlikely location .
Standing 24 storeys above street level in the heart of downtown Vancouver , TELUS Garden is a state-of-the-art , LEED-certified business centre with an aesthetic and list of amenities that epitomize modernity .
The product of a partnership between the namesake technology company and Westbank , one of Canada ’ s top urban real estate developers , the 1,000,000-sq . ft . development essentially takes over an entire city block . The signature tower itself boasts 500,000 sq . ft . of office space and the minimization of its overall environmental footprint was a top priority for Henriquez Partners Architects , the revered Vancouver-based firm that spearheaded its innovative design and plan .
Among the building ’ s unique appointments are its multimedia display surfaces – the high-resolution Urban Theatre , located on the west façade between the 16 th and 18 th floors , the medium-resolution soffit , overhead at the main street-level entrance area , and the low-resolution photovoltaic panels on the top of the building and the decorative pavilion ribs that flow from the side of the building at street level .
These features were designed and commissioned by local creative lighting and design firm Eos Lightmedia to essentially serve as a community canvas , relaying a mix of static images and full-motion video with the mandate of enhancing the public realm .
TELUS and the building ’ s other tenants have committed to ensuring that 90 per cent of what ’ s displayed in the Urban Theatre is commissioned , licensed , or donated cultural content – everything from video promoting Breast Cancer Awareness Month to honouring Remembrance Day to tributes to deceased cultural icons like Prince and the aforementioned Cohen . The remaining 10 per cent is dedicated to civic content used by the City of Vancouver for public service announcements or community engagement , making for a unique and exciting visual component that has the general public top of mind .
TELUS Garden
Adding Flare to a Skyscraper Façade
By Andrew King
Photos by Robert Stefanowicz Photography , RobStef . com .
26 • PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING & PRODUCTION