Carina and Callisto at Harbour Green

1233 and 1281 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC

Carina and Callisto form a distinctive pair of buildings on the Vancouver Waterfront. Façade elements curve horizontally and vertically creating a sail metaphor that reflects the maritime setting.

In order to realize this concept a number of the guidelines regulating tower height and form were successfully challenged. The end result is a dynamic and powerful architectural statement on the Vancouver waterfront.

Carina, a 26-storey tower with 17 adjacent townhomes is the first of five towers proposed along Coal Harbour just west of Canada Place. Callisto, the second tower, has a 34-storey residential tower with 16 townhouses.

The tower form of both buildings responds to the dramatic setting creating a sail-like image on the water's edge. The three dimensionally curved, four-sided silicone curtain wall represents a billowing sail. The sail stands in stark contrast to the more urban expression of the south elevation with its window wall and concrete slab extensions. The tip of the sail wraps around the west elevation and hides the mechanical equipment on the roof. The material palette is conceived to be natural, simple and nautical. The townhouses feature stone cladding and architectural concrete, aluminum paneling and window wall. The tower palette is deliberately simple to allow the "sail" and the tower massing to stand out. The glass for all the windows is clear double-glazing with a low-E coating, giving it a silvery-blue-grey expression adding to the nautical theme.

The dramatic waterfront setting, seen prominently from Stanley Park and cruise ship visitors, forms the new face of Vancouver and has become one of the most prestigious locations in Vancouver.

Carina and Callisto received a 2005 Award of Excellence from the Urban Development Institute - Pacific Region for best high-rise multi-family building.

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