a tower for pleasure

To accommodate the sloped site, there are two levels, each at grade with their respective streets. This plan shows the level at Alberni, which is the street on the high side of the slope. The diagonal lines indicate cables above that brace the building, and also provide an armature for the steel mesh to hang from. The space is an open plaza, overlooking a second, more covered plaza below which can be quickly accessed by a staircase near the Alberni entrance, or more leisurely by a long ramp that winds around the core.

This level features subtle changes in the topography of the floor slab, that appears flat when it’s dry, and only reveals the hidden geometry when it rains to form a variety of puddles, with different depths and sizes.

The water puddles on the plaza above, and drips into the shallow recess in the plaza below. The large steel mesh curtain provides some coverage, but still allows light and rain to enter.