In 2015, Vancouver B.C. based Burrard Development commissioned Weber Thompson to design Nexus, an iconic, and very forward-thinking 440’ residential tower on a site at 1200 Howell – currently a parking lot near the Metropolitan Park office towers that reside on the northern edge of Downtown Seattle. Delivering on the client’s request, Weber Thompson designed a bold and dynamic tower that will celebrate the Seattle skyline from southbound I-5, Capitol Hill and beyond.
The tower design is based on a concept of stacked and rotated boxes, each of which twists away from its counterparts by 4 degrees – for a total of 8 degrees of separation. The dynamic result is one of implied motion – the tower seems to move as one moves around it. Deep reveals between these twisting boxes serve as wrap around garden terraces, bringing a bit of green to the tower, and breaking down the tower’s overall bulk and scale.
These “sky-terrace” levels allow for multiple penthouse floors with wraparound decks, rather than one penthouse level at the top of the tower. Sculpted erosions at the corners of these levels allows for unique 2-story corner units, enriching the product offering. These townhouse units will feature 2-story glass encased living rooms with private balconies.
The above grade parking podium at the base of the tower features micro units in the corners, and an artistic façade that utilizes backlit glass fins that will respond to motion of pedestrians or cars. A retail pad at the ground plane is envisioned as a restaurant with a sliding window wall that will allow it to open to the street, when weather permits. Designed with Millennials and urban loving empty nesters in mind, the entire project is conceived as a celebration of technology, with a focus on sustainable principles and a new way to live.