The Independent is a transit-oriented, mixed-use development located in Vancouver’s vibrant Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. A bricolage of jumbled effects reinterprets, celebrates and reflects diverse aspects of the unique context. Building forms are configured into five distinct components, each with a variety of materials, textures and colours. Gaps in the massing provide visual connections to a landscaped courtyard. The triangular tower accentuates the diagonal urban slash of Kingsway. A tree-topped crown symbolizes the height to which old-growth forest once soared, marking the summit of Mount Pleasant in the Vancouver skyline.