Timeless simplicity in Vancouver’s waterfront district.

Location: Vancouver, Washington | Units: 178 | Total sq: 226,687

Broadstone Claro is designed with a clear, restrained composition with bold intention. It considers both the waterfront development as a whole, down to the individual site that it occupies. The first big move was to create a large public plaza along West Columbia Way breaking the building mass into two uneven elevations. This plaza bisects the resident lobby/amenity space from the amenity gym. This plaza provides a gathering node for both residents of the building and of the greater community. Above the plaza is a landscaped courtyard with both individual unit patios, as well as, shared common area off of interior amenity space for all resident’s enjoyment. Further modulation occurs both horizontally and vertically to break up the buildings mass and develop a variety of volumes. The first two levels of concrete naturally breaks the base from the rest of the structure through an abrupt material transition of concrete to fiber cement. On the main façade, a natural gray brick is introduced along with highly contrasting black storefront windows composed in a modern way and oriented to the sidewalk. These materials anchor the base of the building to its site and allow the much lighter upper mass to “float” above. Steel canopies, tasteful lighting and the large planes of brick provide an attractive, pedestrian scale streetscape. Vertically the upper level mass is broken down in regular intervals using a change to contrasting color and a break in the roof line. The featured building corner at West Columbia Way and Waterfront Way, will be what people first view of the building. The strong white grid is broken here allowing two stories of storefront window, a heightened canopy, the introduction of dark contrasting windows, and wraparound decks to break the rigor of the rest of the composition. Broadstone Claro will be a memorable building for its timelessness, simplicity, and subtle attention to details in the greater urban landscape of the waterfront district.