Arcadis was commissioned to provide architecture, landscape design, and Passive House services for The CURV, a 60-story residential tower located at 1075 Nelson Street in Vancouver, Canada. The 501-unit tower is designed to create a positive environmental and social impact on the surrounding community, with a quarter of its new units dedicated to social housing.
Working alongside Passive House consultant RDH, The CURV is intended to become the tallest Passive House building in the world—a landmark project and the most energy-efficient building of its kind built to date. This high-performance tower reflects the future of sustainable design and signals where the future of green building is headed.
The building’s modular wall elements have been developed to improve construction efficiency, reduce waste, and achieve exceptional airtightness. The façade comprises 40 percent triple-glazed windows and 60 percent super-insulated walls, helping The CURV achieve world-class levels of energy performance.
The external composition of The CURV symbolizes a positive shift toward environmentally conscious design. Inspired by a plant shoot emerging from the ground, its form acts as a metaphor for the future of green building and a new generation of low-carbon towers.
We also introduced “outdoor rooms” using low planters, shrubs, and climbing plants to create intimate, nature-connected spaces. These outdoor rooms establish a sense of continuity and transition between the building’s exterior landscape and the interior ground floor, enhancing the overall resident experience.
The landscape strategy offers generous open space for residents and the public, including a pedestrian pathway with seating areas and wide sidewalks that function as community gathering spaces. A children’s play area, located at the south end and surrounded by greenery in raised planters, further emphasizes the tower’s commitment to fostering healthy, nature-based interactions within an urban environment.
Through its innovative approach and commitment to sustainable building design, The CURV sets a new global benchmark for energy-efficient building, urban transformation, and the future of Passive House building at a high-rise scale.
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