The first of a growing wave of starchitect-designed towers on the border of the West End and Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver recently topped out.

Construction crews have reached the milestone of pouring the top concrete floor plate of Westbank’s Alberni by Kengo Kuma tower at 1550 Alberni Street, according to project contractor Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers.

At 443 ft with 44 storeys, the upscale residential tower is not an overall standout in height (ranked 19th tallest in downtown, just behind Telus Garden) in the overall downtown skyline, but it does add a new peak to the Coal Harbour/West End portion of the skyline where the elevation and existing towers are lower.

More importantly, the Alberni tower is a standout for its highly unconventional design by world renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who is well known for incorporating wood materials. This is his first residential tower design in North America.

The tower is visually defined by its two large scoops that create deep balconies, which are furnished in wood.

“The carvings create semi-enclosures that strengthen their relations to the street and its urban and geographic context while optimizing neighbouring views past the project,” reads the design description.

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