Imperial BankTower, built in the early 70's, required updating to match the quality of adjacent projects within the owner's office campus. The opportunity to reinvigorate the building was coupled with a landscaping revision aimed at unifying the complex.

The proposed alterations aim to establish a strong north-south linkage while announcing the entrance to the east-west axis leading toward the arts center.

Demarking a crossing of axis, the new lobby attempts to resolve the creation of place with the facilitation of passage.

A large glass vault replaces a former connecting link between two buildings. Simultaneously spatial and open, the lobby is flanked on each side by expansive louvered wings, which extend the new image and envelope.

Utilizing an extremely light steel and cable support system, the glazing is maximized and the structure totally exposed. The cumulative movement accommodated at each silicone glass joint eliminates the need for a specific seismic joint between the connected buildings.

Designed as an informal events environment, the new space is tempered with a radiant cooled granite floor and a displacement air system. The glazing at the top of the vault is coated with a 70 % opaque frit and a pyrolite Low-E coating to reduce solar heat gain. Gravity louvers exhaust super heated air from the apex of the vault to aid with the stratification of the comfort zone.

The glass vault and louvers are under-lit to maximize the sense of the canopy at night and sense announce the circulation routes.

Elevator modernization and reconfiguration of the adjacent retail functions also contribute to the upgrading of the building.