Yeah I know I've voiced my opposition to supertalls in Vancouver for some time, BUT... now I'm thinking of those beautiful european cities with their skyline dominated by some cathedral or clock tower.
And the only way Vancouver can possibly handle a supertall is if it is
so tall that it is conceived to the scale of nature itself; it doesn't relate to the buildings around it, but rather the mountains across the inlet.
Fantasy proposal of a 1300-foot Tower Verre where the Sears building is:
It won't be an office tower, but rather a monument filled
predominantly with public uses and functions. One would be able to look up from almost anywhere within the forest of skyscrapers and see the "beacon" looming above it all and reflecting different colours from the sun at various times of the day. It has to anchor Robson square like a true monument, timeless, built to last 500 years, with the highest quality materials... glass made from gemstones or something...
This will not set a precedent; with a 1300-footer, I'm actually less inclined towards wanting other tall buildings. In fact, there should be new viewcones pointing towards the tower, preventing tall buildings from surrounding it, so that it maintains its dominance over the skyline.