Pacific Spiral
Public Sculpture
Water feature and landscaping
Hard landscape: Cobble Stone, Concrete and Slate Pool, Stainless Steel Flumes
Client: Concord Pacific Group Inc.
Location: Intersection of Pacific and Homer Streets, Opposite David Lam Park Vancouver, British Columbia
Pacific Spiral, 2003 Commissioned by Concord Pacific Group as part of the City of Vancouver’s Public Art Program, Pacific Spiral is a year round water feature integrated into the landscape at the bottom of Tower West One at Homer and Pacific Vancouver, British Columbia. It was designed to be a pedestrian-scale marker that gives definition and character to the irregular, sloped site at the bottom of the glass tower. The sculpture / water feature consists of a circular base pool and cobblestone area set into berms mass planted with winter flowering heather. At the centre of the base pool are complimentary geometric forms; an elevated spiral crescent with slate steps, and two raised stainless steel flumes that cross on an east/west, north/south axis. The water feature and the landscape were designed as a unit. My criteria for the public art was that it be amenable to pedestrian flow with various access points, have aesthetic impact when viewed from either the street or tower, and give drama and organization to an irregular site while still functioning at a human scale. Both the water and the movement of the pedestrian animate the sculpture. The landscaping and planting, such as white heather, were chosen for their hardiness, blooming capacity, and ability to remain a lush green throughout the year.