The iconic Waterfall Building at 1540 West 2nd Ave. was designed by Arthur Erickson in 1996 with Nick Milkovitch Architects and built in 2001. Located close to the entrance of Granville Island, the sound of its falling water soothes, even if you don’t go beyond the threshold. From NMA:

The Waterfall Building consists of five building blocks organized around a dedicated public courtyard promoting community within the complex. The courtyard spills into the fronting pedestrian street through an opening bridged by the building. From the curved bridge soffit a curtain of water descends into a reflecting pool animating the opening with reflected light, while the sound offers an acoustic buffer to the courtyard.

The units comprise work/live studios on the upper levels with commercial spaces at the ground level. The interlocking arrangement provides each unit with a double height space, through ventilation and good day lighting. Each unit looks both into the courtyard and out to the surrounding community.

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