Nature instinctively seeks out balance. With the Great Northern Way Campus we had to find a way to satisfy competing needs. The 165,000 square foot structure is the new centre for digital media and education in Vancouver. This very long building had to be constructed on soft soil and sandstone near sea level. The challenge was to determine how close we had to situate support columns so there would be minimal shifting and settling. At the same time, the building needed to maintain the architect’s vision of sweeping curves, open space, and cantilevers. The finished campus realizes the elegant design in a very difficult-to-build-on location.