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Buildings for the Community
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Autodesk and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifi cations at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. ©2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
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RichaRd Johnson
deRek LeppeR
14 whistler PuBlic liBrary Taking advanTage of The dynamic quaLiTies of iTs siTe, a much-anTicipaTed LibRaRy by hughes condon maRLeR: aRchiTecTs has become a popuLaR communiTy hub foR WhisTLeR’s diveRse popuLaTion. teXt LesLie Jen
18 John M.s. lecky uBc Boathouse designed by LaRRy mcfaRLand aRchiTecTs, This fLoaTing sTRucTuRe handsomeLy Responds To The needs of dedicaTed univeRsiTy of bRiTish coLumbia RoWeRs. teXt adeLe WedeR
22 PeterBorough regional health centre maRTin TessLeR
This neW faciLiTy by sTanTec aRchiTecTuRe RepResenTs a RemaRkabLe achievemenT in a counTRy cRying ouT foR subsTanTiaL impRovemenTs in heaLTh caRe. teXt ian chodikoff
11 news
Atelier TAG and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes design the new Saint-Hubert Library; Gregory Henriquez proposes Stop Gap pre-fabricated housing as a solution to Vancouver’s homelessness issue.
30 Practice
Rick Linley suggests that profitability and efficiency can be increased through the optimization of net fees, labour, and utilization rates.
33 Books
Leslie Jen and Ian Chodikoff review three recent publications that offer insight into the future of the city.
36 calendar
nzo Mari exhibition at Cambridge GallerE ies, Design at Riverside; Eelco Hooftman of Edinburgh’s GROSS. MAX lectures at the University of Toronto.
38 BackPage
The Oberlander family share details of the extraordinary life of H. Peter Oberlander (1922-2008).
febRuaRy 2009, v.54 n.02
main enTRance To The peTeRboRough RegionaL heaLTh cenTRe. phoTogRaph by RichaRd Johnson. coVer
The NaTioNal Review of DesigN aND PRacTice/ The JouRNal of RecoRD of The Raic
02/09 canadian architect
IAN CHODIKOFF
VIEWPOINT
EDITOR IAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, MRAIC ASSOCIATE EDITOR LESLIE JEN, MRAIC EDITORIAL ADVISORS JOHN MCMINN, AADIPL. MARCO POLO, OAA, MRAIC CHARLES WALDHEIM, OALA(HON.), FAAR
A WOMAN POSES ON A PUBLIC SECTION OF JUMEIRAH BEACH, AS THE EXPANDING DUBAI SKYLINE RISES IN THE BACKGROUND.
ABOVE
Ht km`^pmnjm oj qdndodib ?p]\d ]`b\i \ a`r _\tn ]`ajm` rc`i' di `\mgt E\ip\mt' D r\n diq`nodb\odib G` >jm]pnd`mĂ?n c\i_drjmf di >c\i_db\mc' Di_d\) R\gfdib \^mjnn \ nhjbbt' _`njg\o` ad`g_' D ^\h` \^mjnn orj h`i di oc`dm hd_(-+n rcj r`m` kcjoj( bm\kcdib >jm]Ă?n N`^m`o\md\o) Ă&#x152;Tjp hpno ]` \i \m^cdo`^o'Ă? oc`t no\o`_) Do nj c\kk`in oc\o oc`t r`m` `^jijhd^ h`m^`i\md`n' m`^`io \m^cdo`^opm` bm\_p\o`n rcj r`m` ]`bdiidib oc`dm ^\m``mn \o oc` ?p]\d jaad^` ja <`_\n' \ admh nk`^d\gdudib di cdbc( mdn` ojr`mn \i_ dinodopodji\g rjmf di oc` Pido`_ <m\] @hdm\o`n) Oc`n` orj rd_`(`t`_ \m^cdojpmdnon r`m` i`mqjpn \]jpo rc`oc`m jm ijo oc`dm ej]n rjpg_ nodgg `sdno pkji oc`dm m`opmi) Rc`i \mmdqdib di ?p]\d' do dhh`_d\o`gt ]`^\h` \kk\m`io oc\o oc` ]gjjh r\n jaa ocdn _`n`mo mjn`) <o oc` H\gg ja oc` @hdm\o`nĂ&#x2039;cjh` oj oc` a\hjpn di_jjm nfd cdggĂ&#x2039;Mpnnd\i ^g`mfn rjmfdib \o >c\i`g r`m` `\b`mgt ^poodib _`\gn rdoc `q`i oc` hjno ^\np\g ja ncjkk`mn) Di amjio ja No\m]p^fn' tjpib R`no`mi rjh`i \dhg`nngt kpnc`_ oc`dm =pb\]jj nomjgg`mn ocmjpbc oc` h\gg rcdg` oc`dm cpn]\i_n m\^`_ \gjib Nc`dfc U\t`_ Mj\_Ă&#x2039;oc` h\di ?p]\d \mo`md\g oc\o dn hjm` npk`mcdbcr\t oc\i cdbc nom``oĂ&#x2039;di oc`dm Kjmn^c` NPQn `i mjpo` oj h\mf`o \ijoc`m m`\g(`no\o` _`q`gjkh`io kmjkjn\g jm oj diomj_p^` \ijoc`m m`o\dg ^ji^`ko oj oc` m`bdji) Ij]j_t lp`nodjin ?p]\dĂ?n ^jhhdoh`io oj ]pdg_Ă&#x2039;rc`oc`m do dn h\i(h\_` dng\i_n' oc`h` k\mfn' jm \modad^d\g h\mdi\n' ]po oc`m` \m` ^`mo\digt ndbin oc\o oc` `^jijht dn ]`bdiidib oj ^m\^f) Iph`mjpn m`kjmon \i_ kctnd^\g `qd_`i^` di_d^\o` oc\o njh` kmjk`mod`n di ?p]\d c\q` _mjkk`_ /+ k`m^`io di q\gp` ndi^` N`ko`h]`m) <m^cdo`^opm` \i_ `ibdi``mdib admhn \m` g\tdib k`jkg` jaa) =po oc`m` dn \ ^jiom\no oj oc` r`\goc ja ?p]\d' rc`m` ocjpn\i_n ja hdbm\io rjmf`mn \gnj gdq` \i_ rjmf) Oc`m` dn `q`i \ n`^ji_\mt mj\_ i`orjmf pn`_ ]t oc` ^jinomp^odji ^m`rn \i_ pi_`m^g\nn ^dm^p( g\odib epno jpond_` oc` ^dot) G\no a\gg' 2'0++ hdbm\io rjmf`mn r`m` `hkgjt`_ ji oc` ^jinomp^odji ndo` ja =pme ?p]\d \gji` #oc` rjmg_Ă?n o\gg`no nomp^opm` kd^opm`_ \]jq`$) Oc` dhhdbm\io g\]jpm ^jh`n g\mb`gt amjh Di_d\' K\fdno\i' =\ibg\_`nc' >cdi\ 8 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 02/09
\i_ oc` Kcdgdkkdi`n) Mjpbcgt ocm`` t`\mn \bj' jq`m -'0++ rjmf`mn mdjo`_' ^\pndib \ghjno PN , hdg( gdji di _\h\b`n \ao`m oc`dm ]pn`n r`m` _`g\t`_ \o oc` `i_ ja oc`dm ncdaon) Oc`dm ampnom\odji dn pi_`m( no\i_\]g`) Oc` _daa`m`i^` ]`or``i oc` gdq`n ja oc`n` k`jkg` \i_ oc` r`gg(c``g`_ ajm`dbi `sk\on ^jpg_ ijo ]` bm`\o`m) Do dn \ ^jhhji ndbco oj n`` cdbc(k`majmh\i^` \pojhj]dg`n jq`mo\fdib _dg\kd_\o`_ ]pn`n a`mmtdib rjmf`mn oj oc`dm km`( a\] cjh`n di oc` _`n`mo) C\n oc`m` t`o oj ]` \it \m^cdo`^o rdggdib oj ^mdodlp` oc` \m^cdo`^opm` kmj( _p^`_ di oc` @hdm\o`n: Di ,440' M`h Fjjgc\\n rmjo` \i `nn\t ji Ă&#x152;oc` b`i`md^ ^dot'Ă? \ nkm\rgdib h`omjkjgdo\i cp] ja ]\i\g ]pdg_dibn n`mqd^`_ ]t \ ]pnt \dmkjmo \i_ di( c\]do`_ ]t bgj]\g ijh\_nĂ&#x2039;oc` bmjpk ja `^jijhd^ h`m^`i\md`n fijri \n Ă&#x152;oc` `sk\o)Ă? Ndib\kjm` dn \ ^g\nnd^ `s\hkg` ja Ă&#x152;oc` b`i`md^ ^dotĂ?Ă&#x2039;\ kg\^` rc`m` D ji^` rjmf`_ \i_ rc`m` D kpm^c\n`_ ht ^jiom\]\i_ ^jkt ja Fjjgc\\nĂ?n N'H'G'SG' rm\kk`_ di fm\ao k\k`m) Fjjgc\\n \mbp`_ oc\o oc` n\h`i`nn ja \ b`i`md^ ^dot gdf` Ndib\kjm` jm ?p]\d r\n \ hjm` \^^pm\o` m`ag`^odji ja ^jio`hkjm\mt pm]\i m`\gdot oc\i om\_dodji\g bgj]\g ^dod`n gdf` Gji_ji jm I`r Tjmf) C` c\n \ kjdio) Di ?p]\d' tjp jm_`m \ ^pk ja ^jaa`` amjh \i <mh`id\i' \ Idb`md\i h\f`n do' \i Pu]`fdno\id n`mq`n do' \i_ \i Dm\ld ^g`\in oc` o\]g`) >jhdib amjh Ă&#x152;hpgod^pgopm\gĂ? >\i\_\' D a`go kmjqdi^d\g ]t ^jhk\mdnji) =po Fjjgc\\n h\t t`o c\q` \i diagp`i^` di ?p]\d) Cdn R\o`mamjio >dot' \ ,)0(]dggdji(nlp\m`( ajjo h\no`m kg\i' dn \i \oo`hko oj m`kgd^\o` oc` _`indot ja H\ic\oo\i ji \i \modad^d\g dng\i_ epno jaa ?p]\d) Dn Fjjgc\\n jaa`mdib \ ^mdodlp` ja ?p]\dĂ?n `s^`nn' jm dn c` omtdib oj adi_ njh` ajmh ja jkod( hdnh di oc` di`qdo\]g` bmjroc oc\o c\n ]``i j^^pm( mdib di oc` m`bdji: Cdn kmjkjn\g h\t ]mdib oj oc` ajm`amjio oc` _p\gdot ja \ Ă&#x152;b`i`md^ ^dotĂ? oc\o i``_n ]joc oc` md^c \i_ kjjm oj agjpmdnc) <go`mi\odq`gt' \n ?p]\dĂ?n `^jijht ]`bdin oj a\go`m' do h\t ndhkgt ]`^jh` oc` Q`id^` ja oc` -,no ^`iopmtĂ&#x2039;\ ^dot oc\o r\n ji^` \ ^`iom` ja oc` bgj]\g `^jijht) IAN CHODIKOFF
ICHODIKOFF@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS GAVIN AFFLECK, OAQ, MRAIC HERBERT ENNS, MAA, MRAIC DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS HALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAA MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE WINNIPEG HERBERT ENNS, MAA REGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAA CALGARY DAVID A. DOWN, AAA EDMONTON BRIAN ALLSOPP, AAA PUBLISHER TOM ARKELL 416-510-6806 SALES MANAGER GREG PALIOURAS 416-510-6808 CIRCULATION MANAGER BEATA OLECHNOWICZ 416-442-5600 EXT. 3543 CUSTOMER SERVICE MALKIT CHANA 416-442-5600 EXT. 3539 PRODUCTION JESSICA JUBB GRAPHIC DESIGN SUE WILLIAMSON VICE PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING ALEX PAPANOU PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP BRUCE CREIGHTON HEAD OFFICE 12 CONCORDE PLACE, SUITE 800, TORONTO, ON M3C 4J2 TELEPHONE 416-510-6845 FACSIMILE 416-510-5140 E-MAIL EDITORS@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM WEB SITE WWW.CANADIANARCHITECT.COM Canadian Architect is published monthly by Business Information Group, a division of BIG Magazines LP, a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. The editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose. Subscription Rates Canada: $52.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $83.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (GST â&#x20AC;&#x201C; #809751274RT0001). Price per single copy: $6.95. Students (prepaid with student I.D., includes taxes): $32.50 for one year. USA: $101.95 U.S. for one year. All other foreign: $103.95 U.S. per year. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls, NY 143045709. Periodicals Postage Paid at Niagara Falls, NY. USPS #009-192. US postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Architect, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Canadian Architect, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2. Postmaster: please forward forms 29B and 67B to 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Telephone 1-800-668-2374 Facsimile 416-442-2191 E-mail privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2 MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS PRESS MEMBER OF THE AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40069240 ISSN 0008-2872
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Vicwest ad 03-butterfly:Layout 1
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news
PrOjects atelier taG and jodoin Lamarre Pratte to design saint-hubert Library.
The commission for the new library in the borough of Saint-Hubert in Longueuil, Quebec has been awarded to the design consortium of Montreal firms Atelier TAG and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes, who will incorporate a variety of context- and sustainability-related measures that harness wind, sun, geothermal and rainwater technologies. The 2,000-square-metre facility is situated on a wooded, windy lot. As a result, the architects developed the design parti of a “flying carpet,” where the roofline is folded to accommodate the prevailing winds. Extensive solar studies resulted in the provision of perforated wood slats along the exterior to help modulate the intensity of the sun while reducing glare inside. Various spatial qualities of the forest are translated into the function of the building: the open plan of the ground floor is inspired by the concept of the forest floor; on the upper levels, the verticality of the wood slats are inspired by tree trunks; and at the north end of the library, the porous design of the roof recalls the experience of peering at the sky through a canopy of trees. The children’s area forms the geographic heart of the building, and the building’s circulation promenade terminates with a reading room capturing views of the Montérégie region beyond. Including all site work and landscaping, the construction budget is $11.6 million. Construction is expected to begin in July 2009 with the library becoming operational by the summer of 2010. henriquez Partners architects proposes scheme to end Vancouver’s homelessness.
Stop Gap Housing is a new idea being proposed by Vancouver architect Gregory Henriquez to end Vancouver’s homelessness problem through the rapid construction of temporary pre-fabricated housing. Henriquez’s proposal calls for a motellike village with 48 suites clustered around a central courtyard that features a manager’s office, a covered patio, and a second-storey meeting room. Vancouver’s exploding homelessness
problem is rising faster than what BC Housing can build. According to Henriquez, the problem has to do with permitting, which can take several years for a typical social-housing project. Through a temporary, renewable 12-month permitting process and a schedule utilizing a pre-fab construction process, Henriquez wants to build 1,000 units of Stop Gap Housing on eight city sites within the next year. He has the support of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who has promised to work towards ending homelessness in the city. The Tyee online journal estimates that, if combined with the reopening of almost 500 hotel rooms recently identified by the Carnegie Community Action Project, the Stop Gap Housing scheme would provide enough homes for nearly all of the 1,547 individuals found in Vancouver during the spring 2008 homeless count. And the cost of building these 1,000 units would be less than what the city and province are currently paying to administer to those same people on the street. BC taxpayers currently spend an average of $55,000 per year in health, corrections and social services for each of the estimated 11,750 homeless people in the province, according to a 2008 study by Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction. Henriquez’s Stop Gap Housing could be built for less than $40,000 per unit, excluding the price of land, which could be provided by the city or funded by the province.
awards Phyllis Lambert design Montreal Grant: call for applications to young professionals.
The call for applications for the annual Phyllis Lambert Design Montreal Grant has been announced. Destined for young design professionals, this grant aims to acknowledge and promote the talent of emerging Montreal designers and foster their professional recognition. The winner will receive a $10,000 award to fund a professional development project in one of the cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, of which Montreal is a member. The Phyllis Lambert Design Montreal Grant rewards the talent of a
GreGory Henriquez’s stop Gap HousinG proposal intends to Help eliminate Homelessness in VancouVer; atelier taG and Jodoin lamarre pratte HaVe been awarded tHe commission to desiGn a new library in saintHubert, quebec. aBOVe, LeFt tO riGht
young Montreal designer with fewer than 10 years’ professional practice, having demonstrated exceptional quality in studies and work as well as a marked interest in the city. Created by the City of Montreal in 2008, the deadline for submission is April 14, 2009. The application form and eligibility criteria are available at www.designmontreal.com. The announcement of the winner will be made in June 2009. www.designmontreal.com Bc architect wins canada’s top business award for female entrepreneurs.
Teresa Coady, Chief Executive Officer and founding partner of the Vancouver-based architectural practice of Bunting Coady Architects, has been named as a winner of the 2008 RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards (CWEA). Established in 1992, these awards are conferred on leading female entrepreneurs whose successful business achievements have contributed significantly to the Canadian and global economies, as well as to their own community. Coady is the only architect to have ever received this honour and is one of only a handful of women running a fullservice architectural practice in Canada. A leading pioneer of sustainable and energy-efficient design, Coady’s vision to create “Living, Breathing Buildings” which enhance the environment— is the philosophy behind the work of Bunting Coady Architects. The firm has more square footage of LEED® NC Gold-certified institutional and commercial projects than any other firm in North America and has won over 50 awards for design quality and building performance. Teresa Coady is the only architect to serve on the BC provincial government’s Climate Action Team (CAT), which is developing strategies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province of British Columbia. She has acted as an advisor to 02/09 canadian architect
11
the British Columbia Energy Code and the National Energy Code. A board member of the Cascadia Chapter of the United States Green Building Council, Coady is the acclaimed author of a number of articles and academic papers. www.buntingcoady.com
cOMPetitiOns affordable seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; housing ideas design competition.
The goal of this competition is to showcase ideas and/or concepts of innovative seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; housing design at the ASHRA Seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Housing Needs Conference later this year. This collaborative research project involves over 75 organizations and five universities from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. The research will determine the housing needs and choices, both existing and emerging, for our aging population. Policy recommendations will then be developed to help satisfy these needs in the future. There are three prizes as follows: 1st prize of $5,000; 2nd prize of $3,000; and best student entry wins $2,000. Any potential entrant must advise the competition information officer at info@ashra.ca by 12:00 noon AST on March 2, 2009 of their intent to submit an entry. All entries for the competition are to be postmarked no later than 12:00 noon AST on March
31, 2009. All winning entries will be presented at the Atlantic Seniorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Housing Needs Conference in Halifax in 2009. www.msvu.ca/ASHRA/pdf/CompGuidelines_ FINAL.pdf
whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new canada Green Building council and Bc hydro collaborate on energy efficiency.
These two organizations have launched a joint effort to improve the design, construction and operation of buildings in British Columbia. They will work together to: develop customer-focused programs for energy conservation for buildings; increase the number and skill level of industry professionals focused on energy efficiency through joint training programs; create demonstration projects featuring sustainable communities and energy infrastructure; and look for opportunities to promote the LEEDÂŽ green building rating system in conjunction with Power Smart. BC Hydro is working to make BC electricity self-sufficient by 2016 and will meet 50 percent of new electricity demand through conservation by 2020.
addendUM In reference to the winners of the 2008 Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence (see CA, December
2008), it has come to our attention that, at the time of submission to our magazine, the client who initially commissioned Patkau Architects Inc. to design Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church had no intention to build the proposal. Therefore, according to the rules of eligibility clearly expressed on the 2008 entry form for the Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence, the submitted design is considered ineligible and will not receive an Award of Excellence. While Patkau Architects Inc. were initially commissioned by the client on November 21, 2007 to produce the design recognized by the jury, the contract between the client and architect was mutually terminated on April 15, 2008â&#x20AC;&#x201D;several months before the submission deadline for our awards program. It should be noted that the friendly termination of the agreement was due to the fact that, in the opinion of the Parish Building Committee, the design â&#x20AC;&#x153;did not meet the parish requirements with respect to the design of a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;traditionalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Catholic church and the architect was not prepared to modify his position sufficiently beyond the presentation of a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;contemporaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; church.â&#x20AC;? Since a new design by another architect for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church has been released into the public realm, Canadian Architect regrets causing any confusion for the parish, the client, and the general community of Port Coquitlam, BC.
The Future of Building With a number of disparate, often geographically distributed organizations involved in the delivery of construction projects, there has been considerable interest in e-business tools within the construction industry. These tools open up a range of possibilities for the industry to rethink existing processes and working methods, so their use is increasingly common. Nevertheless, there has been little definitive guidance on the major issues in electronic business from a construction perspective. With a fine blend of theoretical and practical aspects of e-commerce in construction, and well illustrated with a number of industrial case studies, e-Business in Construction will find an appreciative audience of construction practitioners, researchers and students at all levels. Readers will also benefit from further coverage on legal matters, technological issues and implementation. s #LOTH s PP s s !UGUST
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room to read
a resort community welcomes a long-awaited public facility that unites its diverse population. Whistler Public library, Whistler, british columbia hughes condon marler: architects teXt leslie Jen photos martin tessler proJect
architect
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Known by most as a winter playground for the wealthy, the town of Whistler is, in fact, an intriguing community with a diverse population. Currently numbering at around 10,000 full-time residents, the village also employs 2,500-3,000 transient/seasonal workers. With a steady stream of part-time residents and tourists, the population averages close to 30,000, and during peak periods, can swell to an astonishing 55,000. Its popularity is understandable: one of the Great White North’s most frequented resort destinations, Whistler offers breathtaking mountain scenery along with fantastic skiing, hiking and rock-climbing opportunities. Consequently, the last 15 years have witnessed a massive construction boom, with high-end condominiums sprouting up in and around the town, jockeying for position with the countless hotels, bars and restaurants servicing outdoor adventure-seekers from around the world. The maturation and growth of the community has necessitated expansion of its public facilities. Housed in a portable structure since the late 1980s, the original Whistler Public Library was located in the heart of what is now a densely built-up village. As this was never intended to be a long-term solution, the community has been in discussions concerning a new library building since the early 1990s. In 2002, Hughes Condon Marler: Architects (HCMA) was retained to tackle a dual program comprising both library and museum functions. Differences in process and objective between library and museum stalled the project indefinitely, which eventually resulted in the two institutions going their separate ways. In 2004, the library project alone was resurrected, with HCMA once again at the helm, steering the project over the next few years through a rigorous and integrated design process that engaged the community and public at large. Despite the rugged and majestic geographical context of Whistler, increased development over the years has resulted in a definite urban quality to the town. Public transit is excellent, and a number of pedestrian-friendly plazas along with an extensive path network called the “Village Stroll” successfully link the buildings together. California-based landscape architect Eldon Beck is largely responsible for the community’s design, having been retained as one of Whistler’s original planners in the 1970s. Influenced by the ideology of Christopher Alexander, Beck advocated for the inclusion of many human-scaled elements such as benches and low walls to encourage a real sense of community interaction and engagement. In fact, deferential to Beck even to this day, the project’s clients insisted that the HCMA design team fly to the US to present the scheme to the venerable guru in his California office for his approval. Initially meeting with resistance, principal Darryl Condon eventually
A sun-drenched civic plAzA drAws visitors into the highly ArticulAted mAin entrAnce of the librAry. top structurAl hemlock members give drAmAtic expression to the soAring roofline in the mAin spAce. above the librAry glows At night, set AgAinst the trees in the AdjAcent pArk And the distAnt mountAins. opposite
won Beck over through an articulate and wellreasoned presentation. Constructed on what was the second-last undeveloped parcel of land in the village—a former surface parking lot close to where the old library portable sat, the new L-shaped library responds to both the urban fabric of the village and the adjacent densely forested park—the largest in Whistler Village. With the main entry facing south towards Main Street, the library is nestled
within a fairly dense cluster of hotels all accessible from the pedestrianized Village Stroll. A civic plaza draws visitors into the vestibule and through a set of doors to the main stacks area, where the real drama of the space unfolds. Sloping up towards the north, the exposed structure of the soaring roof is rhythmically expressed in hemlock. A high-performance curtain wall offers unimpeded views of the evergreens in the adjacent park as well as distant views of Sprott Moun02/09 canadian architect
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pronounced tectonic expression typicAl of west coAst Architecture is evident in this northeAst corner view. top right the north elevAtion illustrAtes the Anchoring presence of the stone fireplAce, which contrAsts with the lifting roof plAnes And the trAnspArent lightness of the curtAin wAll. middle right A close-up view cAptures the mAteriAlity of the building And its structurAl connections. opposite tAken from the end-of-trip entry At the librAry’s northeAst corner, this view reveAls the covered ArcAde leAding visitors up to the front of the building. above
tain, and allows the space to be suffused with even north light, ideal for reading and other tasks. Project architect Bill Uhrich maintains that there is a dual aspect the project: while the library is ostensibly about books, information, and technology in sustaining and promoting the intellectual culture of Whistler, it is equally about its relationship to site and the larger context of the mountains. HCMA examined European precedents to facilitate a strong connection to the outdoors and to mountain culture, looking specifically at the architecture of the Alps. Consequently, light and views of the surrounding 16 canadian architect 02/09
mountains are always present, and two outdoor reading terraces reinforce the perpetual connection to the outdoors, as does the sheltered arcade that runs along the east elevation. Numerous sustainability strategies were implemented to create the greenest building possible. The provision of end-of-trip facilities encourages non-vehicular forms of transportation like cycling, and as such, bicycle parking, change rooms, lockers and washrooms are located on the lowest level, accessed through a separate entrance at the northeast corner of the building. In addition to a green roof, deep overhangs on the south and east elevations minimize solar
gain, which is major consideration during Whistler’s surprisingly hot, dry summers. The heavy timber construction respects the vernacular building tradition of the area, but the uncommon use of hemlock represents a more sustainable choice than other woods that are typically used, such as Douglas fir and cedar. But to compensate for hemlock’s structural inconsistencies, the HCMA team developed an innovative roof system of prefabricated laminated panels that were vertically staggered to address this shortcoming. This allows for a shallow structural zone, reducing exterior cladding quantities while maximizing light and views. Strategies such as these will likely earn the building a LEED Gold rating. Another project advancement is the counterintuitive choice to go against the steeply pitched roofs that characterize the region. Heavy, wet snow can weigh as much as 160 pounds per square foot, resulting in inordinately high roofloading situations. HCMA sought the advice of a snow-management consultant, who suggested keeping as much snow on the roof as possible, to take advantage of the insulatory properties of the snow, and to minimize the amount of snow dump on the ground, which would otherwise impede
client resort municipAlity of whistler architect team dArryl condon, bill uhrich, kurt mclAren, juliA mogensen, jAy lin, kAynA merchAnt structural fAst + epp structurAl engineers mechanical stAntec engineering electrical Acumen engineering landscape phillips fArevAAg smAllenberg cost consultant hAnscomb code consultant lmdg building envelope consultant rdh group builder whistler construction compAny ground floor area 1,400 m2 budget $12 m completion jAnuAry 2008
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pedestrian circulation. The resulting folded roof plane keeps snow on the roof and off the ground at critical entry points into the building, giving the library a more authentic formal expression unique amongst the identical cookie-cutter chalets that dot the village. Unfortunately, Whistler has acquired an unsettling Disneyfied quality typical of most Intrawest resorts: Blue Mountain, Tremblant, Panorama ... the list goes on. As an antidote, the Whistler Public Library represents a courageous deviation from the global sameness and forced quaintness of the unrelenting flat pastel stucco façades, and remains true to Whistler’s original planning principles. Additionally, it rewards the community for its resilience, initiative and independent spirit with a truly democratic place of gathering and learning. Tourists and residents—both permanent and transient—have responded overwhelmingly: over the past year, the number of daily visitors has increased by 300% from about 300 to roughly 1,000 per day. And for their efforts, HCMA can bask in the glory of receiving the 2008 Real Cedar Award from the Canadian Wood Council this past November. ca
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Oars tO the GrOund a new rOwinG facility flOats Gently On the fraser river, and the bifurcated structure reflects the physics Of the spOrt itself. John M.S. Lecky UBc BoathoUSe, RichMond, BRitiSh coLUMBia LaRRy McFaRLand aRchitectS Ltd. teXt adeLe WedeR phOtOs deRek LeppeR prOJect
architect
Nestled on the middle bank of Fraser River, the John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse subverts the usual bankside paradigm of architecture-asfixed-anchor. Instead of attempting an illusory defiance of its site, the design team has conceived the Boathouse as a structure in sync with the sandy soil and shifting tides. With a simple palette of glass, metal and wood, the architects devised a kind of nautical architecture that works in much the same way as the boats themselves. Lead architect and former rower Craig Duffield points to “the moment of athletic poise, of athletic flexion” in rowing, where the rowers alternately pull and thrust, and then pick up enough speed for the boat itself to lift slightly off the water. Neither the marina nor the building is anchored to the earth on immoveable piers. This is a floating dock that rises and falls with the tides, as does the structure adjoining it. The Boathouse itself is a strategically bifurcated structure. The physical act of rowing is based on 18 canadian architect 02/09
the flexion point between the thrust and pull of the oars. The symbolic and also practical architectural correlation is the junction point between the two building components, a flexible “drawbridge.” This dualmodule concept expresses in symbolic terms the double-beat rhythm of the sport, but also allows the practical functioning of the building as “floating architecture.” The project is primarily a conflation of dock, boat shed, locker/ showers, offices and an events hall, the latter being the cash cow to subsidize the operating costs of the rest of the building. It’s a programme that is more complex than one might think, involving sculls— those competition-minded boats that require a lot more consideration in their circulation and storage than your average Canadian Tire canoe. The dauntingly long, narrow and expensive vessels—nautical hotrods, really—are engineered to move fast through the water with minimal
effort, but also remain light enough for the rowers to carry and hoist onto the brackets in the boat shed. Moreover, at $30-40,000 a pop, the configuration of the path from boat to bay becomes critical: the diagonal positioning of the floating dock helps not only expedite the boats coming in, but also avoid dings and outright crashes. (It’s not surprising that Duffield has serious rowing experience under his belt—in fact, it was an essential qualification for the project). The design team selected translucent polycarbonite panels to wall the boat shed, a choice at once functional and aesthetic. The translucent panels allow copious daylight into the garage such that on the overcast day of my visit, no artificial lighting was needed to navigate the space or hoist the boats up on and down from their bracket frames. It’s a proverbial green gesture, but it also means that a group of rowers straggling into the garage with a $40,000 scull in their grasp need not risk fumbling for a light switch. And, from inside and outside, the panels are quite simply beautiful: luminous, like water. The luminescence of the polycarbonite panelling is one of many characteristics that hint, not holler, at the purpose of the project. “I disdained forms that look like upside-down boats,” insists Duffield. Still, the massing gently evokes the form of a boat, not only in the swell of the roofline but also in the contiguous line of the steel fascia that runs across the top of the building, which transforms into a supporting beam and then continues into an elliptical arc supporting the brise-soleil of the upper deck. The cedar slats of the brise-soleil in turn serve to frame the otherwise bleak vista. Across this arm of the Fraser River, there is little more than scrub and scattered housing to look at, but the cropping of this stark expanse transforms it into a postcard of nautical charm. With its clean simplicity and floor-to-ceiling glazing, the event hall opens up a panoramic river view. The ceiling is a splendid expanse of Douglas fir. Below the curved clerestory, an otherwise neutral space is enriched by a frieze with a fish-motif bas-relief sculpture created by Musqueam artist Susan Point. The one odd note is the faux-wood laminate flooring. The choice was predicated by cost considerations. But with real wood used strategically and sparingly elsewhere, and honest industrial materials like corrugated steel used for the cladding, it would have seemed more appropriate to specify a straightforward coloured laminate than an apologetic stand-in for hardwood. Overall, however, the Boathouse is a smartly designed, light-infused structure with uncommon sensitivity to the end users. Glass-walled offices are suffused in daylight and offer a generous river view to the administration staff. The event hall is carefully calibrated to draw paying crowds for parties and celebrations that help bankroll the building’s operating costs. Most Floating gently on the Fraser river, the new boathouse glows brilliantly at night. riGht, tOp tO bOttOM translucent polycarbonite panels provide lots oF natural light into the boat bay storage area; a cedar guardrail and screen assembly on the second-Floor viewing deck; a southwest view oF the new boathouse. OppOsite
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the viewing deck looking out toward the Fraser river; handsome structural detailing characterizes the interior oF the event hall.
client university oF british columbia architect teaM craig duFField (design architect + project architect), carrie gratland, susanne hunter, david kitazaki, alvin martin, penny martyn, larry s. mcFarland (principal), dean shwedyk, robert whetter structural (superstructure) Fast & epp structural engineers structural (flOats & GanGways) all-span engineering and construction ltd. Mechanical stantec consulting ltd. electrical cobalt engineering civil p.s. turje & associates ltd. builder (superstructure) kindred construction ltd. builder (flOatinG structure) international marine Floatation systems inc. cOde cOnsultant gage-babcock and associates ltd. GeOtechnical cOnsultant trow associates inc. Marine cOnsultant westmar consultants inc. area 1,920 m2 budGet $3.985 m cOMpletiOn june 2007
left, tOp tO bOttOM
crucially, the project has a good, tight feelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the sense that space is modulated with careful precision and economy, with a focus on the highest possible efficiencyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;much like the design of an Olympic-calibre racing scull. ca Adele Weder is an architectural critic and curator based in British Columbia.
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at the crossroads
a new regional health centre rethinks the idea of patient care and connection to the community. proJect Peterborough regional health Centre, Peterborough, ontario architect StanteC arChiteCture ltd. teXt ian Chodikoff photos riChard JohnSon
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The provision of adequate health care remains a high priority for Canadians. But despite the billions of dollars being spent on new hospital facilities, the expedient process of building hospitals is resulting in mediocre architecture that responds only to bureaucratic design guidelines established by provin cial governments. This process rarely addresses the less tangible but no less important characteristics of “pride of place” and “community.” Fortunately, there are a few notable exceptions, such as the recently completed Peterbor ough Regional Health Centre, a project led by Michael Moxam of Stantec’s Toronto office. Awarded to Moxam’s firm in 2000, the $205million, 715,000squarefoot health facility was completed in August 2008. Built adjacent to the existing hospital, the 494bed acutecare facility is nearly three times the size of the original facility. Moxam, who has also designed
healthcare facilities in Chatham, Toronto and Ottawa, is becoming increas ingly well known as an expert in designing forwardthinking healthcare communities. His firm, along with Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, recently won a 2008 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence for their thorough design strategy for Bridgepoint Health, a complex healthcare facility and urban regeneration project just east of Toronto’s Don River. Located about 90 minutes northeast of Toronto, the city of Peterborough (pop. 75,000) is situated in the picturesque Kawartha Region, an area charac terized by sublime views overlooking rolling hills, lakes and marshland. Peter borough, like many other communities within the Kawarthas, evolved from the establishment of rural crossroads or “corners” used by the agricultural or dairy farmers in the region. Driving through the area today, one can still dis
opposite one of many delightful CourtyardS SCattered throughout the hoSPital. theSe outdoor SPaCeS orient Staff and PatientS by eStabliShing a viSual ConneCtion to the outdoorS and to other ProgrammatiC elementS in the faCility. aBoVe the main entry to the hoSPital iS deSigned to Convey the feel of a Community Centre, rather than an inStitutional building.
cover communities with names such as Fowlers Corners, Precious Corners or Mathers Corners. In addition to its agricultural roots, Peterborough has a strong connection to both the Ottonabee River and the TrentSevern Water way. Consequently, numerous bridges have been built in the region, the most famous of which arguably remains the Faryon Bridge (1969) designed for the original Trent University campus by Ron Thom and Morden Yolles. 02/09 canadian architect
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aBoVe, top to Bottom Situated adJaCent to a light-filled library and aCCented with natural materialS like Cedar and quarried Stone, the main reCePtion area iS both warm and inviting; one of the many “CroSSroadS” or CirCulation interSeCtionS; in the Cafeteria, a viSual ConneCtion to the kawartha landSCaPe iS aChieved through roof deCkS and PanoramiC viewS.
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Located west of the downtown core, the 39acre hospital site overlooks the city of Peterborough. The main access to the site is through a ring road from the east, where the slope drops a height of 20 metres from end to end. The site’s topography is used to break down the mass of the building and to establish an appropriate community scale to the facility, thereby providing multilevel entrances fostering numerous public connections to the area, such as the surrounding singlefamily residential neighbourhoods to the north, west and south. Neighbours to the east include a nursing home, an apartment building, a medical clinic, a healthservice building, and a synagogue. Because housing mostly surrounds the site, neighbours were concerned that the buildings were going to be too tall. In actual fact, the new hospital is lower in height than the preexisting facility. The program for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre includes a fullservice healthcare facility offering diagnostic and treatment facili ties including rehabilitation, intensive care, emergency services, surgical services, ambulatory care and support services. The building itself is clad using a mix of locally quarried stone, red clay brick with steel channel inserts, and corrugated metal siding to reflect the rich industrial and agricultural traditions of the region. The design also includes numerous courtyards and roof gar dens that deinstitutionalize the feel of the facil ity while improving users’ orientation through a variety of visual experiences. The lake, the rocky outcroppings and the city’s historical connection to the idea of the crossroads influenced Moxam’s approach early on in the design process. The “crossroads” metaphor is largely achieved by the intersection of two main axes that converge in ways that are visible from many vantage points throughout the hospital. An eastwest path establishes a main entrance and the central lobby space is defined by a wall of locally quarried stone. Visitors can reconnect with the Kawartha landscape as they pass through the fully glazed lobby wall that faces east, offering wonderful panoramic views overlooking the city. The northsouth axis comprises the prime circu lation spine on all six levels of the hospital. To heighten the sense of crossroads, several interior courtyards help punctuate the building mass while bringing natural light deep into the building. Applying Moxam’s “bridges” metaphor, the northsouth axis through the new hospital passes through the internal courtyards and overlooks some of the public spaces below. In keeping with the intention to bring in nat ural daylight wherever possible, large expanses of glazing—both clear and fritted—are used to con nect patients, families, visitors and staff to the Peterborough community, creating a lively rehabilitative hospital environment. In the clinic al program areas where patient visits are frequent
or lengthy, panoramic views of the everchanging landscape in the Kawar thas are provided through large windows. The spectacular colours of the region’s trees during the fall season were the design inspiration for the col oured glass elements that punctuate the glazed enclosure surrounding the community courtyards. This leafinspired colour scheme can be found else where in the hospital, such as the inpatient and public areas, the cafeteria, courtyard and library spaces. To add warmth to the materiality of the facility, cedar slats were used to clad the underside of overhangs and some of the ceilings in the public areas. In addition to being a hospital, this new facility also needed to incorpor ate community facilities to host meetings. Moxam claims that on a per cap ita basis, Peterborough raises more money than any other city in Ontario.
clockwise from top left many of the hoSPital roomS inCorPorate lowered window SillS for the benefit of PatientS; funCtional imProvementS in the Patient roomS inClude monitoring, CommuniCation, and other wayS in whiCh doCtorS and Staff Can imProve Patient Care; the main lobby atrium PermitS a viSual ConneCtion between adminiStrative, mediCal and viSitorrelated aCtivitieS; the generouSly dimenSioned CirCulation SPineS of the hoSPital are fully glazed, Providing PatientS and Staff with viewS to the outdoorS along with the benefitS of natural daylight.
And since much of this charity work and philanthropy is healthrelated, it comes as no surprise that the Peterborough Regional Health Centre needed to accommodate local groups and community associations. The efficacy of 02/09 canadian architect
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inSPired by loCal arChiteCtural traditionS, wood, Stone, Corrugated metal and Steel ChannelS Provide a riCh material Palette in Several areaS of the hoSPital. right inSPired by the fall ColourS of the kawartha landSCaPe, Coloured glaSS helPS define one of the hoSPital’S many CirCulation interSeCtionS. opposite, middle and Bottom
client Peterborough regional health Centre architect team miChael moxam (ProJeCt PrinCiPal/deSign PrinCiPal), norm Crone (health-Care Planning PrinCiPal), StePhen PhilliPS (SuPPort ProJeCt PrinCiPal), anthony Cho (ProJeCt manager), eugene Chumakov (deSigner), george bitSakakiS, liSa gregg, ko van klaveren, kevin Plant, tommy ong, norma angel, terenCe tam, StaCy fleming, gordon martyShuk, ChriStine andrewS, grant maCeaCheron structural CarrutherS & wallaCe (a trow ComPany) mechanical/electrical h.h. anguS ltd. ciVil d.m. williS aSSoCiateS ltd. landscape baSterfield & aSSoCiateS landSCaPe arChiteCtS
interiors StanteC arChiteCture ltd. costing marShall & murray inC. code consultant larden muniak ConSulting inC. facility programmers agnew PeCkham & aSSoCiateS ltd. Building enVelope brook van dalen & aSSoCiateS limited acoustics aerCouStiCS engineering limited roof morriSon herShfield contractor elliSdon CorP. area 715,000 ft2 Budget $205 m completion auguSt 2008
hospital administration is another programmatic challenge that the Stantec design team addressed, resulting in the positioning of the main executive boardroom near a highly public area. This was motivated by a desire for the hospital to exist as a true community centre for Peterborough, one where a greater perception of transparency is expected from a modernday public institution. The complex and demanding programmatic requirements also meant that the Stantec design team broke up into a variety of smaller teams covering the broad challenges of intensive and complexcare units, public space, and food services. Various consultants joined the project team to offer their own specific expertise. The necessity of testing the level of design efficacy and programmatic resolution meant that the architects needed to build a fullscale nursing station in the basement of the preexisting hospital. This is the first time that Stantec had done anything like this for a hospital client, but the mockup was necessary to ensure that the stakeholders’ objectives were met. The mockup was also indispensable in testing new technological innovations in nursing and health care with the architects’ new designs. For example, ubiquitous hospital communication and monitoring devices like the traditional squawk boxes installed above patients’ beds have been re placed by newer generations of equipment, resulting in reduced ambient 1 main entranCe 2 PubliC lobby 3 Courtyard 4 library 5 Cafeteria 6 admitting 7 multi-faith Centre 8 mental health inPatient (level 1) 9 mediCal inPatient 10 SurgiCal inPatient 11 rehabilitation inPatient 12 Palliative Care inPatient 13 ComPlex Continuing Care
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
maternity CritiCal-Care reSPiratory ServiCeS Surgery day Surgery & ambulatory ProCedureS ambulatory ServiCeS dialySiS emergenCy diagnoStiC imaging rehabilitation theraPy orthoPaediCS onCology breaSt aSSeSSment
26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
CardiaC Catheterization PharmaCy laboratory Sterile ProCeSSing kitChen nutrition ServiCeS health reCordS Staff faCilitieS/ServiCeS offiCeS materialS management information teChnology morgue
noise in the patient wards and a more efficient means of monitoring patient progress. Because of this new technology, the Stantec team introduced new ways in which visual connections could be broadened to create a more patient and stafffriendly hospital environment. Simple modifications of the typical nursing station have been achieved to provide views in multiple directions. For a typical inpatient room, floortoceiling windows were installed adjacent to the patients’ beds to give them enhanced views of the outside world, without compromising the efficiency of the hospital room layout. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre was the last to use the tradition al Ministry of Health delivery system. The hospital was built using the largest stipulatedsum contract for a hospital that construction company EllisDon ever undertook. To guide the design and construction process along, Stantec went through a lot of rigorous exercises to ensure that the design integrity was kept intact. By the time the hospital officially opened, few compromises had to be made, and certainly, the importance of maintaining critical vistas to the exterior as well as the architectural concepts of the “bridge” and “crossroads” were preserved. In one instance, Moxam had to argue for extra wide corridors, which initially contravened the Ministry of Health’s tight space requirements for healthcare facilities. Nevertheless, the request was eventually allowed, and for the betterment of the project. This new healthcare facility illustrates the importance of designing highcalibre architecture for a smaller urban centre. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre has the warmth and appeal of a community centre, and it includes important design features that help both hospital patients and staff to remain connected to Peterborough and the surrounding land scape. We can only hope that more hospitals like this will continue to be built in the future. ca 02/09 canadian architect
27
If Your Customers Have Entran II Radiant Heating, They Could be Entitled to Cash Payments from a $324 Million Settlement There is a $324 million settlement to pay homeowners for claims related to defective hose used in radiant heating and snow melting systems. The hose, called Entran II, was also known as Twintran, Nytrace, Entran II Trace, Entran II Wire, Entran 2, Entran 2 Trace, and Entran 2 Wire. Claim payments vary depending upon the extent of the property damage and the type of installation, for example, in-slab or staple up. The maximum amount payable to any Claimant will be determined by multiplying the square footage of a floor area heated with a particular type of installation by the predetermined costs per square foot of remediating the system.
v Claimants who have or had severe property damage due to leaks in their systems could receive up to 50% or more of their maximum claim.
v Claimants who have or had less severe property damages including corrosion or other problems could receive up to 30% or more of their maximum claim. Homeowners who have Entran II hose but have not suffered damage may also file a claim.
Contact your customers to notify them of the benefits of this settlement and to assist them with their remediation.
The deadline for filing claims is November 19, 2009. Only customers who file a claim by that date can receive a cash payment. For More Information
Visit: www.entraniisettlement.com Call: 1-800-254-9222 or Write: Entran II Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 24, Minneapolis, MN 55440-0024
CirCle reply Card 23
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practice
WOrKinG SMarter An overview of net fees, lAbour And utilizAtion rAtes cAn improve your prActice’s profitAbility And efficiency.
text
rick linley
The profession of architecture has become a commodity in the minds of many, weakening the profession as a whole. If architecture is to have a significant impact on society and the environment, the profession must be stronger. And the path to a strong profession runs through the business engine of individual practices. Unfortunately, the business engine of professional firms is widely misunderstood, and its misuse or neglect by practice leaders is a limiting factor in building stronger, more influential organizations. The current state of the economy may provide firms with a unique opportunity to optimize practice. Profitability is a key driver of influence for the profession. It is not the only requirement but without profit, firms cannot be strong and influential on a sustainable basis. Profit = Net Fee - Expenses. That’s the business engine. Let’s take a hypothetical firm as shown in Figure 1 to explain the parts of the business engine in more detail. Figure 1 shows the three-year average results of a firm of 12 personnel. Net fees are the starting point. The net fees exclude consultants and other direct expenses such as check-sets, plots, and other non-reimbursables. Net fees also exclude reimbursable expenses such as travel, printing, permits and other expenses paid on behalf of the client. Net fees are what the firm has to work with after all these flow-through expenses are taken into account. Net fee is your fuel gauge. Work in process and fee backlog define how much fuel you have in the tank. The quality of those fees is also critical. If fee quality is poor, the chances of arriving at your profit destination are severely compromised. Direct labour is the first of two major expense categories. It is the raw cost of all the billable hours for you and your staff. It excludes personnel expenses such as dental, statutory holidays, CPP, EI, and other mandatory or customary benefits. Direct labour effectiveness is measured by the multiplier. The multiplier is like your speedometer. It is an indicator of how efficiently you are employing direct labour and it tells you how fast you are
going. The multiplier is calculated simply as Net Fee ÷ Direct Labour. Overhead is the second major expense category. It is the cost of all other aspects of running the practice. Overhead expenses include occupancy costs (rent, heat, power, etc.), benefit costs (statutory holidays, dental plans, etc.), consultants (legal, accounting, etc.), office equipment (hardware, software, copiers, plotters, etc.), promotional costs, taxes, and indirect labour. The overhead rate is used to measure how effectively all of your overhead resources are being deployed. The OH rate is simply Overhead Expenses ÷ Direct Labour. The single largest component of overhead is indirect labour, which is the cost of paying you and your staff for all non-billable hours. Indirect labour can amount to approximately 40-50% of all overhead costs. Indirect labour typically includes hours spent by project personnel who are between tasks or between projects. It also represents the majority of hours logged by support personnel such as marketing, office administration, accounting, etc. Since indirect labour is the largest component of overhead, it is measured separately. This measurement is known as the utilization rate. This is an indicator of how much time your staff is being deployed on billable work. The utilization rate is akin to a tachometer in that it indicates how hot you are running. The utilization rate is Direct Labour ÷ Total Labour. PSMJ Resources Inc. is one of several well-known A/E consulting firms that track key indicators in the industry. PSMJ’s survey provides benchmarks for key indicators. The median values taken from the 2007 survey were as follows: • • • • •
Net Fees per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Multiplier Overhead Rate Utilization Rate Profitability
FTEs 3-Year Average Net Fee
$ 1,000,000
@ 2.60 multiplier $384,615
Overhead
@ 1.50 OH Rate $576,923
Subtotal Expenses
Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes)
U Factor
Total Labour
Direct Labour
% NF
Reception/Admin.
1
0%
$
25,000
$
—
100%
Office Manager
2
6%
$
32,000
$
1,920
Expenses Direct Labour
No.
$118,126 3.09 1.60 60% 15%
Intern II
3
90%
$
30,000
$
27,000
38.5%
Intern III
4
90%
$
34,000
$
30,600
57.7%
Architect I
5
85%
$
36,000
$
30,600
$
961,538 96.2%
Architect I
6
85%
$
40,000
$
34,000
$
38,462
Architect II
7
85%
$
46,000
$
39,100
Architect III
8
85%
$
52,000
$
44,200
Technologist II
9
90%
$
45,000
$
40,500
Technologist III
10
87%
$
49,000
$
42,630
3.8%
Other Metrics Net Fee/FTE
@ 12.0 FTEs
$ 83,333
Indirect Labour
@ 70% U Rate
$164,835
16.5%
Jr. Principal (30%)
11
70%
$
70,000
$
49,000
Total Labour $
$549,451
54.9%
Sr. Principal (70%)
12
50%
$
90,000
$
45,000
Avg. comp./FTE
$ 45,788
Total
70%
$ 546,000 $
FiGure 1
30 canadian architect 02/09
FiGure 2
$ 384,550
45,750 avg. comp.
With an understanding of the business engine and the key metrics, you are able to make both strategic and day-to-day decisions about how to operate your practice more effectively. You only have three adjustments at your disposal—net fee, direct labour, and overhead. Each firm has unique goals reflected in its mission, vision and values. The net fee, direct labour and overhead targets you set for your practice must be aligned with your goals. Let’s take another look at the hypothetical firm to explore optimization options. Let’s assume that this firm has decided to reposition itself as a leader in two specific building types within a four-hour driving radius of its current location. It recognizes that it will need to change aspects of all three areas to ensure its goals are met. The best place to start is with a labour analysis of this firm as shown in Figure 2. The firm currently has 12 staff including two principals. Figure 2 shows that the utilization rate for the firm is currently 70%. This is significantly higher than a median firm in the PSMJ survey and likely means that the firm is running too hot. Running hot could mean investments in this firm’s future such as professional development and marketing are running behind, principals may be spending excessive time on non-strategic tasks, staff may be overworked which can lead to disgruntled clients, not to mention high staff turnover. Another aspect of this firm is that the average salary for principals and staff is quite low. In fact, the junior principal in this firm may be asking himself/herself if these new responsibilities are a reasonable risk/reward balance. Referring back to Figure 1 reveals that in addition to low compensation and high utilization, there is very little profit for the principals to share. This also means very little in the way of staff bonuses, growth potential, rainy-day funds, and return on investment. With profitability of 3.8% this hypothetical firm is underperforming. Thin margins may also mean that cash flow is a problem. Our hypothetical firm is most likely a weak practice that has very little influence in its community.
Net Fee
% NF $
925,000
100%
Expenses
Net Fee
% NF $ 1,000,000
100%
Expenses
Direct Labour
@ 2.65 multiplier $349,057
Overhead
@ 1.52 OH Rate $530,566
Subtotal Expenses
Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes)
37.7%
Direct Labour
@ 2.80 multiplier $357,143
57.4%
Overhead
@ 1.50 OH Rate $535,714
$
879,623 95.1%
Subtotal Expenses
$
45,377
Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes)
4.9%
Other Metrics
35.7% 53.6%
$ $
892,857 89.3% 107,143
10.7%
Other Metrics
Net Fee/FTE
@ 11.0 FTEs
$ 84,091
Indirect Labour
@ 69% U Rate
$156,823
Total Labour $
$505,879
Avg. comp./FTE
$ 45,989
FiGure 3
Optimization is not a linear process. Net fees, direct labour and overhead must be optimized simultaneously, but the highest leverage place to start optimizing is by critically reviewing the quality of this firm’s net fees. Net-fee quality is more important than quantity. It does not make any sense to take on more fees and the risk associated with those fees unless it can be done more profitably. Although it may seem counterintuitive, the most effective way to optimize is to reduce fees in the short term by walking away from unprofitable clients. Our current economic situation may help to facilitate these decisions. Once the quality of net fees is stabilized, this firm can consider increasing the quantity of revenue by increasing its service offering, diversifying its areas of specialty, expanding geographically, or a myriad of other strategies. Figure 3 shows the impact of actually reducing net fees but increasing fee quality. Note the increase in multiplier as a result of focusing on higher-margin work. After net fee, the next best place to optimize is direct labour as measured by the multiplier. Strategies include reducing staff count, outsourcing, changing the skills mix, introducing improved design, technical and project management methodologies, improving information technology infrastructure, and a myriad of other possible operational interventions. If direct labour is optimized it makes sense to also increase fee quantity as long as fee quality is not compromised. The third and final place to optimize is overhead. Optimizing overhead is not just about reducing costs—in some cases increased costs may be warranted. Utilization is the first place to start. Again it may seem counterintuitive, but this firm should increase its non-billable hours so that more time can be invested in business development to generate higher-quality fees. In addition, training and professional development should receive investment funds so that projects can be delivered more efficiently and with higher value to clients. Other expenses that warrant a review are variable and fixed costs such as benefits, rent, office equipment, IT, etc.
Net Fee/FTE
@ 11.0 FTEs
$ 90,909
17.0%
Indirect Labour
@ 65% U Rate
$192,308
19.2%
54.7%
Total Labour $
$549,451
54.9%
Avg. comp./FTE
$ 49,950
FiGure 4
02/09 canadian architect
31
Oc` `i_ m`npgo dn \ admh oc\o c\n di^m`\n`_ don m`q`ip`n di ]joc lp\gdot \i_ lp\iodot' dn hjm` `aad^d`io' \i_ c\n jkodhdu`_ don jq`mc`\_) Do dn \]g` oj \oom\^o ]`oo`m no\aa \i_ oc` kmdi^dk\gn \m` hjm` \_`lp\o`gt m`r\m_`_ ajm oc`dm diq`noh`io \i_ mdnf) Oc` m`qdn`_ i`r ]pndi`nn `ibdi` ncjri di Adb( pm` 0 \i_ oc` m`qdn`_ g\]jpm \i\gtndn ncjri di Adbpm` 1 di_d^\o` \ admh oc\o dn \]g` oj bmjr' ]` nomjib`m \i_ pgodh\o`gt hjm` diagp`iod\g) Oc` k\oc oj \ nomjib`m kmja`nndji mpin ocmjpbc di_dqd_p\g admhn) Dmjid^( \ggt' oc` ^pmm`io `^jijhd^ _jriopmi h\t \aajm_ km\^ododji`mn oc` odh` oj jkodhdu` oc`dm km\^od^`n) Da kmdi^dk\gn aj^pn ji jkodhdudib i`o a``' _dm`^o
% NF Net Fee
$ 1,100,000
100%
Expenses Direct Labour
@ 2.88 multiplier $381,944
34.7%
Overhead
@ 1.45 OH Rate $553,819
50.3%
Subtotal Expenses Operating Profit
(before bonus and taxes)
$
935,764
85.1%
$
164,236
14.9%
Other Metrics
Md^f Gdig`t dn \ K\no Km`nd_`io ja oc` H\idoj]\ <nnj^d\odji ja <m^cdo`^on' \ A`ggjr ja oc` M<D>' \i_ cjg_n oc` _`ndbi\odjin ja Kmje`^o H\i\b`h`io Kmja`nndji\g \i_ G@@? <K) C` dn \ Kmdi^dk\g \i_ ?dm`^ojm ja Jk`m\odjin ja Nhdoc >\mo`m <m^cdo`^on \i_ @ibdi``mn Di^) di Rdiidk`b \i_ \ N`nndji\g Kmja`nnjm \o oc` Pidq`mndot ja H\idoj]\ A\^pgot ja <m^cdo`^opm`) FTEs
No.
@ 11.0 FTEs
$100,000
Indirect Labour
@ 64% U Rate
$214,844
19.5%
Total Labour $
$596,788
54.3%
Avg. comp./FTE
$ 54,253
U Factor
Total Labour
Direct Labour
Reception/Admin.
1
10%
$
27,000
$
2,700
Office Manager
2
0%
$
46,000
$
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
Intern II
3
95%
$
35,000
$
33,250
Intern III
4
95%
$
40,000
$
38,000
Architect I
5
95%
$
45,000
$
42,750
Architect II
6
80%
$
52,000
$
41,600
Architect III
7
70%
$
65,000
$
45,500
Technologist II
8
95%
$
50,000
$
47,500
Technologist III
Net Fee/FTE
FIGURE 5
g\]jpm \i_ jq`mc`\_ di oc`dm di_dqd_p\g admhn' \m^cdo`^on \i_ oc` kmja`nndji \n \ rcjg` ^\i ]` hjm` diagp`iod\g) Bm`\o`m diagp`i^` di opmi rdgg di^m`\n` oc` dhk\^o oc` kmja`nndji c\n ji nj^d`ot \i_ oc` `iqdmjih`io) CA
9
90%
$
58,000
$
52,200
Jr. Principal (30%)
10
50%
$
85,000
$
42,500
Sr. Principal (70%)
11
40%
$
100,000
$
40,000
Total
64%
$ 603,000 $
$ 386,000
54,818 avg. comp.
FIGURE 6
Celebrate the Vision and Commitment
of the profession with your colleagues at the RAIC, OAQ, AAPPQ Festival of Architecture and Forum, June 17-19 2009 in Montreal
Festival of Architecture and Forum MONTREAL 2009
Hilton Montreal Bonaventure | June 17-20 2009
Experience the world-class architecture of Montreal while enjoying: Continuing Education courses that qualify for core credits (hours) 60% of all courses will be offered in English Inspiring talks from architects Jan Gehl, Hon FRAIC and Bernardo GĂłmezPimienta, Hon FRAIC Presentation of Awards and Honours with the top professionals of the year Social activities, tours and networking Trade Show featuring cutting-edge products and services Summer days in cosmopolitain and friendly Montreal, and much more!
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Institut royal dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;architecture du Canada
For more information, visit 32 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 02/09
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Books reVieWed BY
LesLie Jen and ian Chodikoff
ran from November 2008 to January 2009 in the Royal Ontario Museum, itself one of Toronto’s most highly controversial building projects. the Phaidon atlas of 21st century World architecture By the editors of Phaidon Press. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2008.
Unbuilt toronto: a history of the city that Might have Been By Mark osbaldeston. Toronto: dundurn Press, 2008.
Living in Toronto is a bit like buying your gro ceries at Price Chopper; you might get what you absolutely need, but the overall experience is a relatively joyless exercise. That Toronto is so much less than the sum of its parts can be partially explained by Mark Osbaldeston’s Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been, an impressively researched explo ration of dozens of neverrealized architectural and masterplanning projects intended for the city. Spanning two centuries, the projects include roads and highways, transit systems, towering skyscrapers and civic buildings that, if built, would have undoubtedly given shape to a very different city than the one we know today. Surprisingly, Osbaldeston is not a trained architect or planner—but is, in fact, a lawyer for the Ministry of Finance, with a background in municipal and land development law. His passion for the history of Toronto is clear in this endeavour, and the numerous maps, historical photographs, and evocative drawings contribute to a highly compelling read. Certainly, we can be thankful that some of these schemes were never carried out, such as the Spadina/Scarborough Expressway, which would have unequivocally scarred the city, decimating many vital neighbourhoods and the natural ravine landscape. But at other times, we can only muse wistfully over some of the projects that would have been utterly transformative, facilitat ing the creation of a Toronto that could rightfully be called a worldclass city. Take, for example, Federal Avenue, a scheme initiated around the end of the 19th century, in which a grand Europeanstyle boulevard would have linked Union Station to a formal civic square on Queen Street—a site currently occupied 34 canadian architect 02/09
by the underwhelming Nathan Phillips Square. Federal Avenue was ultimately and stupidly thwarted by the City’s issuance of permits allowing the construction of two buildings on land which was intended for the boulevard. But in 1929, the resurrection of Federal Avenue in the form of Cambrai Avenue was accompanied by the presence of Vimy Circle, from which several significant axial conduits would have radiated. With a memorial to Canada’s war dead in its centre, Vimy Circle would have been Toronto’s greatest monumental public space. We are wit ness to the power of such masterfully conceived moments in stunning drawings provided by the City of Toronto Archives, and in them we see traces of grandeur from our collective memory of other cities, other continents. We are tortured by the prospect of what could have been. The waterfront is probably Toronto’s most hotly contested urban design issue in present day, and perhaps it’s not surprising that the debate began as far back as the 1850s, when legislation permitting the construction of railway tracks shattered the dream of a waterfront esplanade. Over 100 years later, in 1968, Buckminster Fuller threw his hat in the ring with Project Toronto, in which he proposed a 3,000foot enclosed galleria flanking University Avenue, linking King Street to the waterfront, next to a 400foot Crystal Pyramid and a Gateway Tower—all of which would have given Toronto a muchneeded global identity. Ideally, this book will give necessary perspec tive to the bureaucrats, planners and architects who contribute to the evolving form of the city. One hopes that Unbuilt Toronto will inspire a sustained collective vision that will ameliorate a Toronto that at times seems nothing more than an amateurish aggregation of merely “good enough” interventions. LJ A companion exhibition to Unbuilt Toronto was organized by the Toronto Society of Architects, which
Embarking on a world tour of buildings beyond the de rigueur visit to Ronchamp or an allinclu sive package tour of Herzog & de Meuron’s great est hits is likely impractical—especially if it’s done all in one shot. After all, it’s expensive and time consuming to trot the globe on an architectural pilgrimage seeking the masterpieces of the design world’s rock stars. Fear not, for Phaidon’s latest mammoth offering will more than make up for it. Following their 2004 effort The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, the equally hefty The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture distinguishes itself from its predecessor with over 90% new buildings completed since 2000. The images in this book will make you weak in the knees: 4,600 gorgeous colour photographs of 1,037 buildings by 653 architects from 89 countries are grouped into the six geographical regions of Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America. Buildings featured range from singlefamily residences to inter national airports, railway stations to art galleries and museums. The striated cladding of Foreign Office Architects’ Carabanchel Housing in Madrid titillates, the highly kinetic and graphi cally arresting Keith Haring Art Museum in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture inspires, and the expansive, simple purity of the Shark Alley House on New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island soothes. This is not just a glossy coffeetable tome to impress your friends: specific information valu able to architects is provided, such as client, cost and geographical coordinates. Moreover, thou sands of plans, sections and maps offer a level of detail that architects seek, along with fascinating graphic data on carbon footprints by country and climate change, construction growth and national wealth, and global population densities relative to the location of featured projects. Fleshing out and giving greater context to the work are short essays accompanying each of the projects—which, incidentally, are designed by both emerging practitioners and seasoned veterans with decades of practice under their belts. Considering the bang for the buck, it’s worth every penny of the substantial $225 list price. An added bonus: repeated lifting of the 14.5pound volume will supplement your New Year’s resolu tion cardio workout. LJ
ProdUct & LiteratUre shoWcase Permacon Versailles® stone, the ideal solution
hto: toronto’s Water from Lake iroquois to Lost rivers to Low-Flow toilets edited by Wayne Reeves and Christina Palassio. Toronto: Coach house Books, 2008.
Despite the manipulation of ecosystems to accommodate our growing cities, the rivers that exist beneath the morass of urbanity can never entirely dis appear. This recent publication contains 34 essays to delight the reader, with stories about Toronto’s natural systems and manmade infrastructure per taining to the provision, purification and protection of its water. Reading about watersheds has never been so engaging! This book, divided into four sections (foundations, transformation, explorations and directions), loosely traces a narrative from the prehistoric era to the founding of the Town of York in 1793, and from the destructive powers of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 to current waterfront and riparian management policies. The story of Toronto’s water begins with Ed Freeman’s article on the city’s geological origins and continues with Nick Eyles’ article on the city’s various ravines, lagoons, cliffs and spits, describing the history of the city from the Laurentide Ice Sheet 25,000 years ago to the eventual formation of our Great Lakes. Other transformations have been caused by civilization. As outlined in Chris Hardwicke and Wayne Reeves’ essay, the alterations to Toronto’s Lake Ontario shoreline, especially over the past 200 years, repeatedly in volved lakefilling and the concretization of the waterfront—a situation that is only now beginning to be addressed with any serious intent. As the city grew, deforestation, pollution and sprawl ensued, while issues of public health, safe drinking water and adequate sewage treatment re mained significant challenges. Mahesh Patel’s article describes how the city has improved the health of its citizenry over decades, after periods of typhoid and cholera. During the glory years of improving public health—the late 1920s and ’30s—Toronto built modern waterpurification plants, notably the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant which opened in 1938. It was a veritable “palace of purification” that continues to inspire Torontonians with its ambitious architecture. Other essays describe some of the painful side effects of urbanization, like Gary Miedema’s article on the early river mills of Toronto. These mills were responsible for the development of communities like Malvern, Hogg’s Hollow and York Mills but they also contributed to de forestation and flash floods. And when Toronto became a large coalburning city in the 1850s, its ravines and valleys would make for convenient disposal sites that lay beneath many apartment buildings, houses and schools today. This book is a poignant reminder to any citydweller of the cultural, historical and environmental importance of fresh water, public health, lakes, rivers and streams to any urban system. ic
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calendar Enzo Mari
January 15-February 22, 2009 This exhibition at the Cambridge Galler ies, Design at Riverside encompass es industrial, graphic and furniture design, and is an homage to Italian design legend Enzo Mari. The show includes 60 designs from his pro lific career, including products from Italian and Japanese manufacturers such as seating, kitchen utensils, office accessories, children’s games and graphics. www.cambridgegalleries.ca Wes Jones: Works from El Segundo
January 22-April 25, 2009 This exhibi tion focusing on the practice of Wes Jones, the Frank Gehry Internation al Visiting Chair in Architectural Design, takes place at the Eric Arthur Gallery at the John H. Dan iels Faculty of Architecture, Land scape and Design, University of Toronto. Projects selected explore future possibilities for single and multiunit housing.
Louis I. Kahn: The Making of a Room
February 7-March 29, 2009 This exhi bition—organized around Kahn’s proclamation that “architecture comes from the making of a room”— is on display at the University of Pennsylvania’s Arthur Ross Gallery, and explores Kahn’s concept of the room as the building block of architecture. www.upenn.edu/ARG Building Storeys: A Photo Exhibit of Toronto’s Aging Spaces
liquidated architecture
February 26, 2009 Damon Rich deliv ers this lecture at 7:00pm in the Paul Desmarais Theatre at the Cana dian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. Admission is free.
technology, new and prospective regulatory policies, and other criti cal issues affecting contaminated site restoration. www.remtec09.com augmented landscapes
Surface image
March 2, 2009 Torben Berns, Planet ary Society Visiting Professor in Architecture, delivers this lecture at 6:00pm in Room G10 of the Mac donaldHarrington Building at McGill University in Montreal.
March 12, 2009 Mark Smout of Smout Allen Architectural Design Research in London delivers this lecture at 6:30pm at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge. 49 cities
land/Scape/architecture
February 17-22, 2009 A collaborative effort by Heritage Toronto and members of Toronto’s Shadow Collective, this exhibition at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto is a visual documentation and anec dotal exhibit of 14 of the city’s cherished—and in some cases, somewhat unknown—heritage buildings and sites. www.heritagetoronto.org
March 3, 2009 Eelco Hooftman of GROSS. MAX in Edinburgh delivers this lecture at 6:30pm in Room 103 of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. remtec ‘09: remediation technology Summit
March 3-5, 2009 This forum takes place in Atlanta, and covers advan ces in remediation science and
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March 17, 2009 Amale Andraos and Dan Wood of New York’s Work AC deliver this lecture at 6:30pm in Room 103 of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. For more inFormation about these, and additional listings oF Canadian and international events, please visit www.canadianarchitect.com
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Backpage
a Man fOr all SeaSOnS h. Peter Oberlander was a suPPOrter Of architecture and urbanism in canada. his cOmmunity, POlitical and ciVic engagement was an insPiratiOn tO eVeryOne.
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the Oberlander family
Peter Oberlander and arthur ericksOn at an architectural institute Of british cOlumbia (aibc) dinner in VancOuVer in may 2006.
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Peter Oberlander, OC , PhD, FRAIC, LLD (Hon) was an architect, planner, urban advocate, and committed family man. He lived a life full of urban adventures from his childhood in Vienna, Austria, to his escape to England prior to his deportation to Canada as an “enemy alien” in 1940, to a career devoted to supporting the pro fessions of architecture, planning and landscape architecture. Upon his release in 1940, he enrolled in the McGill School of Architecture (BArch 1945) followed by studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (MCP 1947, PhD 1956). A devoted student of Walter Gropius, Ober lander advocated for Modernism in Canada before it was popular to do so. He helped stop Vancouver from building a massive invasion of freeways, while leading the way for the federal government to support the design and establishment of Van 38 canadian architect 02/09
couver’s Granville Island and Toronto’s Harbour front as urban cultural places in former industrial zones. Outside the fields of architecture and urban design, Oberlander served as the Chair of the Vancouver School Board and as a board mem ber of many local Jewish organizations. He came to Vancouver in 1949 to teach at the University of British Columbia (UBC), initially within the School of Architecture, and later estab lishing the UBC School of Community Regional Planning. Oberlander inspired hundreds of stu dents locally, nationally and internationally through his teaching at UBC and through his work for the United Nations. In addition to his academ ic career, he consulted with Thompson, Berwick and Pratt, and Downs/Archambault and Partners on a wide variety of planning projects. His de voted marriage of over 56 years to celebrated landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander,
CM, FASLA, FCSLA, LLD (Hon) brought many collaborative projects and a life filled with travel to the great cities of the world. A series of firsts marked a distinguished career: cofounding the Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board (now Metro Vancouver) (1952); launching Canada’s first professional program in Community and Regional Planning at UBC (1960); initiating Canada’s Ministry of State for Urban Affairs as its inaugural Deputy Minister (1970); cofounding the United Nations Con ference on Human Settlements (Habitat I) held in Vancouver and establishing the Centre for Human Settlements, UBC (1976); Senior Advisor and Special Assistant to the United Nations Secretary General (Habitat II) in Istanbul (1996) and the World Urban Forum (Habitat III) in Vancouver (2006). Following his lifelong com mitment to the motto of “Ideas into Action,” Peter’s final project was to establish the Habitat Exchange, an online portal and archive of international human settlement resources (www.chs.ubc.ca/archives/). Numerous publications include Houser: the Life of Catherine Bauer (UBC Press 1999, coauthored with Eva Newbrun); Improving Human Settlements (UBC Press 1976, editor); and Land: The Central Human Settlement Issue (UBC Press 1985). Oberlander also received numerous awards and honours such as Officer of the Order of Canada (2002); Honorary Doctorate, UBC (1998); Cana dian Citizenship Judge (1998 to 2005); Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC); and a Special Certificate of Recognition from the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC). In 2008, both he and his wife Cornelia received the Vancouver Civic Merit Award in recognition of their many contributions to Vancouver. His passing in late December at the age of 86 marks a turning point in the history of Canadian architecture. ca Those wishing to remember Peter Oberlander may choose to make a donation to the following Vancouver organizations: Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Society (www.vjff.org); The Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.ca); BC Cancer Foundation (www.bccancerfoundation.com); Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital Foundation (www.worldclasshealthcare.ca).
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