Canadian Architect October 2010

$6.95 oct/10 v.55 n.10

buildings for culture

KOHLER: As I See It, #92 in a series “Elegant ablutions. Pre-departure.”

SUITE: FountainheadTM — toilet, lavatory and faucet, vanity and seat with mirror ARTIST: Mark Holthusen 1- 800 - 4 - KOHLER kohler.com/fountainheadca

©2010 Kohler Co.

CirCle reply Card 11

Taking chances isn’t in your vocabulary. That’s why it’s important to have the right expertise and products behind you. And since 1965, that’s just what Georgia-Pacific has done. Visit www.gpgypsum.com or call 1-800-387-6823 to locate your GP gypsum architectural specialist.

Building Reputations Together™ © 2010 Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC. All rights reserved. BUILDING REPUTATIONS TOGETHER and the Georgia-Pacific logo are owned by or licensed to Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC.

CirCle reply Card 12

I n s u l a te d Pa n e l s

SAFETY IN NUMBERS 1, 2 & 3 HOUR FIRE RATED INSULATED PANEL SYSTEMS

1 HOUR

2 HOURS

3 HOURS

Kingspan insulated panels consist of fire rated cores faced with metal skins. These, combined with tongue and groove joints, provide the ultimate fire resisting solutions.

Suitable for many applications including: exterior walls and roofs, interior partitions, demising and boundary walls.

Interior panels can be disassembled, moved, and reinstalled allowing for low cost internal space flexibility.

Contact us for samples and literature.

1 866 442 3594 (CAN) 1 877 638 3266 (USA) mineralfiber@kingspanpanels.com www.kingspanpanels.ca www.kingspanpanels.us

CirCle reply Card 13

YOUR IDEA. YOUR NEEDS. YOUR FLOORING. Introducing noraplan® degree.

You wanted flooring with more colors and depth.

So you designed it.

You wanted flooring that could work in many environments. So you collaborated with us to create it.

Now, you’ve got it all — noraplan® degree.

Your idea brought to life. Order your sample today.

800-332-NORA www.nora.com/us/bb18 Follow us on Twitter

FREE Design Tool Scan this code on your BlackBerry ®

CirCle reply Card 14

SHADES OF VERSATILITY.

VERSOLEIL .

TM

Introducing VersoleilTM SunShades — the next generation of Kawneer’s sunshade platform — offering a broad range of versatile products to suit almost any project under the sun. Pre-engineered for multiple curtain wall systems, the common component design offers versatility in both form and function. And, Versoleil™ SunShades provide you with the design flexibility to incorporate sunshades easily into any building envelope to help create your vision. All this, plus highly configurable blade options for maximum shading and energy saving potential. Kawneer’s Versoleil™ SunShades — versatility eclipsing all others.

See us at Greenbuild International Conference and Expo Booth #1015.

Architectural Aluminum Systems Steel + Stainless Steel Systems Entrances + Framing Curtain Walls Windows kawneer.com kawneergreen.com

© 2010 Kawneer Company, Inc. CirCle reply Card 15

20 thÉÂtre de Quat’sous in this new ConstruCtion projeCt in the heart of Montreal, les arChiteCtes faBG suCCessfully reinCorporate the Most siGnifiCant traits of the forMer theatre, evokinG a ColleCtive MeMory of its riCh past. teXt riCardo l. Castro

26 rennie art gallery and offices walter franCl arChiteCture inC. and MCfarlane | Green | BiGGar arChiteCture + desiGn inC. undertake an aMBitious restoration and reinvention of an iMportant historiC BuildinG in vanCouver’s Chinatown. teXt leslie jen

33 gulf islands residence

11 news

D’Arcy Jones wins the first Arthur Erickson Memorial Award; Canadian call for submissions for the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture.

16 review

John Bentley Mays considers Philip Beesley’s Hylozoic Ground project at the Venice Biennale’s 12th international exhibition of architecture.

41 calendar

pBai

Gates_suter arChiteCts’ sophistiCated strateGy of site-responsiveness inforMs this residential projeCt in British ColuMBia’s southern Gulf islands. teXt Matthew soules

Courtesy Gates_suter arChiteCts

steve Montpetit

Martin tessler

contents

Global Citizen: The Architecture of Moshe Safdie at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa; Journeys: How Travelling Fruit, Ideas and Buildings Rearrange Our Environment at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

42 Backpage

oCtoBer 2010, v.55 n.10

The NaTioNal Review of DesigN aND PRacTice/ The JouRNal of RecoRD of The Raic

Cheryl Cooper reports that Arthur Erickson’s original vision for the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia is finally complete.

the rennie art Gallery and offiCes in vanCouver By walter franCl arChiteCture inC. and MCfarlane | Green | BiGGar arChiteCture + desiGn inC. photo By Martin tessler.

cover

10/10 canadian architect

7

foster + Partners

viewpoint

editor Ian ChodIkoff, OAA, FRAIC associate editor LesLIe Jen, MRAIC editorial advisors John MCMInn, AADIpl. MarCo PoLo, OAA, FRAIC contributing editors GavIn affLeCk, OAQ, MRAIC herbert enns, MAA, MRAIC douGLas MaCLeod, nCARb regional correspondents halifax ChrIstIne MaCy, OAA regina bernard fLaMan, SAA montreal davId theodore calgary davId a. down, AAA Winnipeg herbert enns, MAA vancouver adeLe weder

In Late sePteMber, the fIrst resIdents beGan to Move Into Masdar CIty. LoCated Just outsIde of abu dhabI, It Is desIGned to be the worLd’s fIrst Carbon-neutraL CIty.

above

In 2006, there was considerable excitement when a government-run firm in Abu Dhabi announced its intention to establish the world’s first carbon-neutral city. As part of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi possesses enormous oil reserves yet realizes that its precious resource is finite. To help diversify its economy, the emirate has been pursuing a strategy of expanding its green technology and renewable energy sectors in an effort to attract worldclass universities, research institutions and businesses to the region. This strategy is what supports the planning, financing and construction of Masdar City. Located just outside of Abu Dhabi, this car-free mini-metropolis will generate its own electricity through wind, geothermal energy and a 54-acre photovoltaic field. Set behind enormous walls to divert hot desert winds, the 2.3-squaremile city will eventually be inhabited by 45,000 residents with 45,000 additional commuters. In late September, the first few hundred residents— mostly students attending the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology—began moving into a small section of this green utopia in the desert.

Designed by Foster + Partners, Masdar City is elevated on a 23-foot-high base, and many of its streets and buildings will capture desert breezes for cooling or will increase air circulation using traditional Arabian wind-tower design concepts.

Narrow streets will maximize airflow while minimizing exposure to the sun. Underground, computer-controlled driverless electric cars will shuttle people around. The city has already received a wide range of criticism in architecture and planning circles. Nicolai Ouroussoff, The New York Times architecture critic has referred to the project as “a walled medieval fortress and an upgraded version of the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.”

The essence of Ouroussoff’s condemnation, and that of others who have visited Masdar City, is that the place represents a textbook case of a richly funded enclave for the exclusive use of the educated and the wealthy. But Masdar City is not 8 canadian architect 10/10

alone in receiving this criticism. It has become a part of a larger global trend to create readily identifiable and richly funded districts within a greater urban infrastructure. Recent examples of considerably more modest new or rehabilitated enclaves include Toronto’s Distillery District and the Shops at Don Mills—both of which demonstrate an ambiguous connection to the city and are places designed for the wealthy. Masdar City is far more ambitious a project than suburban— and sometimes urban—gated communities which have restricted and/or secured access from the public, but it certainly shares common aspects of social exclusion as part of its design concept.

In Canada, new large-scale sustainable projects are being completed on a regular basis, municipalities are continuously introducing green-friendly legislation, and financial institutions are evolving their products to assist us in adopting new technologies that reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. The ambitions for Masdar City are no different, except for two significant distinctions: it is being financed with billions of dollars of revenue from petroleum exports—a level of financial backing that few cities on the planet can afford, and it aspires to be a speculative manoeuvre to attract new people and investment rather than improve the quality of life of an existing population.

At least Masdar City’s architecture and planning eschews the temptation to build yet another megamall in the desert, and the Foster-designed city is a seemingly more sustainable counterpoint to the recently completed Burj Khalifa—the tallest building in the world—in neighbouring Dubai. Clearly, it remains to be seen if Masdar City will approximate the level of social complexity found in other cities that evolve more organically, but its existence reminds us of the well-intended but misguided ambitions relating to building new enclaves, no matter the size or altruistic vision supporting their creation.

Ian ChodIkoff

ichodikoff@canadianarchitect.coM

publisher toM arkeLL 416-510-6806 associate publisher 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 bIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier bIG holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-tobusiness 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 (hst – #809751274rt0001).

Price per single copy: $6.95. students (prepaid with student Id, includes taxes): $34.97 for one year. usa: $101.95 us for one year. all other foreign: $120.00 us 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 1923-3353 (online) issn 0008-2872 (print)

We acknoWledge the financial support of the government of canada through the canada periodical fund (cpf) for our publishing activities. pap registration no. 11093

Content

CirCle reply Card 16

BM

INFO

Content

®

“We put the info in BIM”

www.arcat.com

®

BM

These objects, plus thousands more, have all been developed by ARCAT BIM experts, so you can rely on them as you do for ARCAT specs and SpecWizards. These 3D objects are packed with all the critical product data you need, and are free of charge like all of ARCAT services!

Objects • Systems • Materials INFO

Building Envelope Solutions From Coast to Coast

Glazing & Curtain Walls • Architectural Metals • Roofing Service & Maintenance • Roofing Systems

Museum of Nature, Ottawa

EPCOR Tower, Edmonton

City Hall Podium Roof, Toronto

FLYNN CANADA LTD. flynn.ca CirCle reply Card 17

U of C: Taylor Family Digital Library, Calgary

news PrOjects

The new Halifax’s Seaport Farmers’ Market is experiencing crowds exceeding 10,000 customers a day, demonstrating the local community’s appetite for local, high-quality produce in a locally designed green building. Lydon Lynch Architects’ latest project is being received with overwhelmingly positive comments from customers and vendors alike. The new Seaport Farmers’ Market is a LEED Platinum-registered ecological showcase on the Halifax waterfront. Using 70% less energy and 80% less water than an R2000 building, the new market features an extensive green roof, rooftop urban farming, rooftop micro-turbines, solar thermal panels, 17 geothermal wells providing all the requirements for heating and hot water, passive ventilation and passive solar strategies. The building is a naturally daylit, non-toxic environment with on-site vermiculture composting and an extensive use of sustainably sourced, reused, recycled and salvaged materials. Keith Tufts, Principal and Senior Environmental Designer of Lydon Lynch Architects was the lead designer on the $12-million 5,500-square-metre project.

awards d’arcy jones wins first arthur erickson Memorial award.

D’Arcy Jones was awarded the first Arthur Erickson Memorial Award by Western Living magazine in conjunction with the Arthur Erickson Foundation for Excellence in Architecture. This new recognition celebrates an emerging designer, in honour of the man who mentored and inspired so many young designers and architects in his long history as a practicing architect. The judges for Western Living’s 2010 Designer of the Year Architecture Award and Arthur Erickson Memorial Award were Bruce Haden (Vancouver), Jeremy Sturgess (Calgary), Neil Minuk (Winnipeg), Randall Stout (Los Angeles) and Douglas Coupland (Honourary Chair). An excerpt from the September 2010 issue of Western Living reads: “From a one-room studio on Vancouver’s East Side, 38-year-old D’Arcy Jones has been quietly delivering a set of boldly innovative new home designs. His critical process, his ingenuity and the daring evolution of his ideas about a dwelling’s relationship with the landscape made him a natural choice for the inaugural Arthur Erickson Memorial Award. The judges, along with members of Erickson’s family, were unanimous in their selection of D’Arcy Jones’s four-person firm.

lydon lynch archiTecTs

Lydon Lynch architects’ Green seaport Farmers’ Market in halifax a success.

winners of the 2010 aridO awards announced.

The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) recently announced the winners of its annual awards program, which honours innovation, creativity and professional achievement in the province’s interior design industry. One Kids Place by Anne Carlyle of Carlyle Design Associates won Project of the Year. Five Awards of Excellence were given to: Diego Burdi of Burdifilek for the Brown Thomas Luxury Hall; Brian Bettencourt of Watt International for Real Sports Apparel; Jane Lawson of Walker Lawson Interior Design Inc. for Discover Y Employee Childcare Centre; Anna Simone of Cecconi Simone Inc. for re Hotel & Residences Model Suite; and Neal Prabhu of nkA for Nadège Patisserie.

Please visit the ARIDO website for the Award of Merit winners. www.arido.ca

cOMPetitiOns cca announces the winner of the 20102011 james stirling Memorial competition.

The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), in collaboration with the Cities Programme of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), has announced the recipient of the fourth international competition for the James Stirling Memorial Lectures on the City. The jury selected Professor Gerald Frug, 2010-2011 Stirling Lecturer, for his project entitled “The Architecture of Governance.” The biannual James Stirling Memorial Lectures on the City competition was launched in 2003 to inaugurate a unique

The new halifax seaporT farmers’ markeT is proving To be a successful caTalysT in regeneraTing The ciTy’s waTerfronT.

aBOVe

forum for the advancement of new critical perspectives on the role of urban design and urban architecture in the development of cities worldwide. Frug is the first recipient to be nominated for the prize, a trial by the organizers to widen the field of competition and to reduce barriers to eligibility. He is the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and is the leading expert on the legal structure of urban governance in the United States. He is also the author of dozens of articles and two important books on the topic: City Making, published in 1999, and City Bound, published in 2009. Frug’s proposal “The Architecture of Governance” will analyze the problems facing the organization of cities around the world and will attempt to describe the design of the governance system in a way that makes it recognizable to architects and other designers. www.cca.qc.ca 2011 next Generation design ideas competition.

Metropolis magazine challenges participants to take an ordinary eight-storey US General Services Administration (GSA) office building in Los Angeles, apply immense skill and creative energy, and GET ZERO—Zero Environmental Impact. GSA, one of the world’s biggest landlords, is being challenged by its administrator Martha Johnson to achieve a Zero Environmental Footprint for its existing office buildings. Eligibility 10/10 canadian architect

11

2.5 X 10.25

In troduc i n g

FINAL TRIM

Sorella

applies to the next generation of designers, in practice for 10 years or less, as well as students.

This year, entrants will work on a specific existing GSA office building, an entirely commonplace eight-storey 1960s-era Los Angeles office building. Entrants may be teams working together to transform the entire building (and its surroundings), or individuals or small groups tackling one or two individual systems and elements (façade, roof, fenestration, interior furnishings and equipment, signage and wayfinding, etc.).

The winner of Next Generation 2011 receives a $10,000 prize. This year’s judges include Michelle Addington, Professor at the Yale School of Architecture; Brian Collins, Chief Executive Officer of Collins; Lawrence Scarpa, AIA, Principal of Pugh + Scarpa Architects; and Leslie Shepherd, AIA, Chief Architect of GSA. The competition judging will be moderated by Susan S. Szenasy, Metropolis Editor in Chief. The entry deadline is January 31, 2011. www.metropolismag.com/nextgen

The Toronto Entertainment District Business Improvement Area (BIA) has announced the launch of an initiative designed to engage the Toronto community in the area’s ongoing transformation and revitalization. The John Street Ideas Competition invites the public and creative professionals to submit unique ideas for John Street Square online; the submission deadline is 3:00pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010. Finalists’ names will be announced at 1:00am on Thursday, November 18, 2010 during a live Facebook event. Following this announcement, the public will be invited to help the jury determine the winners by voting for their favourite submissions. The first-place winner will be awarded $5,000 in cash, plus Toronto Entertainment District prizing ($800 value). The second-place winner will be awarded $2,000 in cash, plus Toronto Entertainment District prizing ($500 value). www.TorontoED.com

designed by Robert Chipman

What’S neW canadian call for submissions for 2012 Venice Biennale in architecture.

877.837.3275

•

landscapeforms.com

circle rePly card 18

12 canadian architect 10/10

DT SEA 07_20_10.tif

112886 DT LF SORELLA CAN ARCH SEP.indd

John Street ideas competition.

The Venice Biennale in Architecture is the single most important and prestigious international event in contemporary architecture. Cultural leaders, architects, artists, and nearly 150,000 visitors attend the Biennale with the expectation of discovering the cutting edge of architecture. The Biennale offers a unique opportunity to showcase Canadian excellence in architecture and provides a unique occasion to share ideas with peers from around the world. The proposed presentation

should communicate excellence, innovation, and currency in contemporary Canadian architecture including buildings, landscapes and places, or in works of critical and/or design research on architecture, landscape architecture or the urban environment. Proposed projects are expected to be part of a collaborative team anchored by a cultural institution, organization, or architectural firm.

The nominal applicant must be an incorporated Canadian organization, institution, or registered business. These include, but are not limited to, architectural firms, organizations and associations, schools of architecture, artist-run centres, galleries and museums. The organization, institution, or business must be at least 75 percent Canadianowned and have its head office and executive located in Canada. The team must include professional expertise and experience in contemporary Canadian architecture. This includes, but is not limited to architects, critics and curators of architecture, professors of architecture, landscape architects and urban designers. The submission deadline is December 6, 2010, and the results will be announced to all applicants by letter in April 2011. For detailed submission requirements and all other enquiries, please contact Brigitte Desrochers, Architecture Program Officer at the Canada Council, at brigitte.desrochers@canadacouncil.ca and at 1.800.263.5588.

Modern Views: a Project to Benefit the Farnsworth house and Glass house.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced that 100 works donated to the Modern Views project to benefit Mies van der Rohe’s 1951 Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois and Philip Johnson’s 1949 Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut have been sold at Sotheby’s.

The Modern Views project leadership invited a global slate of participants to create and donate a drawing, sculpture, painting or other artwork, accompanied by a short statement that captures how these two iconic buildings inspire their work. Among the works auctioned are examples of leading artists and architects of the 20th century as well as emerging and leading contemporary artists of the 21st century including: David Adjaye, Asymptote, Tadao Ando, Maarten Baas, Constantin Boym, Vija Celmins, Zaha Hadid, Fritz Haeg, Claes Oldenburg + Coosje van Bruggen, Sheila Hicks, Dirk Lohan, Gary Hilderbrand, Ronald A. Krueck, Richard Meier, Toshiko Mori, Robert Morris, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle, Ken Price, Ed Ruscha, James Rosenquist, David Salle, Paula Scher, Frank Stella, Al Taylor, James Welling and Richard Woods. All work was exhibited in New York on October 6th, culminating in a live and silent auction of all pieces. A new film, Points on a Line, by artist Sarah Morris and in-

spired by both the Farnsworth House and the Glass House premiered in both Chicago and New York. Spearheaded by the Glass House leadership, as the National Trust’s Center for Modernism, the Modern Views project represents a year-long initiative to raise funds specifically earmarked for the preservation and restoration of the Brick House at the Philip Johnson Glass House and for the restoration, maintenance and operation of the Farnsworth House. The venture is set to raise $1 million to preserve the most inspirational Modernist icons in the US. A book entitled Modern Views will be released in October, and features essays by Paul Goldberger and an interview with Phyllis Lambert, one of the leaders involved in this project. www.sothebys.com/modernviews Government of canada invests in internationally trained architects.

The Government of Canada is funding a project that will make it easier for internationally trained architects to find work in their field. Architecture Canada will receive over $1.6 million in Foreign Credential Recognition Program funding for its project entitled “Integration of Broadly Experienced Foreign Architects in Canada.” Through this project, Architecture Canada will create a fair, efficient and timely pan-Canadian system for evaluating and licensing architects with international education and work experience. The organization will also work with Athabasca University to improve labour market integration for newcomers. Courses will be offered at the new Centre of Architecture at Athabasca University in September 2011.

“The architectural profession is committed to increasing the number of architects in practice to provide services to our clients in Canada and abroad,” said Jim McKee, Executive Director of Architecture Canada. Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories and other partners, such as employers, to address barriers to foreign credential recognition in Canada. This partnership directly contributed to the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which was announced in November 2009. This project is one example of how the Framework is bringing meaningful change to the way that newcomers’ qualifications are assessed and recognized by regulatory bodies in key occupations. www.actionplan.gc.ca Open house goes global.

Launched by Open-City 18 years ago with Open House London, the event gives people access to the most innovative, inspiring and engaging examples of a city’s architecture, highlighting the value of good design in creating and sustaining a vibrant city. The Open House Weekend now takes place in six cities worldwide and its status as a cultural and educational event continues to grow internationally. Open House New York launched in 2001, followed

by Dublin (2005), Tel Aviv (2007), Galway (2009) and now Barcelona, which takes place this month. www.openhouseworldwide.org

The Next Wave in HVAC Innovation City Multi is again at the forefront of leading-edge HVAC technology. Introducing City Multi HydraDan. Mitsubishi Electric’s advanced Booster and HEX units allow City Multi systems to convert recovered heat energy into hot water for sanitary use or hydronic radiant heating and cooling applications.

This highly efficient system facilitates virtually no energy waste, reduced CO 2 emissions and drastically reduced operating cost. Also, with a reputation for exceeding industry efficiency standards, like VRF technology, it’s only natural to find City Multi at the cutting edge of geothermal HVAC installations.

www.intelligentHVAC.ca

THINK GREEN

THINK GREEN THINK GREEN

THINK GREEN Take even more comfort with our

NEW 5-YEAR PARTS & 7-YEAR COMPRESSOR WARRANTY

addendum In reference to the article entitled “Shiny Happy People” (CA, August 2010), credits for the Shops at Don Mills should read as follows: pellow + associates inc. (architect); Rudy Adlaf for the Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited in collaboration with Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. and pellow + associates architects inc. (design team). The architect for the parkade at the Shops at Don Mills is pellow + associates architects inc. Furthermore, a set of urban design principles—rather than “guidelines”—were established several years ago by Giannone Petricone Associates Inc., Rudy Adlaf and pellow + associates architects inc. The second phase of the urban design guidelines was completed by Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. circle reply card 19 10/10 canadian architect

13

Don’t miss the boat.

Are you planning, or designing, a new construction project?

Then contact us right away.

New commercial buildings, additions and major renovations planned for construction anywhere in Ontario outside the 416 area code may be eligible for major grants and incentives from the High Performance New Construction (HPNC) Program. Incentives are based on verified kW savings. If you incorporate energy efficiency measures into your new construction project, not only will it qualify for significant incentives and grants from HPNC, it will provide a lifetime of energy cost savings and have a higher market value.

‘

The HPNC program is one of those financial incentive concepts that actually works.

We got on board early and we’re already seeing a payback. Plus, the incentives are a real bonus. It was easy, and they made it happen for us. paul allen, distribution manager, Columbia sportswear

’

Application Deadline - October 31, 2010 Contact us today. The rewards could be green – in more ways than one. For more information call 1-888-opa-hpnC or visit www.hpnc.ca. applications available online.

CirCle reply Card 20

CirCle reply Card 21

review

GaininG Ground Hylozoic Ground, Canada’s offiCial entry to this year’s VeniCe Biennale, is the result of many years of tireless researCh and deVelopment By arChiteCt and uniVersity of Waterloo professor philip Beesley.

16 canadian architect 10/10

teXt

­John­Bentley­Mays ­PhiliP­Beesley­architect

PhOtOS

Stepping across the threshold of the Canadian pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s 12th international exhibition of architecture (on view until November 21, 2010), you find yourself beyond the looking glass, in a place where familiar meanings fall apart or stand on their heads.

The dense, fantastical assemblage of myriad tiny acrylic leaves and fronds and gleaming vessels, arteries and gullets that breathe and swallow and gesture in the thick, hot air of Venice’s public gardens is architecture, Canadian artist and designer Philip Beesley assures us.

It’s surely not architecture as nearly everyone understands the term, however: stuff that is mute and inflexible, the built barricade between the dweller and the environment. Beesley’s piece moves, it responds, it even embodies in those glass vessels chemical energy exchanges similar to those that occur in a living body. If architecture, this is no ordinary item of the building art, unless one is willing—as I am, out of courtesy, though with some misgivings—to go the distance with Beesley and stretch the broad tent of architecture to cover clothing and even skin, of which construction is, after all, a prosthetic extension.

But let’s throw caution to the winds, and call this highly intricate, high-tech mechanism a work of architecture. What kind of architecture is it?

Beesley has titled this installation Hylozoic Ground. The reference to hylozoism is clear enough: it’s the quaint, ancient cosmological fairy tale in which everything, including inanimate matter, is held to be alive, sentient, reactive. The word hylozoic also points to an intention deeply engraved in the work itself: that we view this complex piece, with its subtle movements and processes mimicking those of life, as an instance of ordinary reality heightened and clarified—as a realization of the hylozoic rhythm that could be seen everywhere, if our eyesight and inner apprehension were more acute.

I will return to the topic of hylozoism in a moment, but the second word in the title invites us to hurry on. In what sense is this electro-dynamic installation ground, or a kind of ground?

For ground, read soil—or what Beesley has recently called contemporary soil. “Soil has always been the prima materia of architecture,” the architect writes. “Soil might seem to stand silently, apparently offering secure mass and compression, available as plastic, friable resource for framing human territory. But contemporary soil ­the­fantastical­arti­ ficial­landscaPe­of­Hylozoic Ground;­ Beesley’s­KissinG Pores­use­a­range­ of­MicroProcessors­that­PerMit­the­ thousands­of­custoM­cut­acrylic­Pieces­ to­react­to­the­MoveMent­and­touch­ of­huMans.­

OPPOSite, tOP tO BOttOM

10/10­­canadian architect

­17

a detail of the Hylozoic Ground Protocell flask which contains a mixture of olive oil and water from the venice lagoon—the liquids undergo controlled reactions with various iron and coPPer minerals contained in the device to form PreciPitates. riGht a worm’s-eye rendering illustrates Beesley’s invented machines. BeLOW riGht a scale figure is inserted into a drawing of the venice installation. aBOVe

does not, in itself, quietly offer itself to the enlightened framing of space...soil consumes space, erasing and consuming daily circumstance within its unspeakably silent, primal fertility.”

This characteristically poetic redefinition of a word most people think they know the meaning of helps explain one experience of Hylozoic Ground: the feeling that, if equipped with a few more gadgets, microchips and such, and placed in a natural landscape, the thing might actually grow, even flourish, and begin the transformation of its physical surroundings. It could become something even more active than it is—an instrument that brings about a new arising of transfigured terrain from the earth, instead of imposing on the land the Western idea that the world is merely so much real estate upon which to build.

I like the lyrical, ecological Heideggerianism of all this. I am less comfortable with the hylozoism, because I do not believe it to be a true or suggestive theory of reality. That said, Beesley’s technocosmic mysticism has found an interesting outlet in his curious installation in Venice, and an even better one in his nature writing.

Some scraps of the latter are featured in the Canadian pavilion’s exhibition catalogue, alongside technical expositions of Beesley’s philosophy and working method by other hands. Written in a vehement, breathless manner, his ecstatic 18 canadian architect 10/10

texts sweep together all the times of given landscapes—geologic, historic, immediate—into fluid, incandescent visions that light up the page. This is apparently the effect that Hylozoic Ground and other installations are intended to have on viewers, yet don’t (at least in my case)—not quite and not yet, anyway.

But Beesley’s provocative inquiries and his collaborations with specialists across the disciplines of architecture, art, engineering and humane scholarship are longstanding and ongoing,

and his vivid romance with landscape and wilderness shows no signs of exhaustion. We can expect Beesley’s architectural project, and, it is to be hoped, his nature writing, to go on unfolding into the future, registering ever more exactly his discoveries on the outer edges of contemporary architectural practice. ca John Bentley Mays is an architecture critic and writes regularly for The Globe and Mail.

CirCle reply Card 22

a Penny earned a characterful new theatre for one of Montreal’s Most iMPortant cultural institutions Makes a draMatic stateMent.

20 canadian architect 10/10

­ThéâTre­de­QuaT’SouS,­MonTreal,­Quebec ­leS­archiTecTeS­FabG teXt­ricardo­l.­caSTro PhOtOS­STeve­MonTpeTiT PrOJect

architect

In the spring of 2009, the Théâtre de Quat’Sous, one of Montreal’s three oldest theatrical establishments (the others are the Théâtre du Rideau Vert and the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde), launched its program in a new headquarters. The theatre, which is a cultural landmark in the city’s PlateauMont-Royal borough, had, since 1965, been housed in a former synagogue, in turn the result of a conversion of three turn-of-the-century row houses located on the corner of Avenue des Pins Est and Avenue Coloniale, two blocks from The Main (Boulevard Saint-Laurent), Montreal’s legendary street that divides the city into its east and west sides. Les Architectes FABG—named for the founding partners Paul Faucher, André Aubertin, André Brodeur, and Eric Gauthier—was commissioned for this project.

Gauthier was in charge of the design and implementation.

The theatre group has significantly contributed to shaping the Montreal cultural scene for nearly 50 years. The well-known French-born theatre director Paul Buissonneau founded the Théâtre de Quat’Sous in 1955 and was its artistic director until 1989. Despite its modest size, Quat’Sous became a springboard for many Quebec playwrights and actors such as Yvon Deschamps, Robert Lepage, and Lothaire Bluteau. From its inception, the company and its various directors committed themselves to offer the Montreal public innovative and experimental productions, often centred on collective creation. This attitude has an echo in the name of the theatre, suggested by Claude Robillard and chosen by Buissoneau back in 1955.

Quat’Sous is the French phonetic contraction of Quatre Sous (four pennies),

­a­larGe­aluMinuM­Screen­incorporaTinG­a­paiSley­ paTTern­iS­a­FiTTinGly­aniMaTed­Façade,­alSo­oFFerinG­coMic­ relieF­ThrouGh­a­SilhoueTTe­oF­TheaTre­Founder­paul­buiSSonneau­ThaT­lookS­onTo­The­STreeT­below.­ aBOVe­The­briGhT­yeT­ narrow­Second-Floor­Foyer­oF­The­new­TheaTre­provideS­aMple­ viSual­connecTion­To­boulevard­SainT-laurenT. OPPOSite

which is an echo of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s Die Dreigroschenoper (1928). Known in English as The Threepenny Opera, this work has been highly influential in many contemporary theatrical circles.

Les Architectes FABG’s significant enhancement of Montreal’s urban fabric is undeniable as is evidenced by a long list of projects, including most recently the House of Culture for the Maisonneuve Borough (2005), Dawson College’s Theatre and Public Spaces (2007), the Community Centre of Pierrefonds (2008), and the Théâtre de Quat’Sous (2009). In the design process of the Quat’Sous, the architects had to confront a series of challenges which they addressed innovatively, turning them into design opportunities. Safety issues and better facilities for the users became paramount in the public debates that began in 2003, followed by design proposals about the future of the theatre, culminating last year with the viable alternative: demolition and new construction.

“Save the soul of the Quat’Sous” was one of the implicit mandates that emerged from the general public and particularly theatre-goers: undoubtedly a loaded criterion, which eventually led the architects to conceive a design strategy based on an inventory of associations to nurture collective memory.

They used what Gauthier calls “an archaeology of the Internet”—since the architects were able to research numerous layers of information and data related to the epoch, the site, and the history of the theatre on the Web. 10/10­­canadian architect

­21

Through this process, they made decisions for a selective yet comprehensive cultural recycling of objects, furniture and materials from the old establishment, which, in turn, were to be combined with the utilization of new materials, colours and textures to evoke and stimulate associations with the history and soul of the Quat’Sous.

The idea of “an archaeology of the Internet” complements temporal concepts about theatrical practices and theatre buildings themselves. As stated by the architects: “Theatre is about fugacity, a succession of unique moments that barely survive in the memories of those who were there.

Theatres are ghostly figures that have witnessed what we are about to forget.”

Gauthier maintains that the project became a sort of phantasm since the panoply of evocative strategies, references, and particularly the spiritual presence of Paul Buissonneau, its founder, loomed throughout the design process. As the architects point out, “We chose to sample textures, images, colours and materials from a cultural inventory of the theatre and mapped them on the assemblage of required volumes (stage, house, foyer, crossover, control booth and rehearsal). Recycling on-site stones, slate, wood, bricks, marble and furniture becomes part of a strategy of cultural sustainability. New materials include silk-screened glass, black brick and perforated aluminum that contribute to making the Théâtre de Quat’Sous a ghostly figure accumulating memories.”

The final result is an elegant structure composed of a clearly articulated geometry. On the one hand, reading the building vertically along its most important façade on Avenue des Pins Est reveals three levels: the foyer and administration at ground level; the stage and auditorium with its mezzanine and glazed circulation volume in the middle; followed by a rehearsal hall and terrace on top. On the other hand, a horizontal reading reveals three volumes sitting on a plinth: the stage, the auditorium with corresponding lobbies, and the vertical circulation. The various forms are accentuated by the use of diverse materials that highlight the character of each volume: glass and perforated metal with a paisley motif evocative of the 1960s coupled with stone blocks in some areas, which serve to inscribe the names of donors and supporters of the theatre. This adds a memorable layer to the building’s significance.

For the interiors, broken pieces of marble for the floor and intense red stairs and seats recall the glamour of the former venue. This is complemented by the deployment of found objects from the previous building.

There are other alluring devices such as the silhouette of Paul Buissoneau— recalling a surreal Magritte image—which sits on top of a ladder and has

fixed grid over rehearsal room fixed pipes over house

6

7

10 fixed grid over the crossover motorized grid over the stage offstage mezzanine removable stage

red velveT seaTinG helps echo an earlier period oF The TheaTre’s hisTory. MiddLe broken pieces oF Marble used as FloorinG express The reincorporaTion oF oriGinal MaTerials back inTo The new TheaTre. aBOVe The rehearsal rooM includes boTh FriTTed Glass For diFFuse liGhTinG and expansive clear GlazinG For breaThTakinG views oF MonTreal.

8

tOP

cLient ThéâTre de QuaT’sous architect teaM éric GauThier, sTeve MonTpeTiT, François verville, doMiniQue poTvin StrUctUraL/MechanicaL/eLectricaL aecoM acOUSticS leGaulT davidson theatre cOnSULtant TrizarT alliance cOntractOr aecon area 860 M2 BUdGet $4.5 M cOMPLetiOn april 2009

22 canadian architect 10/10

9

1

2 11

vertical pipes in niches on lateral walls

4

3

5

SectiOn 1 sTaGe 2 house 3 Foyer 4 adMinisTraTion 5 coaT rooM, washrooMs, dressinG rooM, Green rooM

6 rehearsal rooM 7 Terrace 8 crossover 9 Mezzanine 10 conTrol booTh 11 eMerGency sTairway

0

5M

been made apparent in the transparent area of one of the rehearsal hall’s opaque windows. The silhouette is easily visible to passersby along Avenue des Pins Est. All of these devices helped the architects develop a functional and clear organization of spaces on a physically constrained site. One of the results is a definite sense of desired intimacy—evocative of the former theatre—that the users of the new facility experience. The sense of intimacy achieved for either performances or activities in the rehearsal hall results from spatial constraints that the architects have cunningly orchestrated. On the terrace of the building, which opens into a 360-degree panorama of Montreal’s roofscape, with Mont-Royal as an inspiring backdrop, artist-architect Hal Ingberg has made a transparent glass wall installation as part of a onepercent art commission requirement, furthering a sense of intimacy, even in the most open area of the building.

One of the most important characteristics of the new theatre is the successful restoration and reincorporation of the most significant traits of the former theatre that evokes a collective memory while simultaneously rendering homage to its founder, Paul Buissoneau. The project is also a testament to Eric Gauthier’s skills as an architect and to the distinguished history of a significant Montreal theatrical institution. ca

5

12

13

third Floor­

5

10

11

Ricardo L. Castro, FRAIC, is an Associate Professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Mezzanine

5

8

6

7

3

9 Second Floor­

4

avenue coloniale

5

3

1

2

avenue deS pinS Ground Floor­ 1­hallway 2­ticket­office 3­foyer 4­administration 5­emergency­stairway 6­stage 7­house

0 8­offstage 9­advertising­window 10­mezzanine 11­control­booth 12­rehearsal­room 13­terrace

5M

­the­new­theatre­is­conscientiously­scaled­for­the­pedestrian,­as­this­photo­illustrates.­ aBove­hal­ingberg’s­glass­wall­ installation­is­a­welcome­addition­to­the­building’s­rooftop. top

10/10­­canadian architect

­23

TH E B E AU T Y O F LO G I C .

Logic suggests that the simplest solution is the correct one.

The proof? Metl-Span Insulated Metal Panels, featuring a urethane foam core with high R-values encapsulated by attractively finished, low-maintenance metal skins. This simple, versatile system is the most logical way to meet society’s demand for structures that are both energy efficient and aesthetically beautiful. To specify your own solution, call our office in Surrey, BC at 778-294-6385, toll free 877-585-9969 or visit metlspan.com/corevalues now.

P I O N E E R I N G

I N S U L A T E D

M E T A L

P A N E L

METL-09-008-3 Š2010 Metl-Span LLC - A BlueScope Steel Company. All rights reserved.

CirCle reply Card 23

T E C H N O L O G Y

The best tile installation system is selected for the job

Bentall Capital Building Plaza, 1075 W. Georgia, Vancouver, BC Developed by Arthur Erickson in 1968, the plaza and water elements in front of the Bentall Capital Building were recently renovated. Existing natural slate tiles, which had deteriorated over the years, were removed and replaced with new porcelain tiles using MAPEI’s Granirapid mortar system. Rapid-setting Ultracolor Plus grout was used to provide an efflorescence-free finish to the grout joints. Mapelastic™ 315 membrane with fiber mesh was installed to waterproof the fountains in the plaza before tiles were installed. ®

®

CirCle reply Card 24

art/history

an enlightened and impassioned client guides the sensitive conversion of a historically significant heri­ tage building in vancouver’s chinatown into offices and a gallery to display his impressive collection of contemporary art.

Rennie ARt GAlleRy And Offices, VAncOuVeR, BRitish cOlumBiA WAlteR fRAncl ARchitectuRe inc. interior architect mcfARlAne | GReen | BiGGAR ARchitectuRe + desiGn inc. teXt leslie Jen photos mARtin tessleR proJect

architect

26 canadian architect 10/10

Rarely does a client come along that possesses both sufficient resources and the vision to realize a project of great historical and cultural significance. Bob Rennie, a highly successful marketer of condominiums in Vancouver’s continually booming real estate market, saw an opportunity in early 2004 when he purchased the longabandoned Wing Sang property located at 51 East Pender Street in the heart of historic Chinatown.

The oldest existing building in Chinatown, it has

­SkylightS­punctuating­the­roof­deck­illuminate­the­gallerieS­below­during­ the­day,­while­artiSt­martin­creed’S­neon­inStallation­inStillS­a­hopeful­meSSage.­­ aBOVe­retaining­traceS­of­itS­paSt,­the­narrow­three-Storey­Slot­of­a­gallery­occupieS­ the­Site’S­former­internal­laneway­that­Separated­the­two­buildingS. OPPOSite

its own colourful history originating in 1889 when an enterprising immigrant named Yip Sang built first a modest two-storey structure for his import/export business, followed in 1901 by a substantial expansion to the east including a third storey over both structures. In 1912, a sixstorey warehouse and residence (to house Yip Sang’s four wives and rapidly expanding family) constructed behind the original buildings completed the ensemble, a narrow internal laneway

separating it from its street-fronting siblings.

Architect Walter Francl was commissioned to lead this ambitious project—a conversion of the cluster of dilapidated brick structures into Rennie Marketing Systems’ headquarters and a gallery comprised of six principal exhibition spaces.

Accomplishing the requisite seismic and structural upgrades was no easy task, but Francl and a highly competent engineering team met the challenge, permitting the construction of a great vari-

ety of new spaces to accommodate not only offices but gallery functions suited to showcasing Rennie’s vast collection of contemporary art, much of it sculpture and installation-based work.

Rennie and Francl agreed that the project should accomplish more than the preservation of the building’s façades, and that they could go much further in revealing its complex past and over a century of history as explicitly as possible.

Thus, the resulting building bears much more 10/10­­canadian architect

­27

than a mere trace of the past or an incidental palimpsest, but makes its story legible through several deliberate gestures. To begin with, they left the façades exactly as they were, making the narrative of the building’s three phased components

28 canadian architect 10/10

clear and unambiguous. There was no attempt at seamless cohesion; the original 1889 two-storey structure is clearly distinct from its 1901 expansion, and the six-storey rear building is only visible from the street when one stands very far back.

As Rennie puts it, he “likes to show every intrusion on history,” believing in the importance of not erasing or concealing what has been done in the past. Consequently, after some initial trepidation, most of the windows in the taller

building housing the main gallery were filled in with concrete, a pretty bold gesture but one that honestly reveals the building’s evolution and its changing functions.

While the interiors were stripped down considerably, existing materials and spaces were retained where possible, which Francl describes as being one of the greatest challenges. He states that it was important to arrive at a design solution and parti that accommodated the complex program while respecting and clearly acknowledging the building’s history, form and materials. In furtherance of these objectives, mcfarlane | green | biggar were hired as the interior architects for the project, and they were responsible for the design of most of the interior spaces. One of these is the awe-inspiring main gallery at the rear of the building. With its soaring 40-foot ceiling, it is highly suitable for exhibiting the larger pieces in Rennie’s collection.

Another way that the original spirit and form of the complex was retained was through the creation of a three-storey “slot” gallery that traces the internal laneway that once separated the front and back buildings. Illuminated by a band of clerestory windows two storeys above, art is hung on the pristine white drywall on one side of the narrow slot, while the other side offers the startling contrast of the rough red brick that once functioned as the exterior load-bearing wall of the 1912 addition.

Most poignantly, Vancouver’s first Chinese school was housed in the Wing Sang building, and the original schoolroom on the third floor overlooking Pender Street appears very much the same as it did a century ago. Rennie explained that over the decades, the room remained remarkably intact despite the rest of the building experiencing multiple changes in use over time and falling into neglect. The original wood was retained on the floor, ceiling and walls, along with two blackboards—now protected behind glass—on which Chinese characters rendered in chalk decades ago have survived, amazingly. According to members of the Yip family, the characters on one of the boards date back 80 years, while the writing on the other board is likely ­A­photogrAph­of­the­Wing­ SAng­building­on­pender­Street­reveAlS­ the­hiStory­of­itS­groWth—the­originAl­ modeSt­tWo-Storey­Structure­(1899)­iS­ viSibly­diStinct.­ OPPOSite BOttOM the­chArActer­of­the­originAl­Schoolroom­StAyed­ mirAculouSly­intAct,­And­iS­noW­uSed­ AS­A­corporAte­boArdroom;­ArtiSt­ richArd­JAckSon’S­WhimSicAl­inStAllAtion­occupieS­the­mAin­multi-Storey­gAllery­SpAce;­A­drAmAtic­vieW­of­the­StAir­ reveAlS­the­modernity­of­neW­mAteriAlS­ incorporAted­into­A­criticAlly­importAnt­hiStoric­building.

17

3

18

12

12 12 19

16

12

12

third FlOOr­

FOurth FlOOr and rOOF garden­

13

1

13

2 5 3

3 6

4 1­pArking 2­pArking­pASSAge 3­elevAtor­lobby 4­coAt­room 5­gArbAge 6­electricAl 7­­Art­StorAge/WorkShop 8­Service­room 9­office/gAllery 10­office/reception 11­meeting 12­office 13­gAllery 14­photocopy­room 15­StAff 16­­originAl­School­ room 17­elevAtor­deck 18­AcceSSible­deck 19­vegetAted­roof

13 13

8 7 14

9

11 10

0

SecOnd FlOOr­

OPPOSite tOP

5M

1

2 4 5

6 6

10

3

4

7

SectiOn

12

11

grOund FlOOr­

1­roof­plAnt­deck 2­roof­deck 3­Art­gAllery 4­StAir­&­corridor 5­­heritAge­Schoolroom 6­office 7­office/gAllery 8­StAir­&­gAllery 9­pArking 10­mechAnicAl 11­Wc

15

12

12

8 11

9

4

0

10/10­­canadian architect

5M

­29

The roofTop sculpTure garden forms a verdanT forecourT, a place of respiTe from The griTTy sTreeTs below. an inTriguingly organic sculpTure by Thomas houseago is capTivaTing, as is dan graham’s mirrored curving pavilion in The background.

aBOVe

from the 1960s. But the schoolroom is not merely a museum artifact; it functions as a boardroom and has proven so popular that many non-profit agencies have rented it as a meeting space. Rennie is not surprised, and describes the room as possessing “a real energy.”

An extraordinary component of the project is the creation of an outdoor sculpture garden. Occupying the roof of the fronting three-storey structures, a wooden deck spills out onto a wondrous expanse of green, where visitors can enjoy a mirrored pavilion installation by Dan Graham that captures and reflects the surrounding city, along with a sculpture by Thomas Houseago, which expresses the abstracted human form in a most dynamic fashion. And the backdrop to this most exceptional experience is the assurance that “Everything is going to be alright,” Martin Creed’s massive neon installation mounted on the rising brick wall forming the backbone of the courtyard. Rennie’s partner Carey Fouks worked closely with landscape architect Alison Magill in the conceptual design of this outdoor space, and the results are breathtaking. Francl enthuses that he is particularly pleased with the sculpture garden, not only for its inherent qualities but because of the exhilaration of experiencing “the texture of the city” from such a privileged vantage point.

For one so passionately devoted to the architectural stories of the past, Rennie is equally passionate about his art collection, amassed over more than three decades. Perhaps Canada’s answer to high-profile European collectors Charles Saatchi and François Pinault, Rennie introduced audiences to the work of established Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum when the gallery opened last fall, and his programming schedule accommodates two exhibitions per year. A show featuring Richard Jackson’s whimsical bear installations has just ended, to be followed by Thomas Houseago and Amy Bessone in November.

It is curious that it was ultimately a Caucasian that spearheaded the revitalization of a flagging Chinatown. With more recent Asian immigration 30 canadian architect 10/10

being focused on suburban Richmond, the original historic Chinatown has suffered, also due in large part to the social problems plaguing the adjacent Downtown Eastside. Architect and client assuaged the fears and suspicions of the community and the Chinatown Heritage Association through several meetings and project presentations. As Rennie was sensitive to the opinions of the building’s former owners, last August he hosted 375 members of the Yip family for a reunion in the building and received their blessing.

This project is a gift to Chinatown, to Vancouver, and to the preservation of Canadian heritage—of stories that must not be forgotten. Though the cost of the project is rumoured to be in the neighbourhood of $20 million, the results are priceless. It has set in motion the reinvigoration of an important and richly evocative part of the city. Inspired by the latest chapter in the Wing Sang building’s story, others have established new and thriving businesses in the area where none dreamed of doing so just a few short years ago. As the project evolved, Rennie realized that he couldn’t set a budget for such an important heritage project. He maintains no corners were cut because “There’s no use doing it if you’re going to compromise.”

It is rather moving to hear Rennie eloquently articulate his role as a custodian. Very simply, he feels that it’s his job to take care of the building, a responsibility that carries over to his art collection. It is this realization, he jokes, that “made it easy to bankrupt ourselves.” All kidding aside, he is deliriously happy with the results, and very proud of what he has achieved. As he should be. ca

client rennie markeTing sysTems architect team projecT archiTecTs: walTer francl, scoTT miTchell, marsh ashby, vince knudsen, hazen sise. inTerior archiTecTs: michelle biggar, michael green, susan scoTT, Tracy mcTavish.

Structural jm engineering lTd. mechanical imec mechanical lTd. electrical canTec elecTrical services lTd. landScape jonaThan losee lTd. cOntractOr n. wallace & company lTd. heritage cOnSultantS roberT lemon archiTecT inc. and donald luxTon & associaTes enVelOpe cOnSultant morrison hershfield limiTed cOde cOnSultant cfT engineering lTd. city heritage planner zlaTan jankovic Owner’S repreSentatiVe waldron morTon consulTing lTd. area 27,060 fT2 Budget n/a cOmpletiOn ocTober 2009

InfInIte possIbIlItIes Limits are set to be transcended, creativity demands expression. Maximum spans, special shapes, high performance buildings‌ your designs are a source of stimulating challenges and innovative solutions waiting to be brought to life by the experts at Canam.

Take your ideas to the next level, contact our architectural solutions experts at 1-877-499-6049 or online at www.canam-steeljoist.ws/contactus-architect

Canam, a world of solutions for the most innovative designs!

A division of Canam Group CirCle reply Card 25

www.canam.ws/architects

WALLTITEECO RAISING PERFORMANCE TO NEW HEIGHTS TM

®

When you’re choosing insulation/air barrier systems, make the right choice: WALLTITE ECO, the purple insulation

by BASF, The Chemical Company.

WALLTITE ECO is a medium-density polyurethane foam insulation/air barrier system designed to improve the energy efficiency of any type of building. WALLTITE ECO’s industry-leading performance results in substantial energy savings by maximizing the effectiveness of the building envelope.

WALLTITE ECO meets the stringent requirements of the GREENGUARD Certification Program and GREENGUARD Children & Schools certification, thus ensuring optimal occupant comfort and safety.

SM

SM

WALLTITE ECO is the first closed-cell spray polyurethane insulation to obtain the EcoLogo , North America’s most widely recognized multi-attribute environmental certification. Its formulation includes recycled plastic, renewable content and a zero ozone-depleting blowing agent.

TM

WALLTITE ECO has been optimized through BASF’s award-winning Eco-Efficiency Analysis which assesses the lifecycle of a product or manufacturing process from “cradle to grave” over six categories: Materials consumption; Energy consumption; Emissions to air, soil and water; Risk potential for misuse; Health effect potential and Land use.

For more information: Eastern region: 1-866-474-3538 l Western region: 1-800-891-0671 walltite.com l foammasters.ca l walltiteeco.com

ECO stands for the balance between ecology and economy, achieved through the performance of WALLTITE ECOTM. Major prerequisites for renewable raw materials to become an alternative to fossil resources are their availability at competitive prices for industrial applications, without compromising food production and depleting the natural wealth. For its insulation material: WALLTITE ECOTM, BASF Canada has chosen to use renewable content from non-edible crops that do not jeopardize global food production.

WALLTITE ECOTM and foam mastersTM are trademarks and Raising Performance To New Heights® is a registered trademark of BASF Canada. EcoLogoTM is a registered trademark of Environment Canada.

The GREENGUARD Certification ProgramSM and GREENGUARD Children & SchoolsSM are trademarks of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute.

CirCle reply Card 26

Ocean therapy

an emerging VancOuVer architecture firm breaks grOund with a residence magnificently sited atOp a sandstOne cliff.

­this­simPle­and­eleGant­residence­ visually­frames­Both­itself­and­the­ ocean­views­Beyond.

abOVe

­Private­residence,­southern­Gulf­islands,­British­columBia ­Gates_suter­architects teXt­matthew­soules phOtOs­courtesy­Gates_suter­architects prOJect

architect

It’s not difficult to understand why Gates_Suter Architects were preoccupied with site conditions when designing this house in British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands. Their client spent years searching for the ideal location to situate his getaway retreat. He circumnavigated each of the Gulf Islands in a kayak, scoured most of them on bicycle, and the beauty of the oceanfront property that he settled on is hard to overstate. The land slopes gently down from its quiet access road through a thick forest and then opens to a wild grass meadow. Voluptuous sandstone cliffs drop from the meadow into roiling water thick with bull kelp. An expansive view overlooks the San

Juan Islands, and beyond to the mountainous Olympic Peninsula. Part of the site’s indelible allure is its fauna. Large pods of orcas are daily visitors. Traversing deer have worn paths into the grasses, and seals rest on the sandstone formations. And all of this a 20-minute floatplane ride from downtown Vancouver.

When Joanne Gates and Peter Suter, who is also an associate at Patkau Architects, started working with their client, the latter’s aspirations were clear: he wanted a one-bedroom house that sat sensitively within the site, suitable for entertaining. As an art collector, he needed large surfaces for hanging work. In response to these

intentions the architects have chosen to act simply and decisively. As a mostly unarticulated single-storey bar, the house is a minimalist counterpoint to its context. To get its siting just right, they tested different locations by laying out tape and pegs on site with the client. The result is a precise inhabitation of the edge at which the land begins to slide toward the ocean, offering views over the house upon approach and a remarkable connection to the sea from within.

The plan is divided into three distinct linear strips. A more enclosed and cellular program is pushed up along the north wall. A central strip is framed by large expanses of white drywall for art 10/10­­canadian architect

­33

1

Sheltering rooF and north wall

7

12 datum: drywall ceiling/ horizon

toPograPhy: conStructed ground Plane

5

6

11 8

10 4

3d aSSemblieS

3

9

2

Site Plan 5 1 Haro Strait 6 2 road 3 entry/foreSt boardwalk 7 8 4 foreSt

meadow forecourt footpatH (deertrail) main HouSe gueSt HouSe

0 5’ 10’

20’

9 Hand-dug Septic field 10 rainwater Storage 11 wood Storage 12 garry oak Stand

0

40’

croSS Section

middle leFt an array of tHinly mullioned windowS provide tHe client witH an unimpeded view from tHe SoutH-facing inHabitable obServation deck. leFt tHe HouSe appearS to be delicately percHed atop a Steep portion of itS Site.

34 canadian architect 10/10

40’

display. And a southern band is subdivided by a concrete mass that separates the bedroom from the home’s focus—the large and open entertaining space for living, cooking and dining.

The project’s catalytic power resides in its ability to experientially thrust inhabitants into the site by framing its context so emphatically and then minimizing and obscuring the boundaries and definition of that frame. In this manner, the house achieves a higher-order resonance that is subtle yet perceptually powerful. The entirely unobstructed southern glazing combined with the home’s shallow cantilever projects its interior into the space of the ocean. However, it is the detailing of the glazing that achieves something close to the sublime. By running the glass past the floor and ceiling planes with reveals that conceal the top and bottom mullions, the edge of the frame is ambiguous, an ambiguity that is heightened by the selection of dark-stained oak for the floor of the entertaining space. The tone captures the sky’s blues and greys and visually fuses the floor with the ocean. This type of operation occurs throughout the design in various forms. The columns along the east and west edges help define the limit of the house, but of them, the two closest to the water quietly blur those edges by extending beyond the constructed ground plane to land in the earth. The emphatic rectilinearity of the terrace is itself a datum against the meadow, but the simple absence of a guardrail powerfully connects it with the site.

It goes without saying that site conditions are part of the standard set of primary categorical considerations that inform the typical design development of a building. While “form follows function” is a prevalent credo, “form follows context” is certainly its less alliterative parallel. But architects tend to value the determinative role of context in varying degrees that depend on the site conditions at hand. While context is almost always a factor, it’s usually more so in certain types of sites. What broadly can be called the “natural” site is one such typology. That this predisposition itself exists reveals something about our constructed notions of the “natural” versus the “artificial.” What version of site-responsiveness emerges in natural settings extends this revelation.

Considering domestic architecture in ostensibly natural contexts, two archetypal projects can be seen as framing the range of predominant modes of site responsiveness. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater as a form of organic symbiosis and natural mimicry at one end, and at the other, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House as a form of minimal counterpoint to and frame of nature. The degree to which this Gates_Suter project is minimal and distinct locates it closer to the Miesian end of the spectrum. That their strategy of site-responsiveness—a kind of embrace of architecture’s inherent artificiality—is so successful in perceptually heightening the characteristics of the site, is a useful reminder in a culture increasingly devoted to buildings that more or less mimic nature, that it is possible to find the nature we appear to crave through the apparatus of the seemingly artificial. ca Matthew Soules is the Director of Matthew Soules Architecture (MSA) and an Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia.

­tHe­CanoPy’s­sLenDer­steeL­suPPorts­ProvIDe­LevIty­to­tHe­ House,­WHILe­tHose­WHo­venture­too­CLose­to­tHe­DeCk’s­eDGe­ WILL­Meet­an­unCertaIn­Fate.­ riGht­an­eLeGant­CantILever­aCCentuates­tHe­reGuLarIty­oF­tHe­HoMe’s­ForMaL­CoMPosItIon­ aGaInst­Its­More­ruGGeD­Context.

tOP riGht

architect teaM­Joanne­Gates,­Peter­suter StrUctUraL­Fast­+­ePP­struCturaL­enGIneers LandScaPe­CLIent/­Gates_suter­arCHIteCts interiOrS­Gates_suter­arCHIteCts cOntractOr­GaInes­enterPrIses

BUiLdinG enVeLOPe­sPratt­eManueL­enGIneerInG­ LtD. area­2,500­Ft2­ BUdGet­WItHHeLD cOMPLetiOn­2008

10/10­­canadian architect

­35

SDCB 303 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FOR CANADIAN BUILDINGS O

R E

7 C

U R S

HOUR

S

H

O

C

R

E D S I T

Net-Zero Energy Buildings:

High Performance Enclosure Design LEARNING OBjECTIvES 1. Understand the basic principles, performance objectives and value of good building enclosure design and identify & clarify common misconceptions; 2. Understand how design decisions impact the achievement and performance of low or net-zero energy buildings; 3. Understand the significance and value of context-specific building enclosure design for low or net-zero energy buildings;

An intermediate/advanced level professional development course presented

by Dr. Ray Cole, Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia, and Dr. John Straube, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and the School of Architecture, University of Waterloo and Principal of Building Science Corporation, offering Canadian architects and building design professionals the knowledge and new solutions required to design energy-efficient building enclosures appropriate for net-zero energy buildings.

Presented by:

Sponsored (in part) by:

4. Learn about new techniques and technologies for achieving low-energy, durable and affordable enclosures; and 5. Gain familiarity with current and future building codes, standards and environmental assessment tools.

FOR DATES, LOCATIONS AND TO REGISTER: CirCle reply Card 27

www.raiC.org see Continuing Education > register

I m a g e a b o v e – g r o u p e S t a g e l I n e | a r c h I t e c t : a l l a r d , h a m e l I n l a l o n d e , a r c h I t e c t S I n j o I n t v e n t u r e | pa n e l p h o t o : g r o u p e c a n a m | b u I l d I n g p h o t o : m a r c c r a m e r

Vicwest MCM decorative walls… welcome to the great indoors

Detail of Wood Grain finish

Interior solutions built to your specs, ready to install Whether for a lobby, conference room or simply a tastefully appointed interior space, consider Vicwest MCM panels. Available in a wide range of colors and finishes such as marble, granite and wood grain, they are the elegant solution when you need an upscale accent for your interior design challenges. Expand your design possibilities and talk to your Vicwest representative today… welcome to the great indoors.

www.vicwest.com CirCle reply Card 29

Meet me at the Forum Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism presents the Forum Lecture Series. Bringing national and international architects to Ottawa each year, Forum educates students, faculty and the general public about the profession, the design process and the impact architecture has on our communities. Join us at this year’s series for an impressive line-up of renowned speakers.

FORUM 10-11 NOVEMBER 1, 2010

MARC MIMRAM

MARC MIMRAM ARCHITECTE INGÉNIEUR NOVEMBER 22, 2010

MIRKO ZARDINI

CANADIAN CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE MARCH 2, 2011

LARRY BEASLEY

BEASLEY AND ASSOCIATES

NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA, AUDITORIUM 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada Lectures begin at 6 p.m.

Admission is free and open to the general public.

MARCH 14, 2011

HOMA FARJADI FARJADI ARCHITECTS

For more information visit carleton.ca/architecture or contact us at 613-520-2855 or architecture@carleton.ca.

MARCH 28, 2011

CRAIG DYKERS SNØHETTA

CirCle reply Card 28

Product ShowcaSe

circle rePly card 81

Sort recycling System SORT isn’t just a litter receptacle by another name. This flexible system of collection bins and organizing basket for interior and exterior use was designed specifically for recycling.

Created by designer John Rizzi with sustainability in mind, it offers a neat and attractive inducement to do the right thing. The powdercoated steel basket organizes large and small rotational molded polyethylene bins into a choice of configurations. Bins are offered in a palette of colors, including fresh new blue and green hues.

Visit www.landscapeforms.com

densarmor Plus® high-Performance interior Panel

Building Reputations Together™

www.gpgypsum.com

Metl-Span’s architectural insulated Metal wall Panel

aco drain for emergency Facilities

The Metl-Span Architectural wall panel is ideal for high-profile architectural applications. The panels may be installed either vertically or horizontally for maximum design flexibility. Multiple module widths and joint reveals add to the design variations available.

Attached with concealed clips and fasteners in the side joint, Architectural wall panels provide a beautiful flush appearance. For more information visit our website: metlspan.com.

Emergency facilities need to be ready for action 24 hours a day!

ACO Drain trench drain systems are used in hundreds of such facilities across Canada to help keep the buildings and equipment in the best possible shape and ready for intervention.

circle rePly card 83

Call us today to discuss your project!

(877)226-4255 www.acocan.ca circle rePly card 84

Solarban r100 glass

Mitsubishi introduces hydra-dan

Solarban R100 glass combines superior performance and neutral-reflectivity to provide a new choice in solar control, low-e glass. Ideal for privacy glass and a perfect complement to spandrels, metal, brick and stone, Solarban R100 glass features a 1.79 LSG ratio that is 17 to 29 percent better than competing products.

circle rePly card 86

Mitsubishi Electric introduces its new Hydra-Dan units as part of its City Multi building comfort solution. City Multi is the world’s first two-pipe, simul-taneous heating and cooling system equipped with the notorious VRF technology. As it collects the rejected heat energy from individual cooling zones, Hydra-Dan make use of this energy for domestic hot water use or hydronic heating. City Multi and Hydra-Dan maximize personal comfort and energy savings, ultimately helping your future projects to achieve LEED certifications. www.HydraDan.com

circle rePly card 88

Permacon noble® Architectural Series Modern • VerSatile • duraBle • leed coMPliant For more than 20 years, Noble® Architectural Series has acquired a strong reputation for its high quality and durability. Select among the various choices to achieve endless design alternatives. Our product offers various colour options, finishes and dimensions. As an added benefit, Noble® Architectural Series is compliant with the LEED program because of its recycled material content.

PerMaconPro.ca

PPGIdeaScapes.com 888.PPGIDEA

circle rePly card 85

circle rePly card 87

38 canadian architect 10/10

DensArmor Plus® High-Performance Interior Panel is designed as a replacement for paper-faced gypsum board for building interiors. The combination of fiberglass mats front and back, instead of paper facings, and moisture-resistant core provides superior moisture and mold resistance when compared to traditional paper-faced drywall. GeorgiaPacific Gypsum offers a 12-month weather exposure limited warranty which means DensArmor Plus panels can be hung before installing doors and windows.

Kingspan insulated Standing Seam roof System KingZip Insulated Standing Seam Roof System, from Kingspan Insulated Panels, is a pre-engineered, zip-up roofing system created for enhanced performance, design flexibility, aesthetic appeal and fast-track construction.

KingZip is an alternative to traditional through-fastened metal roofs. Featuring a thermally broken hidden clip design, KingZip comes pre-engineered as a single component with insulation foamed-in-place, allowing single-step installation. www.kingspanpanels.ca/kingzip

accumet composite Wall panels

the hpnc program

Flynn Canada’s Accumet modular wall cladding system uses state-of-the-art aluminum composite material and concealed framing to create an extremely strong, flat surface that eliminates dimpling, buckling, and oil-canning.

Accumet’s pressure-equalized rainscreen design with dry vented joints controls moisture drainage. Fabricated with corrosion-resistant materials, Accumet looks attractive — with minimal maintenance — for years to come.

The High Performance New Construction (HPNC) Program offers financial incentives to building owners and their design decision-makers (architect, consulting engineer, etc.) for the design and construction of energy-efficient buildings. Offered by the Ontario Power Authority and delivered by Enbridge Gas Distribution, this program provides incentives to help you design it right, build it better and reap the rewards.

Visit www.flynn.ca

For more information call 1-888-OPAHPNC or visit www.hpnc.ca.

circle reply card 89

circle reply card 90

Walltite ecO™ By BaSF — the cheMical cOMpany

What does iMi do?

circle reply card 92

The International Masonry Institute offers free technical assistance to the Saskatchewan design and construction communities, plus craftworker training and contractor education. IMI is a strategic alliance between the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) and contractors. Team IMI architects, engineers, construction managers and skilled craftworkers offer what no other group can: expertise in training, craftsmanship, design, and installation, promoting quality masonry construction. Contact Pete Loughney at Info@imiweb.org.

circle reply card 94

Subtle Shading, Modular look distinguish noraplan® degree noraplan® degree combines subtle shading and a distinctive, textured modular look in a versatile, colour palette. Available in 30 coordinating colours, the floor inspires unlimited design possibilities across multiple applications and environments. With an extremely dirt and stain resistant surface, noraplan degree never needs waxing or sealing. The durable floor covering does not contain PVC and is GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified for Children and SchoolsSM. Visit: www.nora.com/us/degree5.

WALLTITE ECO is a medium-density polyurethane foam insulation/air barrier system. Its formulation includes recycled plastic, renewable content and a zero ozone-depleting blowing agent, qualifying it as the first closedcell spray polyurethane insulation to obtain the EcoLogoM, North America’s most widely recognized multi-attribute environmental certification. WALLTITE ECO’s industry-leading performance results in substantial energy savings, thus reducing energy costs. circle reply card 91

Granirapid ® System premium, rapid-Setting, Flexible tile Mortar Granirapid is the next generation of high-performance, flexible mortar systems. It is the industry’s first and only fast-curing system geared for fast-track projects. It develops high, early mechanical strength and can be specified for the same demanding applications as the Kera­bond/Kera­lastic™ mortar system; however, Granirapid will cure considerably faster because its superior drying-out characteristics produce low residual moisture behind the tile after 24 hours. circle reply card 93

deep-dek®: an architectural solution that provides farreaching exposure

introducing MeMBrain™

circle reply card 95

MemBrain™ is a smart, breathable alternative to 6 mil. poly. This innovative new vapour barrier allows moisture to escape, keeping walls dry year round. When wall cavity humidity increases, MemBrain™ adapts by increasing its permeability. This allows moisture to escape, reducing mould, mildew and related risks. Proven in Europe for more than ten years, this patented technology was recently introduced in Canada (CCMC 13278-R).

MemBrain™ can be utilized as a vapour barrier and a continuous, interior air barrier. www.certainteed.com

Deep-Dek® is a suite of roof deck profiles that enables architects and engineers to have increased creative design options and greater flexibility than with standard metal decks since it fulfills structural, acoustical and aesthetic needs.

Create spaces and surroundings that inspire, contact our architectural solutions experts at 1-877-499-6049. www.canam.ws/architects circle reply card 96

10/10 canadian architect

39

PrOFeSSiOnaL directOrY

caLendar Tentative Itineraries: Little House in Orbit

Global Citizen: The Architecture of Moshe Safdie

September 23-November 6, 2010 This new installation by Francesca Viven­ za is on display at MADE, located at 867 Dundas Street West in Toronto. www.madedesign.ca

October 6, 2010-January 9, 2011 This exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa guides viewers on a journey from Safdie’s groundbreak­ ing Habitat for Expo ’67 in Montreal through his most recent projects in China, India, Singapore and the US. www.gallery.ca

Building Partners

Noise, Vibration and Acoustics Consulting Engineers

Mississauga, Ontario

•

Architectural Acoustics

•

Building Noise and Vibration Control

P: 905-826-4044 F: 905-826-4940 HOWE GASTMEIER CHAPNIK LIMITED

www.hgcengineering.com

aluminum and Metal composite Materials ALPOLIC®’s virtually unlimited array of Aluminum and Metal Composite Materials are anything but ordinary, and all feature superior flatness and rigidity, yet amazing flexibility, ease of fabrication and installation. For lightweight panels that are as tough and durable as they are beautiful and unique, ALPOLIC® simply can’t be beat.

circLe rePLY card 97

1-800-422-7270. fax: 757-4361896. www.alpolic-usa.com.

Emalee_Sweeney@m-chem.com

September 25, 2010-January 2, 2011 This exhibition takes place at Archi­ tecture at York Quay Centre in To­ ronto, and explores the relationship between the two key players within the building process: the client and the architect. Canadian architecture firms Dubbeldam Design Archi­ tects, Ian MacDonald Architect Inc. and Moriyama & Teshima Architects are featured. www.harbourfrontcentre.com The Art of Structure

September 25, 2010-January 17, 2011 Taking place at the Carnegie Mu­ seum of Art’s Heinz Architectural Center in Pittsburgh, this exhibition explores radical works of 20th­ century engineering that are now in the canon of Modernist design. www.cmoa.org Four Directions

September 26-December 31, 2010 This environmentally themed video in­ stallation at the Evergreen Brick­ works in Toronto includes Lessons of Darkness by legendary German film­ maker Werner Herzog, acknowledg­ ing man­made environmental destruction and offering alternative ways of thinking about a healthy earth that suggest regrowth and healing. www.no9.ca/9.html

Granular Series exterior Finish Enhance your building’s exterior with Vicwest’s Granular Series. Our granular series finish reflects the appearance of stucco without the drawbacks of early wear-and-tear. With an infinite range of colours, the granular series can be applied to steel cladding profiles, insulated metal panel profiles and architectural panels all with the option for anti-graffiti coating.

Visit www.vicwest.com for endless exterior design possibilities. circLe rePLY 98

40 canadian architect 10/10

Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement

October 3, 2010-January 3, 2011 This major exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York explores contemporary architecture as a powerful means for improving so­ cial conditions, focusing on 11 note­ worthy built or under­construction projects in underserved commun­ ities around the world. www.moma.org

Michael Meredith lecture

October 19, 2010 Michael Meredith, Associate Professor of Architecture at Harvard University’s GSD and principal of MOS delivers a lecture at 6:30pm at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. www.daniels.utoronto.ca Journeys: How Travelling Fruit, Ideas and Buildings Rearrange Our Environment

October 19, 2010-March 13, 2011 This exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal focuses on how movement impacts on the built environment. Using 15 “stories,” the exhibition will ques­ tion and debate issues raised by increased global movement. www.cca.qc.ca Paul raff lectures at OcadU

October 21, 2010 Toronto­based architect and designer Paul Raff will present his approach to social, eco­ nomic and ecological sustainability at 6:30pm in the auditorium of OCAD University. www.ocad.ca halifax 10: the canadian healthcare Safety Symposium

October 21-23, 2010 Taking place at the Marriott Waterfront in Halifax, the 10th anniversary of this sympo­ sium will benefit health­care and legal professionals, and leaders with an active interest in patient safety, quality, organizational development and health system improvement. www.buksa.com/halifax/ dX Black & White Fundraising Gala

October 23, 2010 This annual event takes place at the Design Exchange,

located at 234 Bay Street in downtown Toronto. This year, visionary and world-leading innovator Bruce Mau, Chairman and Founder of Bruce Mau Design will be honoured. www.dx.org/gala

tion Centre, the 11th Toronto International Art Fair features over 100 fine art galleries from 13 countries along with speakers, special curated projects, panel discussions and docent-led tours. www.tiafair.com

architecture depends

October 26, 2010 Jeremy Till, Dean of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Westminster, delivers a lecture at 6:30pm at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. www.daniels.utoronto.ca

Marc Mimram lecture

2010 construction Law Primer

October 27, 2010 This intensive oneday conference at the Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto focuses on the fundamentals of construction contracts. www.constructionlawonline.ca

November 2, 2010 Benjamin Ball of Ball Nogues Studio in Los Angeles delivers a lecture at 6:30pm at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. www.daniels.utoronto.ca

art toronto 2010

Jakob + MacFarlane: About

October 28-November 1, 2010 Taking place at the Metro Toronto Conven-

November 3-December 12, 2010 This exhibition in the Library Gallery at

November 1, 2010 Paris-based architect, engineer and author Marc Mimram delivers a lecture at 6:00pm at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

Spaces Between the hammer and the Mouse

SCI-Arc concerns the work of Jakob + MacFarlane, an architectural firm based in Paris whose work explores digital technology both as a conceptual consideration and as a means of fabrication, using new materials as a possibility to create a more flexible, responsive and immediate environment. www.sciarc.edu health achieve 2010

November 8-10, 2010 This conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre features the latest in healthcare technology, the most dynamic leaders in the industry, and sessions covering many of the issues facing health care today. www.healthachieve.com

scape and Design at the University of Toronto. www.daniels.utoronto.ca Joern Siebke: transLiGht— lighting the transition

November 15, 2010 This lecture by Joern Siebke of New York’s Arc Light Design takes place at 6:00pm in the Macdonald-Harrington Building at McGill University. www.mcgill.ca/architecture/lectures/ interdisciplinarity

November 16, 2010 Pat Hanson, founding partner of gh3 in Toronto delivers a lecture at 6:30pm at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. www.daniels.utoronto.ca

Piles, Puddles, and Other architectural irritants

November 10, 2010 Timothy Hyde, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Harvard University’s GSD, delivers a lecture at 6:30pm at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Land-

For more inFormation about these, and additional listings oF Canadian and international events, please visit www.canadianarchitect.com

BE CREATIVE

ARCHITECTURAL PANELS

MAKING CONSTRUCTION A RENEWED ART.

Our products’ flexibility translates into outstanding effectiveness on the job site and in multiple assembly configurations.

Based on intelligent, multipurpose, cutting-edge technology, NORSERIES delivers integrated, durable, attractive solutions for building construction.

As an economic and innovative alternative, NORSERIES provides high-performance custom responses that far outstrip conventional construction methods.

Panel with polyisocyanurate core (polyurethane)

Panel with expanded Panel with polystyrene core rock-wool core circLe rePLy card 30

ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS REVOLUTIONARY CONSTRUCTION TYPE ON NORBECARCHITECTURAL.COM

10/10 canadian architect

1 877 667-2321

41

BackPage

Just add Water

Through The efforTs of many, The original vision for The museum of anThropology aT The universiTy of BriTish ColumBia is finally CompleTe wiTh The permanenT insTallaTion of a refleCTing pool adjaCenT To The Building. teXt + PhOtO

Cheryl Cooper

Architects foremost of all should be listeners...

—Arthur Erickson Thirty-eight years ago, Arthur Erickson designed the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia. In a forest clearing on a cliff edge, Erickson oriented the Museum to the sea and tied the building to the land in ways expressive of Northwest Coast Native life. Evoking a traditional Haida village, he envisioned an inlet where First Nations peoples brought their canoes to rest on its shell-and-shingle beach, and where, among the longhouses, the Museum would, as Erickson put it, “shelter all those objects, cultural and sacred, that could no longer be left out in the rain.”

Water, and its relationship to light is central to this vision. Erickson saw that water was essential as a boundary for totem poles, a shimmering median. And if the idea of a Haida village acted as a mediator between forest and sea, then the inlet-cum-pond was integral to the narrative of 42 canadian architect 10/10

site and meaning of place. Water provides a further horizontal plane in a composition, intersected by verticals, progressing south to north.

Water also brings down the sky, lights the ground, and animates the whole through the multiple, constantly changing reflections of sky, cloud, tree, bird, building and totem, reconciling the public and the sacred, conveying mystery and serenity.

With its indigenous plants and grasses, the landscape becomes part of the outdoor museum, seen as a continuous cultural expression. The reflecting pool is an integral element of this expression of place, people and time, part of its meaning and spirit, metaphysical and ontological.

I saw this poetry revealed in June 2004 when I had the pool filled for Arthur’s 80th birthday party, with thanks to the University, the MOA, the Friends of Arthur Erickson, and the reflecting pool’s sponsor, Concord Pacific. The pool had only been filled twice in its history: for a 1993 film shoot for the movie Intersection and for the 1997 APEC Summit. But for the weekend of Arthur’s birthday, hundreds of people saw the magic of the place as Arthur had imagined it. That event, with the photographs, publications, exhibitions, tours and discussions that followed, contributed powerfully to advocacy for the permanent installation of the pool. From that day, Arthur and I always met

The yosef wosk refleCTing pool CompleTes The landsCape of arThur eriCkson’ s museum of anThropology aT The universiTy of BriTish ColumBia.

aBOVe

friends and guests at the Museum with my folder of photographs, most memorably with Yosef Wosk, who has now helped to make this vision possible through his generous, deeply sympathetic gift.

Completing Erickson’s vision is a great tribute.

This does not happen without agency: advocacy, political will, funding, perseverance, and passion. All these came together in the support of UBC President Stephen Toope, MOA Director Anthony Shelton, and others. Not least among these is landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. Her knowledge and tireless dedication have enabled this challenging project to be realized in keeping with the original concept.

On September 19, 2010, the MOA recognized the completion of the landscape with the Yosef Wosk Reflecting Pool, in honour of Arthur C. Erickson and Cornelia H. Oberlander. Today, we can celebrate the fulfillment of Arthur’s vision and greatest wish. ca Cheryl Cooper is an arts consultant and Founding Director of the Arthur Erickson Conservancy.

a cozy, energy-efficient home starts with PinK

• Ideal for retrofit, additions and new construction

• Trusted insulating performance

• Exceptional moisture resistance and durability • Saves up to 28% on heating and cooling costs* • Qualifies for Federal and Provincial Government grants

• Over 70% recycled content

• Outstanding energy efficiency • Adds comfort to the home • Easy to install • Non-combustible • Safe for the home

To learn more about why PINK FIBERGLAS ® is the insulation preferred † by most Canadian homeowners, contact your Owens Corning Area Sales Manager.

TM

www.owenscorning.ca

†

2009 Leger Marketing Study. THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964-2010 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. *Actual savings vary depending on initial insulation levels, climate, house tightness, and occupant activities. 70% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all Owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. The GREENGUARD INDOOR AIR QUALITY CERTIFIEDSM Mark is a registered certification mark used under licence through the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. Owens Corning PINK insulation is GREENGUARD Certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved.

CirCle reply Card 31

audi.ca

ate Elimin t hindsigh

©2010 Audi Canada. European model 2011 Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro® shown with optional equipment. Model wheels shown not currently available for purchase in Canada. “Audi”, “FSI”, “quattro”, Vorsprung durch Technik”, and the four rings emblem are registered trademarks of AUDI AG. Audi “R8 Spyder” is a trademark of AUDI AG. To find out more about Audi, see your dealer, call us at 1-800-FOR-AUDI, or visit us at www.audi.ca.

Audi R8 Spyder

CirCle reply Card 32

FREE

ADVERTISER PRODUCT INFORMATION & SUBSCRIPTION ORDER CARD PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Title _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Company ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________________ Province/State ____________ Postal/Zip Code __________________________ Telephone (

) _________________________________________ Fax (

) __________________________________________

E-Mail Address ————————————————————————————————————————————————

YOUR BUSINESS OCCUPATION (check one only) o o o o o o

Registered Architect o Professional Engineers Interior Designer o Student of Architecture/Design Specification Writer o Landscape Architect Developer/Builder o Architectural Technologist Graduate/Intern/Arch/Arch Asst Other (please specify) _________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

For FREE INFORMATION, find the Reader Service # under each ad(s) and then circle the corresponding number(s) shown here.

1

10

19

28

37

46

55

64

73

82

91

2

11

20

29

38

47

56

65

74

83

92

3

12

21

30

39

48

57

66

75

84

93

4

13

22

31

40

49

58

67

76

85

94

5

14

23

32

41

50

59

68

77

86

95

6

15

24

33

42

51

60

69

78

87

96

7

16

25

34

43

52

61

70

79

88

97

8

17

26

35

44

53

62

71

80

89

98

9

18

27

36

45

54

63

72

81

90

99

YES! PLEASE SIGN ME UP TO RECEIVE CANADIAN ARCHITECT MAGAZINE

FOR FAST SERVICE, FAX THIS CARD TO (416) 510-6875

o Send me 1 year of Canadian Architect magazine — 12 issues for only $52.95 (+GST/HST/QST) For United States $101.95 (US funds) For International $120.00 (US funds) o Send me 2 years of Canadian Architect magazine — 24 issues for only $83.95 (+GST/HST/QST) METHOD OF PAYMENT o Cheque (payable to Canadian Architect) o VISA o MASTERCARD

CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE: CDA: 1-800-268-7742 ext. 3539 USA: 1-800-387-0273 ext. 3539 Email: mchana@bizinfogroup.ca

o AMERICAN EXPRESS

URL: www.canadianarchitect.com

CARD# _________________________________________________________________ EXPIRY DATE ______________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE (required) __________________________________DATE ___________________ 2010 L K J I H G F E D C B A