This year marks the centenary of Canada’s pre-eminent architect Arthur Erickson. Vancouver-born and raised, Erickson developed an interest first in the arts and then in the study of architecture, leading to an eclectic career with international impact that spanned six decades and produced some of Canada’s most iconic structures. Erickson defined site, light, cadence, and space as his four first principles of architecture, elements that are each critical to the understanding of his design explorations. From these, he created some of our region’s most cherished modern buildings, from single-family residences to our most significant cultural and civic spaces.   

On July 10th, join the West Coast Modern League with the West Vancouver Art Museum at The Polygon Gallery as we celebrate the centenary and the built legacy of Arthur Erickson through the lens of local designers who have revisited the famed architect’s work. Through active renewal and preservation, this group has helped to shepherd these iconic structures forward, working to safeguard their physical longevity and continued inspiration for future generations. They will share these projects with us.

Part of West Coast Modern Week, presented by the West Vancouver Art Museum. 

Tickets available here: https://westcoastmodern.org/events/site-light-cadence-space/

On June 8th, the West Coast Modern League is hosting an exclusive opportunity to explore MA+HG’s award-winning 2020 Pink House & The Octopus, to engage in conversation and camaraderie with fellow design aficionados, and to enjoy appetizers & libations. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to catch remarks about the project from architects Marianne Amodio and Harley Grusko, as well as landscape architect Joseph Fry.

Completed in 2020, the Pink House & the Octopus stand as a gleaming example of a modern/heritage hybrid restoration with a contemporary infill befitting the historic eclecticism and multi-cultural fabric of its Vancouver neighbourhood. Designed by MA+HG Architects, with landscape by Hapa Collaborative, the project undertook to restore and modernize a century old character home while creating “Missing Middle,” multi-generational housing. A total work of art for an art-aligned owner in an artistic community, the home has been dubbed the Pink House & The Octopus for its historical reference to colour and the multi-limbed series of intersecting infill dwellings along the laneway. In 2024, the project was nominated for the prestigious Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize for Emerging Practice.

Tickets Here: https://westcoastmodern.org/events/pink-octopus-salon/

Location: To be provided to ticket holders prior to the event.

Presented by the West Vancouver Art Museum, in collaboration with the Arthur Erickson Foundation, this exhibition explores Arthur Erickson in the context of his own home in Point Grey, Vancouver, where he lived from 1957 to 1992. Central to this exhibition are photographs from the collection of the West Vancouver Art Museum by Selwyn Pullan of Erickson in his home and garden. Surrounded by the objects that inspired him that were collected during his extensive travels, these photos are an intimate portrait of this well-known figure at home. 

The house was converted from conjoined garages: a humble structure taking up a small portion of a large lot, which accommodated a verdant, Japanese-style garden. In 1981, Erickson said: “When I moved into this house, in 1957, I was teaching architecture at the University of British Columbia and collecting pottery. The things that surrounded me were more important to me…Architecturally, this house is terrible, but it serves as a refuge, a kind of decompression chamber. The nice thing about the garden is that I started it and it’s been doing its own thing ever since."[1]

[1] Edith Iglauer, Seven Stones: A Portrait of Arthur Erickson, Architect, 1981, Harbour Publishing/University of Washington Press, pp. 30-31

Exhibit is on at the West Vancouver Art Museum from May 15 - July 20th, more info here https://westvancouverartmuseum.ca/exhibitions/refuge-arthur-erickson

McKinley Studios is hosting a launch event in Gallery McKinley at 611 Alexander to celebrate their modular project that’s been 5 years in the making, Commonplace Homes.

Thursday, May 9th, 2023
5pm - 8pm

https://ourcommonplace.ca/

PECHAKUCHA NIGHT VOL.57 
MAY 8th • VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE
Lobby doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:30.
ASL interpretation will be available at this event.

TICKETS: 
Tickets go on sale April 5th at 10am.
$23 (Incl. GST) + service fees
https://www.vtixonline.com/pechakucha-night-vol57/4224/

PRESENTERS:
Amanda Huynh & Ranee Lee - One Lovely Hour
Ami Sanyal - Creative Pulse
David Ng & Jen Sungshine - Love Intersections
Garret 'GMAN' Louie - Timebomb Trading Inc, Fortune Sound, TAIKAN, Livestock, NLA
Joella Cabalu - Documentary Filmmaker
Kim Tran - DD Mau
Lucy Yun - Lucky Lucy Creative Inc.
Nathalie De Los Santos - PilipinxPages
Paul Wong - Paul Wong Projects
Sandeep Johal - Visual Artist + Muralist
Vishal Marapon - Artist / Photographer

HOSTS:
Marianne Amodio - MA+HG
Caroline Boquist - Walrus

CITY ORGANIZER:
Becki Chan - Open Format Arts & Culture

SPONSOR:
ASL interpretation sponsored by Perkins&Will

Join us on May 14th for a special book launch for 5468796 Architecture's new book, platform.MIDDLE: Architecture for Housing the 99%.

The event will be hosted by architecture critic and writer of the book's introduction, Trevor Boddy, alongside co-authors and 5468796 co-founders Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic, as well as Marianne Amodio from MA+HG Architects. They will be discussing the book, their experiences in the field of architecture, and answering audience questions. 

Copies of the book will be available for sale. 

Doors open at 5 pm; the talk begins at 6 pm.

RSVP HERE

Join us on April 4 from 5–9 PM to see what goes on behind the scenes at the Revery Studio in Vancouver. Drinks and snacks included.

We're back for our third year of studio tours. This time, Revery Architecture is opening their doors for a full tour of their space - work will be on display and staff will be around to talk about what they do, how they work, and what drives them. Snacks and drinks are included.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Event:

Revery Studio Tour,
Thursday April 4th, 5-9 pm
300-1706 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver BC V6J0E4

Tickets Available here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/afbc-studio-tour-revery-architecture-tickets-861852232227?aff=oddtdtcreator

Lecturer: Hans Jakob Wagner from Institute of Computational Design, University of Stuttgart

 Date and Time: April 2, 2024 at 6pm at the Lasserre Building on UBC Campus Room 102

 Title: Lightweight Mass Timber: Co-Design and Robotic Fabrication for Computational Wood Architecture

The integration of computational design, digital engineering, and robotic fabrication methods has revolutionized the field of architecture, particularly in the realm of wood construction. By leveraging these technologies, architects and engineers can collaborate on the creation of innovative building systems that maximize performance while minimizing material usage. This has significant implications for sustainability and efficiency in construction.

This talk presents recent developments at the University of Stuttgart for the co-design of a point-supported multi-storey wood slab system. It represents a departure from conventional mass-timber slabs by enabling long spans of up to 12 meters without relying on regular grids. This flexibility opens up new possibilities for architectural design, allowing for more creative and varied spatial configurations.

This event is hosted by UBC and attendance can earn you one AIBC Learning credit.

Registration link: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1FcMcPids8u2D5Q

“Whenever I go back to Italy and visit our house in Sant’Elia, I reflect on so many good times and the tranquility we enjoyed there as a family. Each time I return to Canada, I feel like I have left part of me there to grow old among the ruins.”

Carmen P. Naccarato 

(Death of an Art Form: Architectural Drafting & Pencil Sketching)

During the pandemic, Mr. Naccarato came up with the idea of writing the manuscript for this book and chose all the images that best represent his career and artistic sketches.

In this book, Mr. Naccarrato narrates the story of his life, an Italian immigrant, who left Italy and arrived in Canada for a new life, where he became a notable architectural technologist.

About the Author

Carmen P. Naccarato is an accomplished architectural draftsman who has designed and developed buildings in Alberta, Canada. Much of his work can be found in the Edmonton area but spans across the country and into the United States as well. Originally from Italy, Mr. Naccarato moved his family to Windsor, Canada in 1954. This book is a legacy collection of his work and achievements throughout the past sixty years.

This story is not only about the life and career of Mr. Naccarato, but most importantly it is about the struggle to cope with the transition of manual drafting coming to an end and to go on with computer generated drawings for the building industry. To quote another lover of manual drafting. The thrill of vanquishing and monster sized, fire breathing design problem with nothing more than a small sharpened stick.

For more information, visit the Italian Design Map.

Jeremy McLeod of Melbourne, Australia’s Breathe Architecture will speak as part of UBC SALA’s New Directions in Housing series.

March 27, 20247 p.m.

UBC Robson Square

March 20, 20247 p.m.

UBC Robson Square

https://sala.ubc.ca/event/local-democracy-community-focused-or-corporately-driven/

As part of ongoing programming for Reclaim+Repair:The Mahogany Project, Toby Barratt of Propellor Studio will have the pleasure of moderating a discussion with local designers Brent Comber, Christa Clay, Josiah Peters and Kaly Ryan who have each built design practices that place principles of sustainable design at the centre of their production. The conversation will explore the diverse ways that these designers approach the use of natural materials, their methods of production, and the environmental and social impact possible with the adoption of regenerative design practices.

https://museumofvancouver.ca/mahogany-panel

Chris Woodford of Woodford Architecture in St. John’s, Newfoundland will speak at Inform Interiors.

This lecture is presented in memory of Gair Williamson.

RSVP coming soon.

March 6, 20245 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. talk

Inform Interiors

Roddy Langmuir of Cullinan Studio in London will speak at Inform Interiors, in advance of a weekend workshop for SALA students.

RSVP coming soon.

February 28, 20245 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. talk

Inform Interiors

PECHAKUCHA NIGHT VOL.56 
FEB.15th • VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE
Lobby doors open at 6:30; show starts at 7:30.
ASL interpretation will be available at this event.

TICKETS: *SOLD OUT
Tickets go on sale Jan.11th at 10am.
$23 (Incl. GST) + service fees
https://www.vtixonline.com/pechakucha-night-vol56/4016/
*ASL interpretation will be available at this event.

PRESENTERS:
Andrew Latreille - Latreille Photography
Amanda Kao - The Bad Academy
Chad Falkenberg & Kelly Reynolds - Falken Reynolds
David French - Grimson and Sons Jewellers
Hannah Watkins - Multidisciplinary Artist
Hubert Kang - Hubert Kang Photography
Max Mitchell - BOOM! Pro Wrestling
Monique Skelton - MiMOKO
Oliver Bernardino - L'Abattoir
Simon Montgomery - Simon Montgomery Studio
Tafui - Tafui Design

HOSTS:
Marianne Amodio - MA+HG
Caroline Boquist - Walrus

CITY ORGANIZER:
Becki Chan - Open Format Arts & Culture

SPONSOR:
ASL interpretation sponsored by Perkins&Will
We are grateful for the support of the Province of British Columbia.

Get ready to SHINE brighter on February 15th, 2024 as we come together at the Vancouver Convention Centre to celebrate interior design excellence of our IDIBC members.

Program – 6 pm cocktails.
Gala at 7:30
After party 9 to late

Tickets available now!

IDIBC Members and SHINE Sponsors $ 65.00
Non-Members and Industry $ 85.00
Student $ 30.00
Day of Gala $ 85.00

Part of the Local Democracy and City Design series, as well as the New Directions in Housing series.

Speakers:

Dr. Cameron Murray 
Fresh Economic Thinking, Brisbane, Australia

Dr. Mark Roseland 
School of Community Resources and Development, Arizona State University

Dr. Thomas Davidoff
UBC Sauder School of Business

Event is free at UBC Robson Square, check out more information here.

 Constructing the Spontaneous, an unprecedented exhibition of Pritzker-winning architect THOM MAYNE’S visionary digitally assisted artworks. Renowned for his ground-breaking contribution to architecture and design, Mayne’s latest series of artworks emerges as a profound exploration of the interplay between the forefront of technology and humanistic ideals and expression.

Paul Kyle Gallery (formerly Elan Fine Art)

4-258 East 1 Avenue (Second floor), Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 1A6

Join us on February 9th for a talk by Pritzker-winner Thom Mayne, where he will discuss his architectural practice and his current exhibit, Constructing the Spontaneous. 

Doors open at 5 pm; the lecture begins at 6 pm.

Mayne's latest series of artworks profoundly explores the interplay between the forefront of technology and humanistic ideals and expression. Each piece in the exhibition is the result of a rigorous generative process that starts with commanding a computer algorithm, which generates a series of images based on a series of primitive geometries, enhanced by variables such as rotating and stacking operations, opacity metrics, and additive and subtractive form making. The opening reception for the exhibit is on Saturday, February 10th, 1:00-5:30 pm at the Paul Kyle Gallery.

For more info, or to join the waitlist.

Join us at Inform on February 6th for a discussion on how the residential design community can provide more spatially equitable housing options with John Brown, co-founder of Garden Loft and Dean of University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. 

Doors open at 5 pm; the lecture begins at 6 pm.

About Garden Loft

Accessible design is more than satisfying the code requirements for things like wheelchair turning radii, minimum door widths, and lever-style faucets. In housing, this means ensuring seniors and others with differing abilities have access to domestic environments that are equivalent in quality and opportunity to those enjoyed by the rest of the population.

Garden Loft, a design-focused, value-driven manufacturing start-up, addresses this emerging design challenge with a modular supportive housing system suitable for various community settings.

About John Brown

John Brown, PhD, is a Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary. He is a registered architect in Alberta, Immediate Past President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and a founding partner of the residential design/build company Housebrand and Garden Loft, a manufacturing start-up exploring new senior housing forms. His work is published internationally and has received an RAIC Award of Excellence for Innovation, the Prairie Design Award, the Residential Architect Leadership Award, two Mayor’s Urban Design Awards, and the City of Calgary Accessibility Award.

Join us the annual MGA party.

1535 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver
Friday February 2
8pm to late
No RSVP, all are welcome

Presented by the West Coast Modern League

Hosted by Inform Interiors, 50 Water Street, Vancouver, BC

FREE EVENT with registration | Open to the public

Reception at 5:00pm | Presentation at 6:00pm

On January 30th, Marc Treib, Professor of Architecture Emeritus at UC Berkley and prolific author on modern landscape and architecture, joins the West Coast Modern League at Inform Interiors for Tommy & Bill, a talk on the landscapes and architecture of Thomas Church and William Wurster.

Beginning in the 1930s, but especially during the immediate postwar years, William Wilson Wurster and Thomas Dolliver Church—in architecture and landscape architecture respectively—included in their sizable dossiers works executed both in collaboration and individually. While Wurster shunned the wholescale adoption of modernist ideas from abroad, he used them to temper and adapt long-established California architectural traditions. Sharing with Wurster these same predilections, Church produced an impressive number of landscapes both in Northern California and in the United States more widely, but always rooted to their sites, environments, and clients' lives, whether ultimately deriving modernist form and space or those more traditional.

Tommy and Bill examines the course of their buildings and landscapes as they evolved over several decades, deriving their designs in response to their physical and social environments.

Marc Treib is Professor of Architecture Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and a prolific author who writing focuses on modern landscape and architecture in the United States, Scandinavia, and Japan. His books include the edited volumes Thomas Church, Landscape Architect: Designing a Modern California Landscape, and An Everyday Modernism: The Houses of William Wurster. Coming next spring are Poodling: On The Just Shaping of Shrubbery, and Noguchi's Gardens: Landscape as Sculpture, both from ORO Editions.

Reserve your spot here.

Check out one of our AFBC 2023 Award Winning projects - 411 Railway - and celebrate the opening of Above90 lighting, featuring Coelux and Lambert & Fils.

411 Railway, unit 180

No Tickets Required.

Join UBC SALA for an evening exploring the relationship between decolonization, housing, and architecture.

Speakers: 

Kelly Edzerza-Bapty
Obsidian Architecture, Golden, BC

David Fortin
David T. Fortin Architecture / University of Waterloo

Simoogit Saa Bax
Patrick R. Stewart Architect, Chilliwack, BC

What are the relationships between colonial land dispossession and Canada’s contemporary housing crisis? What are the ways that Indigenous housing can be for all Canadians? What is architecture’s role in achieving a decolonized housing future?

Presentations by three of Canada’s leading Indigenous architects, followed by panel discussion.

Open to the public.

This event is part of the New Directions in Housing series

Join SFU's City Program and SFU Urban Studies for a free lecture on a key policy that has shaped Vancouver's skyline.

Vancouver’s View Protection Policy has shaped downtown Vancouver into one of the most recognizable skylines in the world and ensured views of the city, water and mountains from various viewpoints across the city remain a public commons. Countless views are automatically protected from the dense heart of the downtown out, along the corridors. This is a talk about how this policy was developed and how it was implemented.

This in-person event will also be live streamed for online attendees.

Register Here.

About the speaker: Larry Beasley

Larry Beasley is a senior Canadian city planner, urban designer, teacher and author.

He is the founding principal of Beasley and Associates, an international planning and development consultancy. For many years, he was the chief planner for the City of Vancouver and he has just retired as the ‘Distinguished Practice’ Professor of Planning at the University of British Columbia.

Among many leadership roles, he currently sits on the board of the Green Line Transit Project in Calgary; he also long served on the boards of TransLink in Metro Vancouver, the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, and the Committee for International Economic Development in Rotterdam.

Working in cities around the world, he has completed game-changing assignments in Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Dallas, Scandinavia, Australia, and across Canada.

He has authored two popular books—Vancouverism and Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs. He teaches extensively and his online course has had a worldwide reach.

Larry Beasley has received several honourary doctorates as well as the Kevin Lynch Prize from MIT and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is a Member of the Order of Canada.