The Duplex, Re-invented For High-density Living

By Hadani Ditmars, Globe and Mail
December 9, 2011

At the nexus of Vancouver’s bravest new neighbourhood, design/build architect Lucio Picciano is reinventing the duplex. Mere minutes from the new Vancouver Community College SkyTrain station and Ken Lum’s iconic monument to East Vancouver, the housing type most commonly associated with 70’s A-frame style barns, is being born again. Its 2011 incarnation is as a high-density, high-design dwelling that is as flexible as it is modern. More … 

AIBC Response to Proposed BCBC Revisions

This fall, proposed changes to the BC Building Code have been out for public review with open invitations extended for individuals and organizations to submit feedback. In addition to the individual responses provided by AIBC members, the institute has submitted a formal response that is the product of thoughtful, thorough input from experienced practitioners, topic experts and advisors. In addition to technical responses to each of the proposed changes, the AIBC submission address two principal areas of concern:

  • The public interest ramification of the government’s proposed changes to small assembly occupancies; and
  • The architectural profession’s long-standing belief and unrequited requests apropos the overarching authority and public protection benefits of the Architect Act, which are not reflected in the proposed changes but which the AIBC strongly recommends.

To access the AIBC submission, click here. For the accompanying cover letter, click here. Thank you to all who contributed to the institute’s response, and those who took the time to submit their personal comments. Constructive dialogue with the provincial government, on this and other matters, will continue.

Architecture Canada | RAIC – Built City @ MOV Lecture Series: Nature, Urban Space, and Biomimicry

This third and final installment of BuiltCity@MOV will explore the ways nature can inspire resilient, sustainable, and creative urban environments. Nature is one of the most innovative, imaginative and locally attuned sources of inspiration for architecture, engineering, and integrative resilience; find out how it applies to Vancouver, a city that strives to be a green innovator. The talk will focus on how Canadians live on the edge of the largest forests on earth, a precious part of our natural and cultural heritage that also represent one of the greatest carbon sinks on the planet – offering up a vital context within which we can better understand and examine the exciting future potential of wood as a building material. Special guest speaker Thomas Knittel from HOK New York will look at how integrated design is charting new territory through FIT©, a methodology incorporating biomimicry, ecological performance standards and the triple bottom line. Knittel’s case studies will demonstrate how social, economic and environmental concerns are mapped at urban and building scale examples, and how biomimicry has informed the design and decision-making process. Dr. Faisal Moola, Science Director at the David Suzuki Foundation, will offer his perspective on the science of biomimicry with a focus on how these innovations and new ways of conceptualizing our built environments, all in the Vancouver context. Leading an interactive Q+A will be Professor Ray Cole MAIBC from the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. It happens Thursday, January 19, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver. To register, go to http://builtcity3.eventbrite.com/.

2 Core LUs

Closed: Call for Presentations – 2012 AIBC Annual Conference

The deadline for presentation submissions for the 2012 AIBC Annual Conference is now closed. The response was strong and impressive; thank you to all who took the time to bring forward a submission prior to the December 15 deadline. The AIBC’s Annual Conference Professional Development Committee will now be reviewing the proposals received in building the program for the conference, May 9-11 in Vancouver. Notification will take place by late January.