Local Architects Aim to Increase Evidence of Edmonton’s Aboriginal Population in Art, Buildings

By Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal

February 28, 2012

Searching for evidence of Edmonton’s aboriginal history took Zoe Todd to out-of-the way spots — the north LRT tracks, industrial sites, the rarely used downtown Beaver Hills Park. Edmonton has the second largest urban aboriginal population in Canada, but the impact of that culture and history almost invisible in the shapes of the buildings and art of the street. Calgary names major freeways after local First Nations bands, Winnipeg created an aboriginal history walk in its most popular park, the totem poles of Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology are a tourist hot spot, but Edmonton’s largest tribute is tucked between an industrial site and a busy road in Rossdale. More … 

A Case For New Urbanism in Mount Pleasant

By Tony Wanless, BC Business

February 28, 2012

The fight shaping up over a development proposal in a funky Mt. Pleasant location says just about all you ever want to know about where the city of Vancouver is these days. The proposed 19-storey highrise at the major intersection of Kingsway and Broadway has “divided” the neighbourhood, according to the Vancouver Sun. Given that there hasn’t been a development proposal in 20 years that hasn’t “divided” a neighborhood in Vancouver and most of its suburbs, that’s hardly a surprise. More …

Upcoming Exhibit: BCIT Graduate Studio Exhibit: Re-imagining 14th and Main

March 12-30,  2012
Reception: Tuesday,  March 27, 2012, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

AIBC Gallery (#100 – 440 Cambie Street, Vancouver)

Re-imagining 14^th and Main showcases the work of fourth year students enrolled the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Architectural Science Program. This years’ graduating project studio is offered in conjunction with the CityStudio program, which focuses on sustainable design both at the broad urban level and the individual building level. This year’s studio projects examine the  intersection of Vancouver’s 14^th and Main, tackling complex urban design issues while examining the notions put forward by Vancouver’s Greenest City Goals and The Living Building Challenge. The projects also explore the question of how buildings can be part of a complete community while addressing social and environmental sustainability principles. This exhibit, the result of a year-long studio, reflects the development of detailed technical and design responses to complex contemporary issues. A reception will take place Tuesday, March 27, 2012  from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the AIBC Gallery. Those wishing to attend should r.s.v.p. by March 20 to communications@aibc.ca.

2012 AIBC Annual Conference: Sponsorship and Exhibitor Opportunities

Sponsorship of the AIBC Annual Conference provides a prime opportunity for organizations to build brand recognition while accessing hundreds of potential clients, partners and colleagues. There are four sponsorship tiers to choose from, each with a select range of benefits. Sponsors may choose to align with special events, professional development streams, meals, and much more. With opportunities flexibly priced from $1,500 – $10,000, there’s something to fit every budget. A limited number of exhibitor spots are also available. For more information, please contact Senior Communications Specialist Lisa Christensen by e-mail (lchristensen@aibc.ca) or telephone (604 683 8588 ext 331).

Chinese Architect Awarded Pritzker Prize

Wang Shu, a 48-year-old architect from The People’s Republic of China, has been chosen by the Hyatt Foundation as its recipient of the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The annual award, regarded by many as architecture’s highest honor, recognizes a living architect whose built work demonstrates the qualities of talent, vision and commitment with consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. Those chosen receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion. In making its selection, this year’s jury noted Wang’s ability to transcend the debate of past versus present with regard to urbanization in China. Wang and his wife Lu Wenyu founded their professional practice, Amateur Architecture Studio, in 1997 in Hangzhou. All of his major projects are in China. Wang is also a visiting professor at Harvard University and a frequent visiting lecturer at many universities around the world. Another thing that sets Wang apart from most of his contemporaries is his design process: “I don’t use the computer. I use just the pencil.” For more information on the Pritzker Architecture Prize and this year’s recipient, visit http://www.pritzkerprize.com/.

Update: Consensual Resolution Amendments to Architects Act

Earlier this month, the B.C. Legislature concluded second reading of Bill 18: The Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act, proposed legislation introduced by Minister of Advanced Education Naomi Yamamoto that, if passed, would enshrine consensual resolution as an option to disciplinary inquiries for resolving professional conduct matters. The draft bill now proceeds to Committee of the Whole before the third and final reading stage. As previously noted, the AIBC has been seeking legislative amendments to authorize consensual resolution since the autumn of 2009, when a B.C. Court of Appeal decision involving the professional engineers led AIBC Council to put the institute’s successful consensual resolution process on hold pending statutory reform. Since that time, all charges of unprofessional conduct have been heard at formal disciplinary inquiries as the only statutory mechanism available. If enacted, the amendments would require AIBC members to pass bylaws relating to consensual resolution practices and procedures. Any related questions can be directed to Director of Professional Conduct and Illegal Practice Thom Lutes at tlutes@aibc.ca.

The Waning of Wild Architecture

By Kelvin Browne, National Post

February 27, 2012

When’s the last time you heard someone describe a house or interior as eccentric, and mean it as a compliment? These are the quirky, perhaps even beautiful, places that are vastly different than the norm. Eccentric architecture has a long history, often fuelled by personalities. Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria built many palaces such as Neuschwanstein, the fantasy castle we associate with Walt Disney. Marjorie Merriweather Post built the pseudo Moorish-cum-Venetian palace in Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, in 1924. It was exotic, with eclectic furnishing to match. Donald Trump has since turned it into a club and hotel. More … 

Renée Van Halm’s Cross-Cutting/Inside Out is Charged With Wonderful Contradictions

By Robin Laurence, Georgia Straight

February 17, 2012

Walk into the main floor exhibition space of the Burnaby Art Gallery and you are confronted with an image of a starkly modernist interior. A gridded wall of glass casts light and shadow across the bare floor and onto a Le Corbusier chair, all stiff black leather and shiny chrome. A telescope sits in one corner, and a sleek floor lamp, pared down to a few militarily efficient lines, occupies the other. Based on a still from the 1986 film 9½ Weeks, this image has been purged of its human occupants, stripped to its modernist bones. More …