Prefabricated Green Home Designs Capture The Imagination

By Sheila Brady, Vancouver Sun

May 26, 2012

It’s a sad thing. Michelle Kaufmann, the princess of building green, über-contemporary, modular homes is in Fiji, struggling with a slow Internet connection and losing her Wi-Fi access because it’s starting to rain. Then she apologies before signing off with an “xo.” Kaufmann ends every email with xo. Is it some code? Or is the girl who was born in Iowa, excelled at Prince-ton, was once a colleague of architect Frank Gehry and then set the architectural world buzzing in 2003 with a simple, very smart home on a narrow lot in California an old-fashioned romantic? More … 

New Urbanists Debate Merits of Glass Towers

By Bob Ransford, Vancouver Sun

May 26, 2012

A significant feature of Vancouver’s urbanism was put on trial recently. One of the godfathers of the New Urbanism movement charged that highrises, especially Vancouver’s ubiquitous glass towers, are a fundamental mistake and an assault against human scale. It wasn’t the first time that neo-traditional architect and urban theorist Leon Krier attacked the form of high-density residential development that defines Vancouver’s inner city. This time, the spirited debate he sparked at the 20th annual meeting of the Congress for the New Urbanism in Florida two weeks ago still wages on in blogs and on Twitter. More … 

West Coast Modern Home Tour

The West Vancouver Museum invites you to take part in its seventh annual home tour on Saturday, July 14, 12:00 noon  to 4:00 p.m. This year’s tour will feature five significant West Coast Modern homes. Detailed information on all tour homes will be provided to participants upon check-in, which begins at 11:00 a.m. at the museum, 680 – 17^th Street, West Vancouver. In addition to the bus tour guided by an architect, there is a self-guided option for those who wish to drive their own vehicles. Immediately following the home tour, there will be a wine reception sponsored by the British Pacific Properties and with appetizers donated by 15 West Vancouver restaurants. Tour participants will also have an exclusive opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for Tangled Beach, a limited-edition print by renowned Canadian artist Gordon Smith. An iconic framed photograph, Graham Residence, by legendary architectural photographer John Fulker will also be given away. Note: space is limited so you are encouraged to register early. Go online to http://westvancouvermuseum.ca/events_programs/adult_programs/west_coast_modern_home_tour.

 

In Passing: Lloyd Plishka

Lloyd Leonard Plishka passed away on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at the age of 63. Born in Alberta, Lloyd attended the University of British Columbia from which he earned his B.Arch in 1976. He joined the AIBC in 1976, and worked with the firms Toby Russell Buckwell & Partners, Vern  H. Delgatty Architect, and The Solar Group Architects before establishing his own practice in 1990. In recent years he continued to work in close partnership with trb architecture.  Lloyd is survived by his children Christine, Sergei, Genevieve, Nicole and Miriam. A celebration of his life will be held on Friday, June 1, 2:00 p.m. at Granville Chapel, 5901 Granville Street in Vancouver. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in Lloyd’s name are encouraged to do so to Granville Chapel’s Invest 2 program.