AIBC’s Architectural Walking Tours Program Begins – Come Join Us on a Tour!

The AIBC’s Architectural Walking Tours program kicked off July 1, 2015 and runs to August 31, 2015. With 11 exciting tours to choose from, this summer’s program offers unique perspectives of both Vancouver and Victoria.

Come see an old growth forest reborn inside timeworn warehouses, feel like an underwater explorer in the lobby of an iconic Art Deco building, gaze across the Burrard Inlet from an elevated modernist plaza, experience a clash of East and West in the facades of old Chinatown or stroll past meticulously restored turn-of-the-century homes minutes from downtown.

There is something for everyone in the vast eclectic world of architecture. Whether you’re an architecture buff, a history connoisseur or simply curious about our city, you’ll definitely enjoy the AIBC’s Architectural Walking Tours.

Please visit the AIBC website for summer schedules.

To book your tour, please email tours@aibc.ca or call 604-683-8588 ext. 325.

ExAC Registration: Two Weeks to Register

A reminder to Intern Architects that the deadline to register for the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) is July 15, 2015. This year, Intern Architects have the option to write the ExAC in Victoria as well as Vancouver.

Intern Architects are eligible to write the ExAC if they are in good standing with the institute and have had a minimum 2,800 hours of experience logged on a CERB, submitted and approved. A registration form must be completed and submitted to the AIBC in hard copy or PDF format via e-mail.

Key Dates:
June 1- July 15 – Application period for eligible ExAC candidates
June 30 – Deadline for submitting CERBs
November 2-3 – ExAC held in Vancouver and Victoria

For more information, please contact Admissions Coordinator Belinda Chao at bchao@aibc.ca or visit the ExAC website.

2015 AIBC Architectural Awards – Submissions Due Monday!

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia showcases the best in B.C. architecture through its highly-respected Architectural Awards program.

An esteemed jury with representation from both within and outside the profession will consider candidates for the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture (both medal and merit); the AIBC Innovation Award; the AIBC Emerging Firm Award and the AIBC Special Jury Award.

While honours are given in these distinct award categories, there is one common element: Excellence.

Winners are celebrated at the Architectural Awards Reception on October 28, 2015 as part of the AIBC Annual Conference, and featured in architectureBC.

Submit An Architectural Awards Application:

For detailed information including award criteria and submission requirements, and to make your submission, please visit the AIBC Architectural Awards website.

Deadline for Awards Submissions: July 6, 2015 (4:30 p.m. PST)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact communications@aibc.ca.

In Passing: Gordon Graham

It is with deep regret that Thinkspace announces the passing of Gordon Graham, Retired Architect AIBC, who was the founder of the firm. He was 81 years old.

Mr. Graham first registered at the AIBC as an architect in 1963 and retired in 2003.

Sincere condolences go out to the entire Graham family.

A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. on July 18, 2015 at Henderson’s Funeral Home, 45901 Victoria Avenue, Chilliwack, BC V2P 2S9.

Please contact them directly at 604-426-0167 for more information on the memorial service arrangements.

The Hard Stuff: Why Concrete is Still Best for Stunning Architecture

By Jay Merrick 
The Independent, June 26, 2015

(Image: The Museum of Civilisations from Europe and the Mediterranean in Marseille. Courtesy of The Independent)

Water, aggregate, cement. Mix them together, and you produce concrete – usually the most banal of building materials, not even as characterful or satisfying to touch as a well-fired brick. But when concrete is used by brilliant architects and engineers, the results are riveting. Even today, the world’s first iconic concrete structure, the unreinforced 43.4m dome of the Pantheon in Rome, completed in AD128, still seems breathtaking in its daring and beauty.

In the 21st century, software-generated algorithms and geometry often make the shaping and structuring of concrete as deliberately iconic as the vastly gloopy shell of Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku; or controversial, as in the sculpted ripples of Thomas Heatherwick’s contested Garden Bridge across the Thames. Read more…

Architect Turns Shopping Cart into Shelter for Homeless People

By Eleanor Goldberg
The Huffington Post, June 23, 2015

(Image: The concept pivots around the recycling of the proverbial shopping cart as core component, structure and transport. The shelter package is a foldout assembly of hinged panels that deploy to conform to varying instances of shelter. Courtesy of the American Institute of Architects)

Now here’s a wheel-y good solution.

While homelessness is on the decline in the U.S., a dearth in affordable housing and emergency shelter options often leaves those who are still without permanent shelter with no choice but to sleep on the streets. Recognizing the need to provide homeless people with some sort of protection, Buenos Aires architect Eduardo Lacroze fashioned a portable shelter built around a shopping cart and submitted his design to a competition seeking such solutions for people on the streets.

Lacroze’s innovation won the American Institute of Architect’s Small Project Award Program, which sought discreet and efficient shelters for homeless people. Read more…

Guggenheim Helsinki Unveils Design

By Robin Pogrebin and Doreen Carvajal
The New York Times, June 23, 2015

(Image: A rendering of the winning design for the new Guggenheim Helsinki. Courtesy of Moreau Kusunoki Architectes/Guggenheim)

The Guggenheim has become something of a brand over the years, with satellite locations in Venice and Bilbao, Spain, and one planned in Abu Dhabi. Now the museum’s proposed branch in Helsinki, Finland, is a step closer to reality, with the selection of a design that features charred timber and glass punctuated by a lighthouselike tower overlooking South Harbor.

It is still uncertain whether the design, by the relatively young husband-and-wife firm Moreau Kusunoki Architectes, founded four years ago in Paris, will be accepted by its surrounding city, which has been bitterly divided over the project, largely because of concerns over its price of about $147 million.

The winning design, titled “Art in the City” and announced at the Palace Hotel in Helsinki on Tuesday, was chosen from 1,715 anonymous submissions in a yearlong competition that the jury’s chairman said had actually been improved by the controversy.

“Architecture should always be incubated within debate,” said the chairman, Mark Wigley, a professor and dean emeritus of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. “Public money especially should never be taken for granted.” Read more…

Building Act Information Now Online

The Building Act is now available on the Building Act website at www.gov.bc.ca/buildingact.

The website includes a link to the final text of the Building Act as well as the first two sections of the Building Act Guide. The guide provides plain-language information about the Building Act and will be prepared in sections as corresponding parts of the Act come into force.

In addition, the new Building Codes and Standards website is available at www.gov.bc.ca/buildingcodes. The Building and Safety Standards Branch will complete the transition from the former website to the new website over the coming months.

AIBC Celebrates Honourees at 2015 Induction & Retirement Ceremony

More than 180 newly-registered architects and architectural technologists as well as retired architects were recognized at the annual AIBC Induction & Retirement Ceremony held on June 10, 2015. Many honourees joined the AIBC along with their family and friends to celebrate their achievements.

Since last year’s ceremony, 153 new architects were approved for registration, a 16% increase from last year. Having successfully completed a rigorous program, they are now able to practice as architects for the first time in B.C.

Several paths to licensure are available in order to become an Architect AIBC. The largest group (76) registered through the Intern Architect Program – a substantial rise over the past few years. Six newly registered architects did so through the alternative qualifications process available under Section 37 of the Architects Act. Finally, 71 of the new architects obtained registration through mutual recognition agreements with other Canadian provinces or American states: 61 from Canadian jurisdictions; nine from the U.S.; and one through the recently introduced Tri-National Agreement between Canada, United States and Mexico.

Also recognized were the nine newly-registered Architectural Technologists AIBC who demonstrated they met the required standards. The 26 architects who retired this year were feted for their years of service to the profession and encouraged to maintain a continued and fulfilling connection with the AIBC.

This year’s ceremony included the bestowal of honorary membership in the AIBC upon Mr. Bogue Babicki, P.Eng by AIBC president Mr. Darryl Condon, Architect AIBC. Mr. Babicki’s nomination was ratified by the membership at the AIBC annual meeting on May 2, 2015. This recognition, sparingly conferred, recognizes individuals who have made especially noteworthy contributions to the profession of architecture in British Columbia.

Appreciation goes out to all who made the evening a success. Congratulations to the honourees.

Download a copy of the 2015 Induction & Retirement Ceremony program.

Visit AIBC’s Flickr account to view full size photos from the 2015 AIBC Induction & Retirement Ceremony.

AIBC Awards Presented to BCIT Graduates

Congratulations to the five BCIT graduates who received AIBC awards totaling $3,000 at the school’s graduating awards ceremony on June 18, 2015.

The AIBC is one of BCIT’s oldest awards donors, and its commitment to supporting top students has been in place since the AIBC awards were first established in 1966.

This year’s awards were presented by AIBC CEO Mark Vernon to the following students:

• Andrew Martins – AIBC Achievement Award ($500) – top student from Building Science or Architecture going into the degree program;
• Francis Garcia – AIBC Achievement Award in Architectural Science ($750) – “Most Improved” student in the degree program;
• Casey Conway – AIBC Award in Architecture ($500) – “Most Improved” student in the diploma program;
• Noah Covington-Jarvis – AIBC Award in Architectural Science ($750 and medallion) – top student in the degree program; and
• Emily Huser – AIBC Award in Architecture ($500 and medallion) – top student in the diploma program.

2015 AIBC Architectural Awards – Submission Deadline Extended To July 6!

As a result of modest submission numbers, the AIBC will be extending the submission deadline for the 2015 AIBC Architectural Awards to July 6, 2015.

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia showcases the best in B.C. architecture through its highly-respected Architectural Awards program.

An esteemed jury with representation from both within and outside the profession will consider candidates for the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture (both medal and merit); the AIBC Innovation Award; the AIBC Emerging Firm Award and the AIBC Special Jury Award.

While honours are given in these distinct award categories, there is one common element: Excellence.

Winners are celebrated at the Architectural Awards Reception on October 28, 2015 as part of the AIBC Annual Conference, and featured in architectureBC.

Submit An Architectural Awards Application:

For detailed information including award criteria and submission requirements, and to make your submission, please visit the AIBC Architectural Awards website.

Extended Deadline for Awards Submissions: July 6, 2015 (4:30 p.m. PST)

Remaining Key dates for this year’s program are as follows:

• Deadline for Awards Submissions:           July 6, 2015 (4:30 p.m. PST) *
• Awards Jurors Announced:                       July 9, 2015 **
• Awards Adjudication:                                 July 18, 2015
• Awards Winners Reception:                      October 28, 2015

(* June 29, 2015 was the original deadline for awards submissions.)
(** July 2, 2015 was the original date for Awards Jurors to be announced.)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact communications@aibc.ca.

AxA Call for Artists!

If you love architecture, this is one auction you won’t want to miss!

The Metro Vancouver Chapter of the RAIC is proud to launch the first Art by Architects (AxA) Auction, a group exhibition and fundraising event that celebrates the artistic talent of emerging and established architects and designers to raise money for charity.

AxA is an art exhibition and charitable auction showcasing original 10″x10″x1.5” works on unframed wood panels. This year’s theme is “archKIDecture”. Artists will get creative and interpret the theme through various forms of media.

Save the date! An opening reception, held at the AIBC Gallery (100-440 Cambie Street, Vancouver) on September 17, 2015, at 5:30 p.m. will kick off the event. All artwork will remain on display until November 5, 2015!

Artists are encouraged to participate in this worthwhile event, as it is an important fundraiser for Architecture for Kids. Architecture for Kids, in partnership with the North Vancouver Artists for Kids Trust and RAIC Metro Vancouver Chapter, brings together local architects and K-12 students. The students, through hands-on studios, learn more about the power of architecture and the elements that make it an asset to our communities.

Art by Architects is supported by the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and Opus.

Read the Call for Submissions and to download an entry form.

CES – One Year Countdown

AIBC-registered architects and architectural technologists are reminded that they are one year into their mandatory Continuing Education System (CES). The two-year CES reporting period runs Monday, June 30, 2014 to Monday, June 30, 2016. This means participants have one full year left to earn a total of 36 learning units (LUs) for the two-year period.

The primary objective of CES is to maintain standards of the professional development for all CES participants. The AIBC is committed to the success of CES participants in completing their educational requirements, through provision of regular offerings; the AIBC Annual Conference; the Registered Education Providers Program; and access to other available learning activities.

Please take steps to complete your required LUs by the June 30, 2016 deadline.

An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) has been posted on the AIBC website to address commonly-asked questions.

Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact Chloe Bouskill, professional development coordinator, at cbouskill@aibc.ca.

High Attendance at ExAC Info Session & Social Event

Congratulations to the Intern Architect Committee on the successful turnout for the June 11 ExAC information session. Over 70 people participated, with 50 attending in person at the AIBC Vancouver office and the rest connected through the online webinar.

Special thanks to Jenny Chow, Architect AIBC from the Intern Architect Committee for introductions, and to Antonio Rigor, Intern Architect AIBC and Duff Marrs, Architect AIBC for presenting at the session. They shared invaluable advice on study strategies and answered questions from participants.

Visit AIBC’s Flickr account to view full size photos from the session.

For more information and to download the registration form, please visit the ExAC website.

For questions and to submit the registration from, please contact Admissions Coordinator Belinda Chao at bchao@aibc.ca.

ExAC Key Dates:
June 1- July 15 – Application period for eligible ExAC candidates
June 30 – Deadline for submitting CERBs
November 2-3 – ExAC held in Vancouver and Victoria

TREEHOUSING International Wood Design Competition

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and DBR | Design Build Research School are now seeking entries for TREEHOUSING, an international wood design competition.

Housing for the world’s growing urban population and the threat of deforestation are two of the most significant issues facing humanity today. TREEHOUSING challenges architecture students, professional architects and designers to develop innovative wood housing and urban building solutions through two distinct open competitions:

Competition 1: TREEHOUSING DURBAN | Tall Wood Housing
Competition 2: TREEHOUSING GLOBAL | Affordable Wood Housing

The registration deadline is August 15, 2015 and all submissions are due August 31, 2015 at 5 p.m. CET. Winners will be selected by an international jury and announced on September 10, 2015 at the XIV World Forestry Congress in Durban, South Africa. A grand prize of $6,000 USD will be awarded in each category, in addition to second and student prizes. For more information, please visit www.treehousing-competition.com.

This ideas competition is sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and coordinated by DBR | Design Build Research School.