Russian Avant-Garde Architecture Influences Wooden Desk Accessories

by Dan Howarth
Dezeen, Jan 21, 2016

(Image: The paper-clip holder references Melnikov House by K.S. Melnikov. Courtesy of Dezeen)

The wooden desk accessories in this collection by Russian designers Nasya ​Kopteva ​and Sasha​ Braulov​ are based on architectural landmarks in their home country, including Melnikov House and the Red Banner Textile Factory.

Items in the Russian Avant-Garde Desktop Organiser collection are made from solid oak sourced as leftovers from a carpentry workshop.

They correspond with iconic structures from the influential Russian Avant-Garde period, which began as an art movement in the late 19th century and continued with architecture well into the 1930s. Read more…

Cambridge Murals Combine Artist’s Passion for Art and Architecture

by Kurt Watkins
Waterloo Region Record, Jan 18, 2016

(Image: Stephanie Boutari next to her most recent mural on the rear wall of 800 Franklin Blvd. in Cambridge. Courtesy of Waterloo Region Record, photo by Peter Lee)

A local artist has reignited her lifelong passion for art, after painting large murals on building exteriors in Cambridge.

“As long as I can remember, I’ve always been doing art,” says Stephanie Boutari. “But doing murals is relatively recent.”

After completing her master’s degree in architecture at the University of Waterloo, Boutari says she started noticing that many buildings across Waterloo Region were “bleak” and “lacked” any sort of character. She had her eye on a building across from Waterloo’s School of Architecture in Cambridge. Read more…

Museum of Vancouver Exhibit Looks to the Future

by Naoibh O’Connor
Vancouver Courier, Jan 20, 2016

(Image: Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver runs Jan 21 to May 15 at the Museum of Vancouver. Courtesy Vancouver Courier, photo by Dan Toulgoet)

Imagine a 2,500-foot-high tower downtown that takes a street grid 90 degrees so it points upward, or a series of elevated public parks on the upper levels of buildings, or parks on barges that could be moved around the city.

These are among ideas — some a bit tongue-in-cheek — dreamed up by architects and urban designers from around the region in the Future Scenarios portion of the new Museum of Vancouver exhibition Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver that opens Jan. 21.

Museum of Vancouver and the Vancouver Urbanarium Society are co-presenting the show, which tackles some of the most hotly debated topics in the city — affordability, density, transportation and public space. Read more…

Material Selection Matters Seminar Series

These seminars will provide up-to-date building science information about material selection and how to apply building science principles to construct resilient, durable, energy efficient and healthy buildings.

Construction professionals specify materials every day; your decisions affect the environment, our communities, and their health and safety. Harnessing the evolving body of knowledge about the impacts of materials on our communities is integral to improving the science and art of architecture and engineering.

Learning Tracks Covered:

• Applications for wood and concrete structural and enclosure systems.
• State-of-the-art expertise on choosing the right material for the project.
• Applying building science principles to construct resilient, durable, long-lasting, healthy and energy-efficient buildings.

Date: February 16 (Victoria), February 17 (Vancouver), February 18 (Kelowna) from 10am-2pm (lunch provided)
Cost: $139 + tax per seminar; $99 + tax per seminar for CaGBC members and SABMag subscribers (promo code: sustainability)
Register: http://www.materialselectionmatters.ca/

CES participants may self-report educational activities in accordance with the rules in AIBC Bulletin 80, Mandatory Continuing Education System (CES) Rules and Guidelines. Please refer to Bulletin 80 for further information.

In Passing: Douglas Allen Lane

It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Douglas Allen Lane on January 6, 2016. Born in Calgary on July 29, 1951, Doug graduated in 1969 from Ernest Manning High School and went on to obtain his Bachelor of Architecture from Montana State University in 1976. He resided briefly in Christchurch, New Zealand before moving to Kelowna in 1977.

Doug was a project architect with well-known firm, Woodworth, Ulrich, & Frie Architects, and spent four years designing boats for Three Buoys Houseboats – even attending the Westlawn School of Architecture Design in Connecticut. He opened his own architecture practice, Water Street Architecture, in 1993 specializing in health care, commercial, industrial and multi-residential design.

Among the projects Water Street Architecture was responsible for over those 22 years were: the Regency Retirement Resorts which include Sandalwood, Missionwood, Westwood, Northwood and Southwood; The Landmark Centre, built by Stober Construction; Trapper’s Crossing at Big White; The Cannery Lofts by The Webster Group, and the BC Gas offices in Kelowna, Penticton and Kamloops. He won an Urban Development Institute Award of Excellence for the Kamloops BC Gas in 1996; and Thompson Okanagan Housing Awards for Sandalwood and Trapper’s Crossing.

Doug was a gifted artist and took an old-school approach to architecture for the duration of his career. He designed each original building concept meticulously by hand, employing AutoCad technicians to digitize his visions. It was not uncommon for Doug to sketch beautiful renderings on cocktail napkins or scrap pieces of paper before his clients’ eyes – often during meetings at Sturgeon Hall, which was next door to his first office and served as his “secondary office.”

Doug was a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and the Royal Architectural Institute. He admired the work of famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and had a passion for Arts and Crafts and West Coast design.

While Doug worked hard, he also played hard. He was an athlete and his sport of choice was rugby. He played for the Kelowna Crows and was a member of the Central Okanagan Rugby Enthusiasts (CORE) until his death. Doug loved to travel. He enjoyed taking road trips, fishing excursions and getaways to Las Vegas, Mexico and the Caribbean. He had dreams of retiring to a tropical beach. Doug played the drums since high school and his Ludwig kit was a source of entertainment and relaxation. Doug loved vintage cars and was especially proud of his 1957 MGA.

Doug was compassionate, generous, tender hearted and genuine. And in his death, he gave the ultimate gift. He had a sudden a cardiac arrest on January 2 and never regained consciousness, but he was able to become an organ donor for five recipients with his kidneys, corneas and liver.

Doug leaves behind two bright and beautiful children, Caitlin and Brendan, whom he guided and watched develop into amazing, happy young adults who share his tender-hearted spirit. He became their friend as well as their parent and he was extremely proud of them both. He was predeceased in 2007 by his son Chad, whom he needed to continue parenting. He wasn’t done yet.

Doug is deeply missed by his life partner Julianna Masson (Jules), who is grateful for the 13 wonderful years they spent together. He is mourned by his father Harry; sister Val (John); brothers Tom (Darrelanne) and Rick (Cynthia); mother of his children Catherine Norris; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and countless friends.

He was predeceased by his warm and sociable mother Lorraine in 2011.

A celebration of Doug’s life will take place on Sunday, January 31, at Roses Waterfront Pub from noon to 4 pm. Rose Sexsmith was a life-long friend since elementary school. All are welcome to attend and share memories and “Dougisms.” It will be an informal drop-in affair with no set agenda – Doug always made it clear he just wanted his friends and loved ones to raise a glass (or two) in his honour when he was gone.

Dr. Seuss said it best. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

In lieu of flowers, Doug would appreciate donations on his behalf to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Role Call: Municipal Advisory Design Panels

The AIBC invites applications from architects interested in serving on the following design panel:

• City of Nanaimo

The role of an advisory design panel member is to give impartial, professional advice directly on any proposal or policy affecting the community’s physical environment in the public interest.

To learn more about the procedures for serving on a panel, please refer to the following documents:

• AIBC Bulletin 65: Advisory Design Panels – Standards for Procedures and Conduct
• ADP Frequently Asked Questions

Please fill out an interactive application form and forward your submissions to the attention of Professional Services Coordinator Alexandra Kokol by email (akokol@aibc.ca).

2015/16 Wood Design Award Winners Announced

The Wood Design & Building magazine has announced the award recipients for the prestigious 2015/16 Wood Design Awards program. Winning recipients were hand selected from over 140 online entries by an esteemed architectural jury.

Special awards were granted by the Canadian Wood Council as well as this year’s sponsors, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Western Red Cedar. Projects submitted to this year’s awards program pushed the boundaries of what is thought of as conventional applications for wood products – reaffirming wood’s versatility within construction. Both the International and North American projects displayed a well-articulated understanding of old and new techniques for wood in architecture.

The Award Recipients for the 2015/16 Wood Design Awards program:

Honor
– Underhill, Matinecock, New York, Bates Masi + Architects LLC
– Stade de soccer de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Saucier + Perrotte architectes and Hughes Condon Marler Architects
– Guildford Aquatic Centre, Surrey, British Columbia, Bing Thom Architects, Shape Architecture (Associate Architect)
– Puukuokka Housing Block, Jyväskylä, Finland, OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture
– Public Library of Constitucion, Constitución, Chile, Sebastian Irarrazaval Arquitectos

Merit
– Lightbox, Point Roberts, Washington, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
– Roy-Lawrence Residence, Sutton, Quebec, Chevalier Morales Architectes
– Fort McMurray International Airport, Fort McMurray, Wood Buffalo, Alberta, office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers inc. Project commenced as predecessor firm mcfarlane green biggar Architecture + Design Inc.
– Toronto Public Library Scarborough Civic Centre Branch, Toronto, Ontario, LGA Architectural Partners and Phillip H. Carter architects in joint venture
– MEC Head Office, Vancouver, British Columbia, Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc.
– Fire Station 76, Gresham, Oregon, Hennebery Eddy Architects, Inc.
– World Intellectual Property Organization Conference Hall, Geneva, Switzerland, Behnisch Architekten
– PINCH Sweep Warp, Shuanghe Village, Yunnan Province, China, Hong Kong University Architecture students

Citation
– Old Main Academic Building Addition, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Stantec Architecture (Associate Architect)
– Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins, Farmington, Minnesota, HGA Architects and Engineers
– Bar Raval, Toronto, Ontario, PARTISANS Architects
– Mont-Laurier Multipurpose Performance Hall, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, Les architectes FABG
– Nursery in Guastalla, Guastalla, Reggio Emilia, Italy, Mario Cucinella Architects
– Veneer House – Cogon Day School, Barangay Cogon, Balilihan Bohol, Philippines, Kobayashi Maki Design Workshop
– Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Arts and Media Building, Nelson City, New Zealand, Irving Smith Jack Architects Ltd
– Dune House, Terschelling, The Netherlands, Marc Koehler Architects
– Guessing Agricultural School, Guessing, Austria, PICHLER & TRAUPMANN ARCHITEKTEN ZT GMBH

Canadian Wood Council Awards
– Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, Wembley, AB, Teeple Architects (Design Architect); Architecture Tkalcic
– Bengert (ATB) (Architect of Record); Reich + Petch Design International (Museum Consultant)
– MAZAMA House, Mazama, WA, FINNE Architects

Sustainable Forestry Initiative – Sponsorship Award
– Quilakwa Center, # 5655 Highway 97A, Enderby, BC, KH Design Inc.

Western Red Cedar – Sponsorship Award
– Treehouse, Ottawa, ON, Ha2 Architecture & Design

A video on the award winners is available for viewing.

BCSLA Annual Conference Call for Abstracts, Papers, Presentations, Designs

Shifting Currents: Rethinking Our Relationship With Water
March 31 – April 2, 2016 at Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, 1228 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

The British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects (BCSLA) is calling for presentations and papers for the 2016 Conference, Showcase and Annual General Meeting. The goal of this year’s conference is to examine the influence water has in all aspects of our lives and landscapes and the potential consequences climate change will have in our relationship with, reaction to, and management of water in our landscapes.

Growing demands for water and the ramifications of climate change are having great influence on our relationships with, access to, and use of water in our lives and landscapes. Last year’s water use restrictions in many BC urban areas, with projected tighter restrictions this year, are but one example of the shifting circumstances that landscape architects and other professionals, need to consider in the planning, development, and maintenance of projects, infrastructure, and landscapes. Rising sea levels, floods, drought, shifting weather patterns, depletion of aquifers, increased demand and waste (treatment), competition and/or conflict for access to water, can influence settlement patterns, infrastructure development, industry, commerce, recreation, tourism, disaster preparedness and response…all aspects of our lives. What are we doing now and what are we preparing to do?

• What are the significant developments, and what is happening where you are
• What are the issues we are facing in BC
• What is particular to your area and why?
• What is new and innovative in planning, managing and designing for water?
• What role does the landscape architect have in this pervasive issue?
• How will this affect the profession of landscape architecture?

The BCSLA Annual Conference is an opportunity for design professionals, practitioners, and key stakeholders, from the public and private sector, academia, and the community to come together to share ideas and projects.

We invite all BCSLA Members, allied professionals, and interested practitioners to submit abstracts for papers, presentations, panels, and/or designs related to the Conference theme. Priority will be given to those proposals which address the conference theme and goals.

Please refer to the Call For Papers for key dates and the BCSLA website for further information.

Heritage BC Awards 2016

Join the celebration at the 35th Annual Heritage BC Awards Gala where the outstanding and significant achievements of British Columbia’s heritage conservation heroes are recognized.

Enjoy drinks, appetizers and networking with B.C.’s heritage advocates, organizations, groups, businesses and government officials as we announce the winners of the 35th Annual Heritage BC Awards.

Our awards gala venue, The Imperial, in downtown Vancouver is an excellent example of adaptive reuse of a culturally significant heritage building. The previously abandoned Chinese-language movie theatre has been transformed into a fabulously renovated venue that respectfully nods to its past.

Network with some of the most influential people in our sector, congratulate award winners and celebrate with fellow leading and up-and-coming heritage enthusiasts.

Date: February 18, 2016, 6-9pm
Location: The Imperial, 319 Main Street, Vancouver
Cost: $50

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Heritage BC website.

2016 AIBC Architectural Awards: Key Program Dates

Each year, the Architectural Institute of British Columbia showcases the best in B.C. architecture through its highly-respected 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 Special Jury Award; and The AIBC Emerging Firm Award. While honours are given in these distinct award categories, there is one common element: Excellence.

Winners are celebrated at the Architectural Awards Reception, which will be held during the AIBC Annual Conference, and featured in architectureBC.

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

• Call for Awards Submissions:                              January 18, 2016
• Call for Awards Jurors:                                          January 18, 2016
• Deadline for Awards Jurors:                                 February 29, 2016
• Deadline for Awards Submissions:                     February 29, 2016
• Awards Jurors Announced:                                  March 24, 2016
• Awards Adjudication:                                             April 2, 2016
• Awards Winners Reception:                                 May 18, 2016

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

A Door to Architectural Legend Ron Thom

By John Mackie
Vancouver Sun January 8, 2016

(Image: Jan Pidhirny and Jim Ferguson with the now famous front door of their Ron Thom designed home in West Vancouver. Courtesy of Vancouver Sun, photo by Ric Ernst)

A couple of years ago architectural writer Adele Weder was putting together an exhibition of work by the late, great West Coast modern architect Ron Thom.

One of Thom’s masterpieces, the Carmichael House, had recently been sold and restored. So Weder phoned up the new owners, Jan Pidhirny and Jim Ferguson, to see if she could take a look.

“I was going to exhibit photographs and plans of their house,” Weder recounts. “Then I saw this amazing (front) door, and was three-quarters joking when I said, ‘Can I have it for my exhibition?’”

It is quite a door. Made of oak, it’s large (114 cm wide, 203 cm tall), heavy (91 kg) and features an intricate design with a series of hexagons and parallelograms. Read more…

Canada’s Next Top Architect

by Danny Sinopoli
Globe and Mail, Jan 15, 2016

(Image: Gandhi designed the Float house in Halifax to echo its rocky environment while taking advantage of airy views across Purcell’s Cove. Courtesy of Globe and Mail, photo by Omar Gandhi & Jeff Shaw)

For a budding starchitect, Omar Gandhi seems refreshingly devoid of ego. Or maybe he’s just pragmatic.

If the Ontario-born, Halifax-based designer flops, “I can always go back to Brampton and work in trucking like I did when I was a kid,” he jokes from Nova Scotia, where he has been living on and off since receiving his master’s degree at Dalhousie University in 2005.

Considering that, in 2014 alone, Gandhi nabbed both the Canada Council’s $50,000 Prix de Rome and a spot on Wallpaper magazine’s list of the world’s top 20 young architects, his Plan B likely won’t be necessary. In fact, Gandhi will be returning to Ontario this week – as a featured speaker, along with B.C.’s Omer Arbel, at the Interior Design Show in Toronto. Not long after, he’ll be back to open a satellite office in the city. Not bad for a 36-year-old whose projects to date have largely been private homes. Read more…

North Korea’s Capital Is Actually Colorful – Really Colorful

by Laura Mallonee
Wired, Dec 15, 2015

(Image: Grand People’s Study House, Pyongyang, 1982. Courtesy Wired, photo by Oliver Wainwright)

MINT. APRICOT. LAVENDER. These aren’t flavors of overpriced artisanal ice cream, but the unexpected colors that dominate the architecture of Pyongyang, a world Oliver Wainwright reveals in North Korean Interiors.

Wainwright, a design critic for The Guardian, visited Pyongyang in late July for a 10-day tour of the city’s architecture. He found relatively modern buildings bedecked in bright hues. “I have to say [Pyongyang] is honestly one of the most colorful cities I’ve ever been to,” Wainwright says. “You expect a gray, crumbling, 1950s dystopia of decaying concrete, but they’ve made a real conscious effort to try and cheer the place up.” Read more…

Reminder: Bylaw Review Consultation Session in Victoria

Since 2011, the AIBC has been engaged in a comprehensive bylaw review process to address both substantive bylaw subject matter areas and more routine amendments. The Bylaw Review Committee (BRC), supported by AIBC Council, is advancing the following initiative.

Bylaw Amendments: Investigations & Remedial Discipline
This Investigations & Remedial Discipline initiative is a recommendation for a suite of substantive “investigations/discipline” bylaw amendments to more firmly establish the institute’s investigations and disciplinary processes in bylaw. This initiative includes a new ‘remedial discipline’ process intended to give the institute greater flexibility to meaningfully address professional conduct complaints than is currently available.

Read the bylaw amendments and supporting rationales.

Consultation
Consultation for the “investigations/discipline” bylaw amendments will be extending through February 2016, with a submission seeking council’s direction to proceed to a member vote not expected until spring 2016. Increased council participation in the consultation process is planned given the subject matter and importance of this bylaw modernization initiative.

An initial consultation session on the “investigations/discipline” bylaw amendments was held on October 30, 2015 at the AIBC Annual Conference. The session’s primary focus was on the remedial discipline process. Two additional consultation sessions have been scheduled to take place in January: one at the Vancouver AIBC Office and a second session, in-person only, in Victoria at the Cedar Hill Golf Course. Please see below for attendance details.

Consultation Sessions
Council policy requires member consultation when any bylaw amendments are advanced for member vote. AIBC council invites your participation at the following consultation session, which will address the proposed bylaw amendments. The session will open with a presentation, followed by a question and answer period.

Please RSVP your attendance by the date indicated below using the RSVP link.

Victoria Session
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2016
Time: 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: In-person only (Cedar Hill Golf Course, 1400 Derby Road, Victoria, BC)
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core
RSVP: In-person session (by January 25 at 5 p.m.) To date, 8 participants have registered.
The in-person session will be available to a maximum of 30 participants on a first come, first served basis.

Note: Registered participants who are subsequently unable to attend are kindly asked to withdraw using the RSVP link.

Member Feedback
Member feedback can be provided to the Bylaw Review Committee at any time. Please email the Bylaw Review Committee at: bylawfeedback@aibc.ca.

An online feedback form is also available for your comments: Investigations & Remedial Discipline Online Feedback Form

To learn more about AIBC Bylaw Review, please visit www.aibc.ca.

UDI Vancouver Lunch – Charles Montgomery

(Image: Charles Montgomery is the featured keynote speaker at Feb 18 UDI lunch. Photo by Trevor Hagan)

The Urban Development Institute (UDI) presents TEDx featured international speaker Charles Montgomery as its February keynote.

What if our cities themselves had the power to make or break our happiness? Charles Montgomery explains how cities influence how we feel, behave, and treat other people in ways most of us never realize. Everything from the length of your commute to the depth of your front yard can have an unseen effect on your mind, emotions, and social life.

By understanding the effect that design has on our emotions and decisions, we can all share this empowering new vision of city life.

Referencing global and local examples, Charles shares his insights and research findings:

• How city design can build more social connections and create more happiness
• Explore where Metro Vancouver goes wrong and how we can fix it
• The psychology of bad urban planning decisions and how to overcome this

Date: February 18, 2016, 11:30am-1:30pm
Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel, 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Cost: $85 + GST UDI membership pricing for all registrations including non-members
Register: http://udi.memberzone.com/events/details/udi-vancouver-lunch-charles-montgomery-165

CES participants may self-report educational activities in accordance with the rules in AIBC Bulletin 80, Mandatory Continuing Education System (CES) Rules and Guidelines. Please refer to Bulletin 80 for further information.