Bricks and Mortar, Cedar and Slate:
Vancouver's Grand Buildings,
by Sue Kernaghan -
courtesy
Tourism BC
Soaring sails on a city waterfront, a wall of glass on the
ocean's edge, ancient cedar longhouses, and even an homage to Rome's coliseum…
Unusual? Perhaps. Stunning? Certainly.
A tour of Vancouver's grand buildings can uncover everything
from little-known Art Deco gems, to some of the world's most innovative public
spaces.
A
great place to start is on Vancouver's waterfront, at the city's iconic Canada
Place complex. Home to the Pan Pacific Hotel, the Vancouver Convention and
Exhibition Centre, and the city's main cruise ship terminal, this striking
landmark mimics the look and feel of the cruise ships it hosts - with a prow
jutting four city blocks into the harbour and five white sails, made of
Teflon-coated fiberglass, soaring into the air. Canada Place is the first
glimpse many visitors have of the Pacific Coast metropolis and, since its
construction (as the Canada Pavilion for Expo '86), it's been one of the most
distinctive features of Vancouver's skyline.
Before 1986, that honour was held by the Marine Building, a
1930 Art Deco treasure at the foot of Burrard Street. Inspired by
New
York's Chrysler Building, this was Vancouver's first skyscraper. Sea life,
transport images, ocean waves, and other maritime themes decorate the 21-storey
exterior. Step through the polished brass doors to see the zodiac mosaic on the
lobby floor, take a ride up the pretty retro elevator, and then walk across to
the corner of Hastings and Hornby Streets to see the structure reflected in its
neighbouring high rises.
"It's one of my favourite buildings," says Colin Wong,
Director of Communications at the Architectural Institute of British Columbia.
"It's reflective of the period, and really takes advantage of its view of the
North Shore and the water."
Making the most of the view is a recurring theme in
Vancouver's architecture. "We have lots of natural beauty around us and there's
no need to shield ourselves from it," adds Wong. "We also try to be harmonious
with our environment, so you'll see a lot of curves and natural organic shapes,
rather than sharp edges, as well as buildings designed to blend well with the
structures around them, and lots of natural light."
Vancouver's
Library Square building is a prime example of this organic approach. Designed by
architect Moshe Safdie and opened in 1995, this spiraled post-modern complex
takes up a whole city block and, for many Vancouverites, recalls the ancient
Coliseum of Rome. Home to Vancouver Public Library's main branch, the complex
has become a popular local gathering place.
The master of public spaces, though, and the architect who's
had the biggest impact on Vancouver is undoubtedly Arthur Erickson. Born in
Vancouver in 1924, Erickson, with his singular use of modern materials, clean
lines, and natural light, has helped define West Coast style.
His best known works include the 1976 Museum of Anthropology,
a longhouse-inspired clifftop structure at the University of British Columbia,
where 15 metre (50 foot) high windows showcase a collection of towering cedar
poles against
a
backdrop of water, mountains and sky. Erickson also designed Simon Fraser
University on a Burnaby mountaintop, and Robson Square, an innovative
three-block complex in downtown Vancouver. Straddling Robson Street between
Hornby and Howe streets and completed in 1979, Robson Square's low profile,
geometric stramps (stairs and ramps combined for easy public access), indoor and
outdoor greenery and masses of water, including three waterfalls and a
block-long reflecting pool, create a much more welcoming public space than the
office block that was originally proposed for the site.
At the south end of the complex are the Provincial Law Courts,
where over an acre of sloping glass (topped with greenery) provides natural
light as well as a sense of transparency to the legal process.
Bookending
the north end of the square is the Vancouver Art Gallery. The city's original
courthouse, this neo-classical structure was designed in 1911 by BC's other
seminal architect, Francis Rattenbury. In the early 1980s, Erickson helped
transform it into a gallery as part of his Robson Square design.
Rattenbury, a young British immigrant, was based in what was,
in his day, the vastly more important city of Victoria, where he was responsible
for virtually all of that city's important structures, from the Crystal Garden
(to re-open in 2006 as the BC Experience) and the CPR Steamship Terminal (now
the Royal London Wax Museum), to the Parliament Buildings and the Fairmont
Empress Hotel.
It's this kind of harmony that many observers envision for
BC's future buildings, with increased use of green space and respect for the
environment.
Says Wong: "One great thing about living in BC is that even in
the cities we have a tremendous amount of green space and we've realized that
even roofs can be green spaces. In a lot of newer buildings, you'll see trees on
the top." Wong expects to see many more green roofs and rooftop gardens in the
future. "One day I would hope that if they took a satellite photo of Vancouver
all you'd see is forest."
