Wednesday, March 16, 2011

B.C. Place c.1981


Images from a 1981 British Columbia Place promotional brochure.


Original logo.


The name B.C. Place described the north False Creek lands, much of which were later developed post-Expo 86 by Concord Pacific. This included the stadium, then known generically as The Amphitheatre.



The signature white inflated roof seems modest and understated now. It was to be built for a "guaranteed" $126 million and was designed by Vancouver architect-engineers Phillips Barratt.


Illustration of activities by Andre Lim. Note the Whitecaps player – thirty years on the soccer team is finally set to play in the refurbished stadium.


A final sales pitch broadly describes the master plan. Projected to take 15 years to achieve, the city is still wrestling with the character and content of the area.


A parting shot...

Monday, March 14, 2011

Top Ten Endangered



Heritage Vancouver has published its annual list of endangered buildings, including Shannon Mews (Erickson-Massey) and the Collingwood Library (Semmens + Simpson).
Photo: Collingwood Library, c.1951. Credit: VPL #8856

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Casino Expansion



If you oppose the planned casino expansion, sign the petition and write a letter to city councilors.

Plyscrapers


An intiguing article on building skyscrapers with wood.

It's part of a government-funded study promoting B.C.'s timber industry and was led by Michael Green of MGB Architecture + Design.

Green argues that the ecological benefits of building with wood, along with innovation in materials and building techniques, point to a new renaissance of wood-based construction.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

D'Arcy Jones/Form + Forest



Check out the latest addition to Form + Forest's cabin series here, designed by D'Arcy Jones.

The Pioneer is a two bedroom, 1200 sq. ft. version and follows the more compact Ranger, Trapper and award-winning Cowboy.

As with all the variations, the Pioneer is prefab, shipped flat pack and features Jones' distinctive and refined aesthetic.