An Architectural Master

Vancouver is a city where the surrounding landscape remains much more appealing than its built environment. Although the local mandarins boast at length about its urbanism and liveability, the area remains an architectural underperformer, packed with generic high-rises and spectacularly ugly monster houses. It is not for lack of precedent; this was the spawning ground of Ron Thom and Arthur Erickson. Nor is it a matter of design talent or money: both are plentiful on the West Coast. But over here, the real estate market’s invisible hand tends to smack down anything in its way, including architectural integrity and appreciation. Some of the city’s best designers, such as Patkau Architects, thrive by finding their client base elsewhere. A few others manage to speak to that almighty hand and punctuate the cityscape with buildings worth talking about.

Which brings us to Bing Thom...