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TURNING A CORNER

The Canadian Architect, 2011-11, Vol.56 (11), p.22

Copyright Business Information Group Nov 2011 ;ISSN: 0008-2872 ;EISSN: 1923-3353

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  • Title:
    TURNING A CORNER
  • Author: Weder, Adele
  • Subjects: Architects ; Architecture ; Central business districts ; Community ; Condominiums ; Design ; Gentrification ; Housing ; Neighborhoods ; Redevelopment
  • Is Part Of: The Canadian Architect, 2011-11, Vol.56 (11), p.22
  • Description: In formal terms, the architecture of [WOODWARD]'s is distinctive hut not heart- stopping. Its higher-end units boast the expansive views typical of Vancouver's window- walled condos. Its much smaller non-market housing units are surprisingly attractive in their graceful simplicity. and some of them have marvellous views as well, especially if you value an interesting rooftop over a generic swathe of sea. The project's detailing, however, is of uneven quality, with a few tenants grumbling about the quality of the interior finishings- in the luxury penthouses as well as in the units on the lower floors. (As one observer remarked: "All that ideological big- talk from everyone, and in the end it all comes down to countertops.") Its most visibly distinctive gestures- the steel exoskeleton's expressionist orange trellises and the inner courtyard's umbilical concrete staircase (the "stairway to nowhere" as [Gregory Henriquez] proudly calls it)- are whimsical additions to the main form, yet somehow these oddball design gestures fit in perfectly for this particular redevelopment- a project whose larger ethos is the acceptance of eccentricity, individuality and non-conformity. The newly opened arts centre is a quantum leap from the broken-down portables that comprised Simon Fraser's contemporary arts school before it moved to Woodward's. But its new incarnation is visually incohesive and logistically problematic in certain ways. To be fair, CEI and Proscenium were handed a more or less pre-designed container that posed a huge chai - lenge for accommodating a multi -disciplinary arts centre. The performance halls and blackout studios had to be stacked vertically, making for rather dark corridors even on the upper floors. Still, the interior design seems unnecessarily fussy, and detached from the character and purpose of the rest of the complex. Hallways are punctuated with pilasters of timber- "an homage to the Burnaby Mountain main campus." says Proscenium principal Kori Chan. This metaphor is unfortunate, given that Burnaby Mountain has been progressively shorn of its forest as the university sells off the slope to condo -builders. Affixed to some hallway walls is a wood-and-polymer framework system to hold end-of-semester artwork, but they seem overly formal for the brash and informal work of students. Chan defends the design as something that will evolve and be embraced more closely as students, faculty and staff become familiar with the building and how to use it. But, he allows graciously, TIl be the first to say it needs editing." Perhaps the most potent symbol is the 30' ? 50' [Stan Douglas] photomural of the 1971 Gastown riot, which overlooks the atrium- cum- basketball court. Although marred by interior reflections, this art installation provokes gasps of admiration from all social strata. Ascend to the top of Hënriquez's "stairway to nowhere" and you can see the London Drugs sign reflected in reverse type over the riot scene, bannered between the foot of a woman running from police and the hindquarters of the constable's horse. One can read it as an unwittingly vulgar metaphor: a corporate logo is chaining the downtrodden to the civic, authority. Or it can be read as a hopeful symbol of harmony: that corporate presence is offering a bridge between the two alienated cultures. But of course, this corporate reflection was never part of the artist's intention.
  • Publisher: Toronto: IQ Business Media
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 0008-2872
    EISSN: 1923-3353
  • Source: Arts & Humanities Journals (Open access)
    ProQuest Central
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