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Arthur Erickson Dies at 84

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as reported on ctv.ca....

Arthur Erickson, renowned B.C. architect, dies at 84
Updated Wed. May. 20 2009 11:40 PM ET

ctvbc.ca

Internationally celebrated Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson has died at the age of 84.


He died in Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release issued by his family.


Arthur Charles Erickson was known for his innovative use of glass and concrete in a modernist style. He built dozens of important buildings in Canada and around the world in a career that lasted over 50 years.


His works include The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the Provincial Law Courts in Downtown Vancouver, the San Diego Convention Center, Napp Laboratories in Cambridge, England, the Canadian Chancery in Washington, D.C., California Plaza in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. His work can also be found in Asia and the Middle East.


Erickson's nephew, Geoff, says he passed away surrounded by loved ones.


"He died in peace of old age, surrounded by loving family and fantastic friends from all over the world who've been coming and going, sending cards and letters," he said.


"(They've) been phoning from all over the world. It's quite extraordinary."


Erickson was born in Vancouver in 1924, and served in the Canadian army during the Second World War in India, Ceylon and Malaysia, ending up as a captain in Canadian Intelligence.


After the war ended, Erickson studied architecture at McGill University in Montreal, graduating in 1950.


He taught as an associate professor at the University of British Columbia from 1957 to 1963, when he left to open his own practice.


Advanced studies also took Erickson to Greece, Italy, the Middle East and Japan, where he perfected his views of how architectural style combined with climate and terrain.


In 1963, he achieved his first international acclaim alongside colleague Geoffrey Massey for his award-winning design for Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The project established his international reputation.


Erickson's architectural innovations, particularly in the use of glass and concrete, won him numerous awards.


They included the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal, the French Academy of Architecture Gold Medal, and many honourary doctorates. He was the first Canadian to be awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.


He was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1981.


Funeral arrangements have not been announced.


With a report by The Canadian Press
 
From cbc.ca:

Architect Arthur Erickson dead at 84
Last Updated: Thursday, May 21, 2009 | 10:51 AM ET

Arthur Erickson, the Vancouver-born architect known for his ground-breaking designs in concrete and glass, has died at age 84, his family said Wednesday.

Erickson's nephew, Geoff, said he died in hospital Wednesday afternoon in Vancouver. He had been in declining health for some time.

"He died in peace of old age, surrounded by loving family and fantastic friends from all over the world who've been coming and going, sending cards and letters," he said. "[They've] been phoning from all over the world. It's quite extraordinary."

His friend and fellow architect Bing Thom said it's a huge loss for Canada.

"I think we've lost a great Canadian, one of the greatest Canadians of all time. I think as an architect, certainly there is no, no Canadian architect has achieved what he has from international recognition and accolades from all over, because he has just done so much to put Canadian architecture on the map," said Thom.

Every building Erickson designed had a common element: an inherent humanity, said Thom.

"His buildings were always very much embracing peoples' aspiration, but always allowed them to see themselves bigger than they think they are. You know you walk out of one of Arthur's buildings, you walk out a little taller than when you came in," said Thom.

Vancouver's architect

Born in 1924, Erickson joined the Canadian Army in 1943 and served in India, Ceylon and Malaysia. In 1945, he became a captain in the Canadian Intelligence Corps. He graduated from Montreal's McGill University in 1950 and worked as an associate professor at the University of British Columbia from 1957 to 1963.

He first achieved international acclaim soon after for his award-winning design for Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Later he designed many significant buildings that made up the urban landscape of Vancouver, including the Vancouver Law Courts and Robson Square and UBC's Museum of Anthropology.

Erickson's success in Vancouver soon spread around the globe. His noted designs included Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, the Canadian Embassy in Washington, California Plaza in Los Angeles, Napp Laboratories in Cambridge, England, Kuwait Oil Sector Complex in Kuwait City and Kunlun Apartment Hotel Development in Beijing.

Architecture critic Trevor Boddy recently curated an exhibit about Vancouver that prominently featured Erickson's work, and said the distinctive stamp Erikson left on the young West Coast city would be his most enduring legacy.

'Pushing it on to the next stage'

"You can look at his career as being one phase ahead of the city he loved so much, and not afraid of pushing it on to the next stage," said Boddy.

Erickson was the first to believe Vancouver could be a world-class city, Boddy said.

"The way that he prodded and primed and hoped that Vancouver would become a better place, more diverse, more dense, more visually engaging, more beautiful, the notion that this geographically-isolated city could be a global contender."

Erickson's career had it's troubles too, most notably, leaving creditors in the lurch after declaring bankruptcy in 1992, but Thom said his drive and vision were undeniable.
 
Erickson's few works in Toronto include Yorkdale and Eglinton West subway stations, and the Kings Landing condos on Queens Quay, but most notably Roy Thomson Hall of course. (Not that we got quite the roof that Erickson wanted exactly.)

Anyone know of others?

I would have wished Erickson many more years of good health.

42
 
Design Philosophy

Architecture, as I see it, is the art of composing spaces in response to existing environmental and urbanistic conditions to answer a client's needs. In this way the building becomes the resolution between its inner being and the outer conditions imposed upon it. It is never solitary but is part of its setting and thus must blend in a timeless way with its surroundings yet show its own fresh presence.

The real needs are often beyond written briefs and become apparent through discussions and demonstrations. We come with extensive and valuable experience but no baggage so that each project is approached as new and original territory, yet to be explored.

We are not peddlers of the fashionable. We believe that good design defies fashion, is truly innovative, eminently sensible, yet a source of inspiration to those who have the pleasure of living with it.


Arthur Erickson
 
This is sad news. He did many of my favourite buildings. The world has lost a true artist.

He also did Markham Civic Centre:

KlyanPhoto.jpg


King's Landing:

swKings2.jpg
 
Call me a blasphemer, but while King's Landing is certainly distinguished, I never understood why, pedigree aside, it's deemed so singular within its context--then again, it stood at the tail end of that poignantly brief Harbourfront moment when a Crombiesque (or early False Creek-esque) low-rise/high density was deemed most suitable even for condo construction, never mind the lower-level Bathurst Quay flotsam.

Didn't Erickson also do a condo up around Bayview and Finch? (And anything else in Toronto that's escaped citation?)

Also note the Hilborn House in Cambridge. (#61 in this list, so it's definitely not terra incognita for the heritage crowd.)
 
Toronto was lucky enough to get a few of his buildings but he was a hometown boy and it was in rain-soaked Vancouver where he really flexed his artistic muscle.

Entering the great hall of the Anthropology museum is probably the closest I'll ever come to a religious experience in a Canadian building and SFU is our Acropolis.
 
I used to live down the street from him in Vancouver. I can recall his garden clearly, especially as he once saw me peeking through an open gate and asked me in. I'd rather I was older than 4 or 5, as I would have enjoyed the chance to have a conversation with him.
 

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