Indigenous prairie architect Douglas Cardinal

Image from douglascardinal

The is the home of Douglas Cardinal in Stony Plain. This extraordinarily talented architect was born in Calgary, of German, Metis and Blackfoot roots. He studied at UBC, and graduated from the U of Texas in Austen.

His creations include the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the First Nations University in Regina. Another project is the National Museum of the American Indian.

A pioneer of computer assisted architectual design, Cardinal designs highly unusual buildings with undulating features that blend into the land and reflect his indigenous prairie roots, as well as the landscapes of southern Alberta, where he spent his early years.

Young Frances Rattenbury left his architectural mark on BC

Detail image from wikimedia

Francis Mawson Rattenbury was born in Leeds in 1867, the year of Canada's birth. He trained as an architect and served his apprenticeship in England. After arriving in British Columbia in 1891, he tried his luck in a contest to design a new British Columbia Parliament Building and won.

While working for the CPR as their Western Division architect, Rattenbury designed Victoria's CPR Steamship Terminal, the Chateau Lake Louise near Banff and Vancouver's Court House, now the Vancouver Art Gallery. He also designed several banks in British Columbia towns, as well as a Governor General's residence, later destroyed by fire.

Some private homes he designed include the Roedde House in Vancouver, now a museum, and the Janet Clay house in Victoria. In Calgary, he created a friend's private home, called Burns Manor.

Sadly, Rattenbury's later life brought financial trouble, scandal and a violent death.

Bing Thom creations unique in the lower mainland

Image from Bing Thom Architects

Bing Thom died yesterday. His loss will be felt keenly, here and abroad. Thom was born in Hong Kong, studied architecture at UBC, and became a "Berkeley Radical" in California.

Believing architects had social responsibility beyond the creation of artistic designs, he went to bat for public spaces, as when he opposed the building of a mega-casino near BC Place.

A student of Arthur Erickson, Thom worked as project manager on the Robson Square complex and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Later, he established his own firm and created designs for Expo 86. In 1989, he won the Governor General's Medal for the False Creek Yacht Club. He also received the Order of Canada and many other awards.

Besides his numerous landmarks in the Lower Mainland, Thom designed the Canadian Canoe Museum, the Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong, scheduled to open next year.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Thom. Your many communities appreciate your contributions, even as we mourn your loss. Both visible in the picture above, the Surrey City Centre Library and SFU Surrey will remain among my favourite places.

Arthur Erickson -- visionary designer of SFU

Image from Canadian Encyclopedia

This modern but elegant quad, built in 1965 on top of Burnaby Mountain, was an early design by Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson.

Using his legendary style, he went on to create such iconic structures as the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Ross Street Sikh Temple, the RCMP Heritage Centre, the Yorkdale Transit Station, and Fresno City Hall.

Erickson died in 2009, but his firm lives on, as do his creations and his hallmark style of architecture.

Way up in the air

My daughter was at the wheel in a late summer ride across the Port Mann in the Mazda Miata that's nearly as old as she is.

As we reached the middle of the bridge, I fumbled belatedly for my camera.

The angle may not be great, but the feeling is there: sky, summer and the thrill of passing over a high span with a great view.

David Thompson monument at Lac La Biche

Canadian broadcaster Stuart McLean has placed David Thompson among the world's greatest geographers. Educated in a London charity school, he left England at fourteen in 1784 as an apprentice, never to return. During his long service with the Hudson's Bay and Northwest Companies, he mapped much of the territory that would be Canada. This sculpture at Lac La Biche shows his lead canoe. All its occupants are named except, ironically, the essential one, the guide, who is referred to simply as "the Indian."

On the far left horizon is Pelican Island, named for the migrating birds. It will soon be added to the lovely Sir Winston Churchill Park.

Though BC rivers, schools and more are named after him, David Thompson died broke and unrecognized. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Montreal.

Lac La Biche at summer's end

A day trip with Yasemin to Lac La Biche from Edmonton was idyllic. The only ones on the beach, we skipped stones across the otherwise mirror-like surface of this northern lake. Somewhere on the road, we passed a sign pointing out the continental divide.