Arthur Erickson

Erickson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 14, 1924. The son of Oscar Erickson and Myrtle Chatterson, he had an early interest, and talent for, painting and horticulture. As had his father, Erickson served in the Canadian Army, enlisting with the Canadian Army Intelligence Corps during World War II and serving in India, British Ceylon, and Malaysia. He studied at the University of British Columbia, followed by the McGill University School of Architecture. After graduating from McGill in 1950, Erickson was granted a travel scholarship and traveled around the Mediterranean, studying climate and style in their relationship to architecture. He spent ten years teaching at the University of Oregon and the University of British Columbia, during which time he designed some of British Columbia's most important houses – Canadian Homes Magazine called his 1959 Filberg House "Canada's most fabulous house". Erickson spent a few years at Thompson Berwick and Pratt and Partners then, in 1962, founded Erickson/Massey Architects with Geoffrey Massey. In 1963, Erickson and Massey submitted the winning design for Simon Fraser University. == Style and method ==

Erickson's early buildings were often modernist concrete or wooden structures designed to respond to the natural conditions of their locations, especially climate. Erickson always integrated light and water features into his designs, along with the characteristic horizontal elements and terraces that came from the vernacular architecture of the Far East. His work balanced the style of modernism with an integration of the surrounding natural environment. Erickson constantly stressed the importance of greenery and water in all of his designs. As a teacher, he impressed this upon his students by making them draw blades of grass. In the 1980s Erickson designed several modernist homes. Eppich House II for the industrialist Hugo Eppich is considered Erickson's best design for a modernist home. Every aspect, including the surrounding landscape, was designed by Erickson or his business partners. == Significant works ==

Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC) , Burnaby, B.C. Simon Fraser University is located on top of Burnaby Mountain, at Greater Vancouver's eastern edge, 1,214 feet above sea level. The scale of the project is reminiscent of utopian designs from French architects in the late eighteenth century such as Etienne-Louis Bouillee, The campus is landscaped to provide numerous small spaces for study; in its centre, Erickson placed a large rectangular pool containing an enormous block of Fraser River jade. Perhaps most significantly, academic disciplines are not isolated in separate buildings; the campus is a quadrangle designed so that people have to cross paths and interact with each other. The design was met with international acclaim, with one critic writing that it "answered questions about the nature of education". Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) , Vancouver, B.C. The Museum of Anthropology was built in 1976, as an inclusion to the campus at the University of British Columbia. It houses artifacts and exhibits from world cultures, with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest cultures and the First Nations of British Columbia. This building blends methods of reinforced concrete and the traditional post-and-beam construction to articulate the structure. Oversized beams evoke a monumental feeling in many of Erickson's projects, calling on the size and scale of the trees found in the surrounding context. It is well known for Erickson's use of concrete piers and large stretches of glass. By using concrete beams to represent de-materialized logs and opening up the main atrium through expanses of glass, Erickson refers to the traditional notion of post-and-beam construction while integrating these characteristics into a modernist building. Robson Square (Vancouver, BC) , Vancouver, B.C. Built in Vancouver in 1979 as a large civic center, Erickson's design for Robson Square included waterfalls, a roof garden, several plazas, and stairs with ramps integrated within. This complex is one of the few in North America that integrates everything from public space and landscape to a set of surrounding buildings, spanning from the art gallery to the law courts. Many changes have been made to the square since it was first built, and some complain that certain changes conflict with the intent of the original design. For example, glass barriers have been installed near the waterfall, preventing people from getting close to it, and barriers have also been installed on the edges of planters to stop people from sitting on them. It has also since lost the outdoor restaurants, cinema, and large auditorium that once existed on the site. On the design of the roof garden, Erickson was assisted by his former student, architect Bing Thom; the landscape architect on Robson Square was Cornelia Oberlander. Roy Thomson Hall (Toronto, ON) , Toronto, Canada (1982)|222x222pxDesigned and built in the city of Toronto, Roy Thomson Hall was not designed to blend into its surroundings in order to be recognized as a landmark and home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Characteristic of Erickson's other designs with additions of water and other natural elements, this project includes a water feature of pond and rocks adjacent the building. Due to its placement below-grade, it can go unnoticed to pedestrians walking by. The interior of the building was designed by Erickson's life partner Francisco Kripacz, the only Canadian published as "Designer of the Year" by the American Press Institute. The interior used a colour palette of grey and silver to harmonize with the concrete structure and create a peaceful atmosphere. This interior has since been retrofitted by the firm KPMB Architects, adding wood planking as well as purple and plum seating throughout the hall in attempt to make the atmosphere warmer. Canadian Chancery (Washington, DC) , Washington, D.C. (1989)|alt=|222x222px The personal selection of Arthur Erickson as the architect for the Canadian Chancery in Washington, DC by then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was controversial, because Trudeau and Erickson were close friends and the Prime Minister overruled the objections and choices of the embassy's design committee. Erickson's biographer Nicholas Olsberg described the building as "making fun of the ridiculous terms to which buildings must adhere in Washington... mocking the US and all of its imperial pretensions." In fact, Erickson had to obey his client's instructions, which were to express neighbourliness, openness and friendship, while adhering to the restrictions put in place by the 20 committees which regulate what happens on Pennsylvania Avenue. He blended the Neoclassicism of existing structures with the idiom of the Plantation house to create an expanse of space. Oberlander landscaped the courtyard with northern plants; Erickson had Haida artist Bill Reid create the massive sculpture Spirit of Haida Gwaii, the Black Canoe, which sits in the courtyard in a pool of water. ==Works (by year completed)==

, Los Angeles, CA(1985)|292x292px , Fresno, CA (1991)|225x225px • Killam-Massey House, West Vancouver, BC (1955) • McKeen Beach House, Qualicum Beach, BC (1955) • Filberg House, Comox, BC (1958) • Dyde House, Edmonton, AB (1960) • Graham House, West Vancouver, BC (1962) • Point Grey Town Homes, Vancouver, BC (1963) • MacMillan Bloedel Building, Vancouver, BC (1965) (Re-named Arthur Erickson Place 2021.) • Canadian Pavilion, International Trade Fair, Tokyo, Japan (1965) • Baldwin House, Burnaby, BC (1965) • Smith House, West Vancouver, BC (1965) • Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (1965 onward, in stages) • Man in the Community Pavilion, Expo 67, Montreal, QC (1967) • Canadian Pavilion, Expo 67, Montreal, QC (1967), consulting architect • Craig House, Kelowna, BC (1967) • Catton House (aka Starship House), West Vancouver, BC (1967), with Geoffrey Massey • Hi-View Estates Port Moody, BC (1968) • Government of Canada pavilion, Expo '70, Osaka, Japan (1970) • Ross Street Sikh Temple, Vancouver, BC (1970) • Shannon Mews, Vancouver, BC (1971) • University Hall, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB (1971) • Helmut Eppich House, West Vancouver, BC (1972) • Champlain Heights Elementary School, Vancouver, BC (1973) • Hilborn House, Cambridge, Ontario, ON (1974) • Museum of Anthropology at UBC, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (1976) • Habitat Pavilion, Habitat I, United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, Vancouver, BC (1976) • Fire Island House, Fire Island, NY (1977) • Bagley Wright House, Seattle, WA (1977) • Hollenberg House, Bad Homburg, Germany (1978) • Keevil Beach House, Savary Island, BC (1978) • Eglinton West Subway Station, Toronto, ON (1978), with Clifford & Lawrie • Yorkdale Subway Station, Toronto, ON (1978) • Evergreen Building, Vancouver, BC (1978) • Robson Square, Provincial Law Courts, and Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC (1978–1983) • Montiverdi Estates, West Vancouver, BC (1979) • Hugo Eppich House, West Vancouver, BC (1979) • Bank of Canada Building addition, Ottawa, ON (1979), with Marani Rounthwaite & Dick • Hwang House, Vancouver, BC (1982) • Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, ON (1982) • Napp Research Centre, Cambridge, UK (1983) • Robert McLaughlin Gallery expansion, Oshawa, ON (1984) • One California Plaza at Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, CA (1985) (Also master plan for Bunker Hill) • Gilbert Biological Sciences Building, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (1985) • King's Landing, Toronto, ON (1985), with Cowle and Martin • Red Deer Polytechnic Arts Centre, Red Deer, Alberta, AB (1986) • Vinod Khosla House, Portola Valley, California (1986) • Etisalat Tower I, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (1986) • Russell House, Tacoma, Washington, WA (1986) • Admiralty Place Housing, Dartmouth, NS (1987), with Cowle and Martin • Stein Institute for Research on Aging, University of California, San Diego, CA (1987) • Dalhousie University Law Library addition, Halifax, NS (1988) • Balboa Beach House, Newport Beach, California, CA (1988) • Government of Ontario Building, Thunder Bay ON (1989), with Reginald Nalezyty Architect • Canadian Chancery, Washington, DC (1989) • Markham Civic Centre, Markham, Ontario, ON (1989), with Richard Stevens Architects • Convention Center, San Diego, CA (1989) • The Kingbridge Centre, King City, Ontario, ON (1989) • Inn at Laurel Point addition, Victoria, British Columbia, BC (1989) • Saskatoon City Hospital, Saskatoon, SK (1990) • Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, Baldwin Park, CA (1991), with HMC Architects • Fresno City Hall, Fresno, California, CA (1991) • McGaugh Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA (1991) • Two California Plaza at Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, CA (1992) (Also master plan for Bunker Hill) • Walter C. Koerner Library, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (1997) • Bruce Dunbar Maui House, Makena, Hawaii, HI (1998) • Portland Hotel, Vancouver, BC (2000) • Liu Institute for Global Issues, Vancouver, BC (2000) • Waterfall Building, Vancouver, BC (2001) • Choklit Townhomes, Vancouver, BC (2004) • Oil Sector Complex, Kuwait City, Kuwait (2005) • Weihai Culture & Arts Center, Weihai, China (2005), with Nick Milkovich Architects, Architects of Record: Shanghai Universal Architectural Design • RCMP Heritage Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, SK (2007) • Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA (2002) • Canada House, Vancouver, BC (2009) • The Erickson, Vancouver, BC (2010) • McLelland Hall, University of Arizona at Tucson, AZ (2015), designed 1988 with NBBJ-Gresham Larson, completed by Gould Evans • Paradox Hotel Vancouver (2016), designed 2005; completed by Musson Cattell Mackey and dys architecture) ==Awards==

• 1958 Massey Medal, Silver Medal for the Killam-Massey House • 1967 Centennial Design Award, National Housing Design Council • 1967 Molson Prize, awarded by Canada Council for the Arts • 1967 Massey Medal for the design of Smith House • 1967 Massey Medal for the design of Simon Fraser University • 1967 Massey Medal for the design of the Canadian Pavilion for the International Trade Fair, Tokyo • 1968 Award of Merit, Canadian Architect • 1969 Award for the design of Lam House Architectural Record • 1970 Massey Medal for the design of the MacMillan Bloedel Building • 1970 Massey Medal for the design of the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '70, Osaka • 1970 Triangle Award of the National Society of Interior Designers for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70, Osaka • 1970 Award for Best Pavilion at Expo '70, Architectural Institute of Japan, 1970 • 1970 Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect • 1971 Award, Centre du Plateau Beaubourg (Pompidou Centre), Paris, Cultural Centre Competition • 1971 Royal Bank of Canada Award, for outstanding contributions to human welfare and the common good • 1973 Officer of the Order of Canada • 1973 Gold Medal in Architecture and the Allied Arts, Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society • 1974 Auguste Perret Award, International Union of Architects • 1975 Auguste Perret Award for general excellence in design at the International Union of Architects Congress • 1979 President's Award of Excellence for Robson Square, American Society of Landscape Architects • 1980 RAIC Festival of Architecture Honour Award (6), for the designs of Robson Square and the Provincial Law Courts, Eppich Residence, the Museum of Anthropology, Habitat Pavilion, Sikh Temple and Champlain Heights Community School • 1981 Companion of the Order of Canada • 1982 Governor General's Award for Architecture (formerly Massey Medal) for Robson Square Complex • 1982 Governor General's Award for Architecture for Yorkdale Transit System • 1983 Governor General's Award for Architecture for the Museum of Anthropology • 1984 Gold Medal for Outstanding Architect, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada • 1984 First Chicago Architecture Award (with Philip Johnson) • 1984 Gold Medal, French Academy of Architecture • 1986 Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects (AIA) • Honorary Fellow of the Collegio d'Architectura d'Espana, 1987 • Honorary Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, 1988 • Honorary Fellow of the Collegio d'Architectura de Mexico, 1993 • 2001 Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects • 2002 Medal for the design of the Waterfall Building, Architectural Institute of British Columbia, (with Nick Milkovich Architects) • 2003 Medal for the design of the Museum of Glass, Architectural Institute of British Columbia, (with Nick Milkovich Architects) • 2004 Design Arts Award, Vancouver Arts Awards • 2007 Premier's Award of Excellence in Architecture for RCMP Heritage Centre • 2007 RAIC Prix du XXe siecle award for Simon Fraser University • 2007 RAIC Prix du XXe siecle award for Smith House • 2010 Urban Development Institute Award for "The Erickson" (with Nick Milkovich Architects) • 2011 RAIC Prix du XXe siecle award for Museum of Anthropology • 2011 RAIC Prix du XXe siecle award for Robson Square • 2017 International Property Awards Best International Hotel Architecture, for Trump International Hotel and Tower, Vancouver ==Honorary university degrees==

• D.Eng. (Honoris Causa), Technical University of Nova Scotia, 1973 • LL.D. (Honoris Causa), Simon Fraser University, 1973 • LL.D. (Honoris Causa), McGill University, 1975 • LL.D. (Honoris Causa), University of Manitoba, 1978 • LL.D. (Honoris Causa), University of Lethbridge, 1981 • D.Lit. (Honoris Causa), University of British Columbia, 1985 • D.Lit. (Honoris Causa), Lakehead University, 1988 • M.Arch., The School of Architecture at Taliesin, 2001 == Personal life and legacy ==

Erickson lived in Point Grey with his partner and interior design collaborator, Francisco Kripacz. After a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, he died in Vancouver on May 20, 2009. His buildings were also the subject of paintings, such as the 15-foot painting in the BC Law Courts by artist Tiko Kerr. His legacy lives on through the Arthur Erickson Foundation, founded originally in 1993 as the Arthur Erickson House and Garden Foundation, which was eventually able to purchase his home. The foundation has since expanded to offer education, research, and work in preservation with stewardship, education, and tours. Arthur Erickson divided the archives of his work among several Canadian repositories. The Canadian Architecture Collection of McGill University holds his Middle East projects from 1975–1997, as well as other architectural drawings and biographical and professional papers from pre-1950 to 1987. The Canadian Architectural Archives at the University of Calgary hold material that covers 1963–1970. The Canadian Centre for Architecture fonds document his work from 1947–2002. ==See also==