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Frank Gehry reminisces on Toronto's past while detailing his Forma design for the New York Times

2023-07-26T12:56:00-04:00

A lot of work has gone into it. It’s like a painting. So the glass is offset in places to take the light a certain way and separate that surface from the rest of the building. A lot of care has gone into organizing that visually. It’ll become apparent over the years. You’ll see it and you’ll say: Oh, that’s what he was doing.

Gehry, whose family left Toronto for Los Angeles in 1947, also detailed his misgivings at the city’s contemporary development. The landscape has taken an even more markedly vertical turn since the beginning of 2021 thanks to a “race to the top” among developers (including the backers of the Gehry-designed Forma scheme, the Great Gulf Group) led by the forthcoming 105-story SkyTower design from Hariri Pontarini Architects for Pinnacle International.

Gehry’s only completed permanent work in his birth country, the 2008 renovation of the Art Gallery of Ontario, is also the subject of a major expansion designed by Diamond Schmitt, Two Row, and Selldorf Architects.

Groundbreaking on Forma’s first tower began last month, with an expected completion slated for 2028. Gehry also expressed an interest in refurbishing Arthur Erickson's Roy Thomson Hall, which still hasn't fine-tuned its acoustics since the last KPMB-led upgrade in 2002.

Sale of first home designed by acclaimed Canadian modernist, Arthur Erickson, stirs concern among preservationists

2020-09-10T13:33:00-04:00

Sold late August for nearly $2.75 million, Arthur Erickson's Filberg House in Comox, British Columbia was designed in 1959 and is said to be the first residential property designed by the Vancouver-born architect. The recent sale of the home has stirred up some concern amongst Erickson fans. Some worry about the future of the residence, specifically in regards to its historical preservation.

Architectural photographer and board member of the Arthur Erickson Foundation and a long-time friend of the architect told CBC that he strongly believed the home should be preserved and that "It should be with architectural people who can decide who is best to have it. I would love to see the city of Comox take it over and have it as a center."

The Mid-Century Modern home has 14-foot ceilings and 280 degree views of its 7+ acre lot. The Filberg House also boasts more than 700ft of waterfront, overlooks the Salish Sea, Comox Bay, Mt. Washington, and Beaufort Mountain range. It has 4 bedrooms and...

Battle over "stramp" accessibility upgrades in British Columbia takes shape

2019-09-03T16:00:00-04:00

A battle over proposed design and safety upgrades to an out-of-compliance "stramp" design by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson from the 1970s is taking shape in British Columbia, Canada.

Simon Scott, the director of Erickson's Foundation, said of the late architect: "He wanted to make public spaces accessible and enjoyable," according to CBC. Erickson's Robinson Square steps, however, have been deemed unsafe.

"The ramp that zigzags across the steps at Robson Square in downtown Vancouver will not be modified to address accessibility concerns because of the 'architectural significance of the site,'" reports CBC. Arnold Cheng, an accessibility consultant brought in to survey the steps has countered this reasoning to CBC by pointing out that precious historical works of architecture, such as the Louvre in Paris, have undergone many design changes over the years.

So far, it looks like the provincial government in B.C. has only approved the addition of "more signs and assistance for peop...

Arthur Erickson passes away at 84

2009-05-21T10:00:00-04:00

Vancouver-based modernist architect Arthur Erickson has died at the age of 84 from Alzheimers. Vancouver Sun | Discuss

Some previous news articles about Arthur Erickson...

Famed architect runs afoul of regulator
Arthur Erickson, the Brand
Controversy Looms over Robson Square
Stamp Honours Architecture
Winner announced for revamp of Edmonton Art Gallery
Erickson touch on tower...
Edmonton Art Gallery Competition Receives Surprising Results

Famed architect runs afoul of regulator

2008-08-18T18:35:00-04:00

Arthur Erickson has been called Canada's most famous architect and the first to put Canadian architecture on the world map. But he is no longer allowed to call himself an architect, according to his home province's regulatory body. Or at least not when it comes to buildings currently going up around Vancouver with his name attached to them. Globe and Mail