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 people with a variety of disabilities." The landscape architect who collaborated with Erickson on the stramp, Cornelia Oberlander, is still alive today and could probably provide some insight to the province. Perhaps a key consultant still has yet to join the discussion.
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Odd that Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, the landscape architect who devised the "stramps" with Erickson's office, is not mentioned in the CBC article, and hence this one. Though in her 90s, she is still active (last I heard) and might be helpful in dealing with concerns over the plaza's accessibility.
Thank you for the note. We have now included mention of Oberlander within the piece. Much appreciated.
This space must be made barrier free without equivocation.
This space must remain unmolested without equivocation as long as there is any other way in. Needless destruction marks the dividing line between the activist and the terrorist.
Calm down it's a staircase.
Maybe turn down the rhetorical heat a bit, Sean? Possibly "debate" instead of "battle"?
First they came for the stramps and I said nothing; then they came for the quoins and again I said nothing because quoins are dumb.
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