REVISITED A LATE ENTRY FOR THE ART GALLERY

JAMES BLIGH THESIS ADVISOR JOHN SHNIER VANCOUVERISM REVISITED - BRIEF A LATE ENTRY FOR THE VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

Vancouver has diverse cultural potential mired in homogenous urban form. John Patkau laments, “the city is being shaped almost entirely by private development in its most reductive (and profi table) form - condos. There really are very few other city building enterprises operational in Vancouver at the moment.”

Vancity, City of Glass, Terminal City, , Lotus Land, No Fun City; there are multiple lenses through which the city of Vancouver can be read. If this is the case, why is the urbanity of Vancouver’s downtown core doggedly uniform?

This question is exemplifi ed by the heated controversy surrounding moving the Vancouver Art Gallery. The gallery currently serves to anchor the only central and provocative public space within the city. The institution will be displaced from its bustling central location and will have to share the new premises with a development tower. Many prominent voices are concerned that the galleries’ capacity for challenging the wanting urban condition may be diminished by this change.

Considering that the move is all but certain, can this controversy have an alternative perspective? Can the new site provide hidden potential unavailable to the current one? Can the intractable hand of development be subverted in this new gallery and to what limits? Can a non-central site with low pedestrian traffi c become a condenser of artistic and urban thought? Can this new form become a cultural icon even more potent than its predecessor?

These questions are examined in a design project for the new site at Larwill Park.

JAMES BLIGH THESIS ADVISOR JOHN SHNIER

WHAT IS VANCOUVERISM?

There are many ways to study a city, including living in it, reading about it, documenting its culture, mapping, interviewing great minds, attending seminars, and comparing the various isms which have been used to explain a city’s urbanity. All of these were done in this review of Vancouver, to answer the question of this thesis: how might one thrive in and contribute to the existing discourse of Vancouver architecture and urbanism?

The strong and diverse levels of praise for Vancouver, discovered by this study, was not surprising for one of the most livable cities in the world. In stark contrast to the love which residents expounded for the area was their consistent distaste for the urban form; this situation was typically attested to the intractable hand of development or the complacency which the beauty of Vancouver’s natural setting permits. Many critics and writers (Bruce Haden, Adele Weder, Lani Russwurm, John Patkau, John Punter, Annabel Vaughan, Donald Gutstein, Howard Rotberg, Douglas Coupland) have alluded in some fashion to the homogeneity of Vancouver’s urban condition belying its culture.

What is Vancouverism? Vancouver is a city with diverse cultural potential, yet mired in homogenous urban form. The white starch and black plexiglass model of the city documented herein elucidates the image of how this student perceives the sameness of Vancouver. If Vancouverism is to evolve out of its current condition, then change must be postulated. In the case of this architectural thesis, such change is suggested through an intervention of form. How to guide form-making through this urban conclusion is the true challenge, and is explored through two thesis terms. WHAT DEFINES VANCOUVER?

CULTURE COGNITIVE MAP HISTORY URBANITY

TERMINAL CITYUNKNOWN VANCOUVERISMBODDY VANCITYRED1 ECO-METROPOLISSOULES LEFT COASTFOTHERINGHAM BOUTIQUE URBANISMSOULES VANSTERDAMUNKNOWN ARCHITECTURAL REVIVALWEDER HOLLYWOOD NORTHUNKNOWN WORK-IN-PROGRESSRUSSWURM HONGCOUVERUNKNOWN DEVELOPER DRIVENPATKAU CITY OF GLASSCOUPLAND SPANDEX URBANISMHADEN IN NATURE’S WAYBERELOWITZ SETTING IN SEARCH OF A CITYPUNTER NO FUN CITYJAMES&KROLL SKITTISH VANCOUVERVAUGHAN RAINCOUVERANDERSON VANCOUVER LTD.GUTSTEIN LOTUS LANDHUTCHISON LAND OF THE LOTOS EATERSROTBERG

INSPIRATION CONCLUSION

The city is being shaped almost entirely by private development in its most reductive (and profitable) form - condos. There really are very few Vancouver has diverse cultural potential other city building enterprises operational in Vancouver at the moment. mired in homogenous urban form.

JOHN PATKAU PRINCIPAL, PATKAU ARCHITECTS RESEARCH STUDIO THE HISTORIC SENSUOUSNESS OF VANCOUVER

In the fi rst of two thesis terms, the research sought to enlighten a form which could live up to the beauty of the city’s surrounding natural environment. The trajectory of this thought was that by creating a form in honour of its location, the current urban homogeneity and formal logics could be challenged and improved. Topophilia, Genus Loci, Place Attachment, Phenomenology - these were some of the words at the crux of this constellation of thought. The philosophies posited by those such as Heiddeger, Latour, Jameson, Norberg-Schulz, Altman & Low, and Baird were ameliorated into this process. With respect and in particular to form-making, the work of Alvar Aalto inspired how to achieve this desire.

Aalto was a master at unpacking his native context of Finland and formally representing it through the nuance available in modern eclecticism. The result of Aalto’s work is form which can truly be described as Finlandian. His work both represents and resonates with the culture of his country. If Aalto was capable of this feat in Finland, would it be possible to reverse engineer his methodology and recreate it in a new context? Could one, through Aalto, create architecture of Vancouverism? Would this yield the form which responds to the homogenous blight of contemporary Vancouver urbanity?

A site was chosen to test this hypothesis. In a highly contested move (as described in the following chapter), the Vancouver Art Gallery will be rebuilt on a new site. This reconstruction of a massive Vancouver institution was used as an opportunity to test the resonance of an Aalto-driven scheme.

Based on the logics of Aalto, the form-making began with a system of classical orders, which were subverted with eclecticism (not dissimilar to Hadrian’s villa, or Finlandia Hall). This created a seductive fl ow of unique spaces, which in their totality read as Vancouver architecture. Materiality was designed to be tactile, having classical origins with a local infl uence. Native andesite clad the base while the crown roofs were clad with copper, reminiscent of Vancouver’s most signifi cant heritage properties. The model was constructed of real hand-cut stone to reinforce the historic sensuousness that the physical construction would be capable of embodying.

THESIS STUDIO THE SUBVERSION OF DEVELOPER CULTURE; THE CHALLENGE OF THE CITY VIA THE ARTS

As this thesis developed into its fi nal term, the research had time to become much more comprehensive. A depth of study was conducted on the city itself, architecture, the context of the specifi c intervention, and subsequently the qualities of art galleries. A deeper critique of Vancouverism originated from the investigation of these latter two subjects, which resulted in an intervention signifi cantly different from that of the research term.

In particular, where the previous intervention used the Vancouver Art Gallery simply as an opportunity to test the iconography of the city through a cultural institution, the new intervention exploited the hidden potential within the move itself, and elucidated why the move is so contested.

The gallery serves to anchor the most signifi cant central public space in . Almost all of Vancouver’s public space is on the perimeter, looking outwards along the waterfront. The gallery, sitting between the shopping and fi nancial districts, and in the geographic center of the downtown peninsula, allows a unique opportunity to look inwards towards Vancouver’s urban condition. If the gallery is to move, it would abandon this site in favour of a remote location away from the bustling and diverse pedestrian traffi c of the current site. Further, to fund the move would require the gallery to share the site with a new development tower.

Why is this move so contested (a few signifi cant detractors include Peter Cardrew, Bing Thom, Tony Osborn, and Adele Weder)? First, the current site is the most signifi cant hub of urban exploration and activism in the city, and this may be diminished with the removal of the arts institution. Second, the ability for the gallery to perform in any relevant way in the proposed new location may be impossible due to its remote site and the control to which development may exert over the gallery.

Why are these factors relevant to this thesis? This thesis has deduced that what Vancouver needs is to challenge its urbanity. What is important, then, is not a sample project of new iconography but rather an intervention which permits a contemporary, evolving, and timely criticism of the city as it continues to grow. An architecture representing Vancouver panders to the complacency bred by the beauty of the city’s natural environment while an architecture of challenge may provoke real improvement. In this sense, the ability for an artistic voice in the city which can challenge the homogeneity and developer culture would be the most infl uential intervention one could make. If the current gallery is the strongest source of this criticism available, then if the city is to benefi t from the move it must become an even stronger challenger.

If the gallery is to move, and forced to share space with a development, then perhaps the hidden potential of the move is to use the merging of development and gallery to bring a heightened awareness to the ways in which development dominates Vancouver’s urbanity. A PROJECT IN RESPONSE: THE VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

THE VOICE AND LOCATION OF ART IS CRITICAL THE GALLERY IS MOVING

N PARKS & PLAZAS FINANCIAL DISTRICT SHOPPING DISTRICT HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC INSTITUTIONS SKYTRAIN 2X THE SPACE INTERNATIONAL FACILITIES

FUNDING THE MOVE IS CHALLENGING

090M 240M 350M RAISED WITH GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL

DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS INSTITUTIONS

EXISTING GALLERY ROBSON SQUARE W. GEORGIA NEW SITE LARWILL PARK BELL LIGHTBOX VPL MORI ART MOMA VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

MOVING THE GALLERY HAS HIDDEN POTENTIAL

Can the hand of development be Can the gallery broadcast a significant manipulated to challenge itself? influence at the pedestrian scale? THESIS STUDIO THE DESIGN OF THE INTERVENTION

To achieve the ambition of a project which can challenge Vancouver’s urbanity and subsequently, developer culture, began at the pedestrian scale. The new site’s capability to cast an infl uence on the pedestrian sphere is limited by its solitude. This problem was remediated by connecting valuable nearby cultural resources and transit with diagonal “short cuts” through the site, which promoted visitors of the gallery to mingle with passers-by. From this, the gallery was sunk and the development’s podium were ameliorated with the gallery’s facilities to give the ground plane a level of diversity and bustle which could begin to permit a world of art to have an infl uence at grade.

The development, a project sharing the same site to fund the gallery, was subverted in several ways to bring attention to how strongly our urban condition is infl uenced by such undertakings. Firstly, the lobbies of the gallery and the development were merged for installation opportunities. Second, the development was lifted, almost completely removing it from the ground plane. Third, gallery space was given at the top of the development to promote an artistic voice in Vancouver’s wanting skyline. Finally, the development was postured and darkened, thus slimming the tower and directing the eyes of city-viewers towards the institution of art.

The juxtaposition and merging of development and artistic institution in Vancouver, along with a public sphere completely dedicated to the twenty-four hour a day exhibition of art would provide a heightened awareness of how the city is being formed and what issues arise from such control. Such an intervention aspires to answer the question: What is Vancouverism? VCC SKYTRAIN ARMOURY ROGERS ARENA

N

VPL Q. E. THEATRE CBC LARWILL PARK BC PLACE

N DIVERSE TRAFFIC INFORMS GALLERY DIVERSE TRAFFIC INFORMS GALLERY

VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N

BURY GALLERY TO INCREASE PUBLIC SPACE INFLUENCE DEVELOPMENT INTERFERES WITH THE GALLERY

B1 B1

VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY B2 B2 OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N

AMELEORATE THE PODIUM WITH GALLERY FACILITIES MAXIMIZE THE GALLERY AT GRADE, LIFT THE DEVELOPMENT

B1 B1

VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY B2 B2 OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N

DEVELOPMENT HEIGHT IS GALLERY OPPORTUNITY POSTURE SKY GALLERY TO INCREASE ITS POTENCY

B1 B1

VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY VANCOUVERT ART GALLERY B2 B2 OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPACE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N DEVELOPMENT PROJECT N

1

3

7

4

10

5 12 2 11

6

8 13 9

15

14 16

1 PICKUP & DROP OFF 2 PARKING IN 3 PARKING OUT 4 GALLERY LOBBY 5 DEVELOPMENT LOBBY 6 INSTALLATION 7 INSTALLATION 8 RESTAURANT 9 RESTAURANT PATIO 10 SUNKEN COURTYARD 11 LEARNING & RESOURCES 12 PICKUP & DROP OFF 13 INSTALLATION N 1:500 14 SCULPTURE GARDEN 15 RETAIL 16 FLEX WAREHOUSE

1:200

W GEORGIA ST.

1:200 DUNSMUIR ST.

BIBLIOGRAPHY RESEARCH STUDIO

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Baird, G. “Criticality and its Discontents.” The New Architectural Pragmatism, A Harvard Design Magazine Reader 5, no 10, (2004):136- 146. George Baird discusses criticism towards Critical Regionalism and similar theses.

Baird, G. Alvar Aalto. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1971. George Baird discusses the qualities of the architecture of Alvar Aalto.

Burke, Seán. The death and return of the author : criticism and subjectivity in Barthes, Foucault and Derrida. Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2008. An additional way of understanding how culutral iconography can be read: through the hand of the author.

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Jameson, Frederic. The Seeds of Time. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. Jameson describes how we live in a world that is changing to frequently that it appears to be standing still.

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Latour, B. We Have Never Been Modern. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993. Latour postulates that the attempted separation of object and subject during modernism has resulted in nostalgia for a stronger connection be- tween the former and the latter in contemporary society.

Leach, N. “Belonging: Towards a theory of identifi cation with place.” Perspecta, 33, (2002): 126-133. This writing broaches the question of how people identify with their environment from an architectural perspective, differentiating it from the writ- ing of Altman and Low, which is from the perspective of the social sciences. Much like the Altman and Low writing, this work assists to frame my understanding of identity within architecture.

Lefaivre, L., & Tzonis, A. Critical regionalism: architecture and identity in a globalized world. New York: Prestel, 2003. Much like Kenneth Frampton’s writing of “Towards a Critical Regionalism”, this book helps defi ne critical regionalism and therefore helps articulate where my thesis differs. Levit, R. Return of Nature Sustaining Architecture, TBD. Robert Levit is currently writing this piece which posits that it is very diffi cult for a multitude of people to identify with a single place due to the effects of globalization and the diversity of individuals across a singular context. Levit suggests that through common goals and needs a place can gain traction as a place where a multitude can identify; the mandate for survival is a very powerful bond shared by humanity and thus sustainable architecture holds potential for place-making. I sense value in this writing as it may infl uence a way in which I can differentiate and expand on how identity and architecture is understood through my thesis.

Norberg-Schulz, C. Genius loci: towards a phenomenology of architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 1980. Christian Norberg-Schulz studies the phenomenological aspects of place-making in architectural discourse.

Kelbaugh, D., & McCullough, K. Writing urbanism : a design reader. New York: Routledge, 2008. Kelbaugh and McCollough coin the term “regenerative identity”. The concept of fl exible and symbiotic identities of place and how to implement those architecturally are worth consideration when considering the architecture of a place.

Koolhaas, R., & Mau, B. Small, medium, large, extra-large. New York: Monacelli Press, 1998. Rem Koolhaas writes about the “Generic City” in this work, describing the vastness and success of character-less built work as justifi cation that there is no need for a context with identity; an important critique to understand.

Porphyrios, Demetri. Sources of modern eclecticism : studies on Alvar Aalto. New York, N.Y. : St. Martin’s Press, 1982. An incredibly thorough investigation of the methodology by which Alvar Aalto practiced architectural design.

Rudofsky, Bernard. Architecture without architects: a short introduction to non-pedigreed architecture. Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1964. Rudofsky describes the value of form that is unencumbered with the necessity of architectural design.

Shnier, J. NOMAD MONAD Copies, Palimpsests, and Clichés The Will to Form + The Institution. University of Toronto. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, Toronto, ON, 2014. Shnier illustrates the notion that architecture can be understood on a scale between iconic and non-iconic. Projects attempt to be the kernel of their contextual existence (MONAD), endeavour to transcend representation by avoiding defi nition entirely (NOMAD), or fi t somewhere in between. Projects over time may be able to transform along the scale away from one and towards another. These ideas relate to the thesis in the sense that the form of a city is infl uenced by its semiotic values or lack thereof.

Simmel, Georg. “Freedom and the Individual.” Forms of individuality; an inquiry into the grounds of order in human relations. Akron: Principia Press, 1937. Simmel describes the need fraternity in an environment where individuals have enough agency to circumvent the freedom of others.

Sloterdijk, Peter. “Egosphere.” Log 10, (2007): 89-108. In this article, Sloterdijk writes about how the apartment represents individuals’ preference to identify with themselves rather than others. The apartments are masses of cells which comprise a society of individuals with no connection between them other than proximity. This writing is valu- able because it highlights how a group of people can be so close together yet feel no connection with the society that they are a part of.

Smith, M. Transnational urbanism : locating globalization. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. Michael Smith describes the struggles with how to justify placemaking. Methods of giving agency towards doing so may be gleaned in addition to identifying critique therein.

Springborg, Patricia. The Cambridge Companion toHOBBES’S LEVIATHAN. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. A comprehensive description of Erwin Hobbes’s Leviathan. This document describes some inspiration behind Robet Levit’s Nature Sustaining Ar- chitecture. BIBLIOGRAPHY THESIS STUDIO

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Harcourt, Michael, Sean Rossiter, and Ken Cameron. 2007. City making in paradise: nine decisions that saved Vancouver. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. A book written by previous Mayor of Vancouver, Mike Harcourt, describing several decisions made in the city which have shaped the city in signifi - cant ways. Of particular interest is that the value and foresight of many of the decisions were not fully appreciated until much later.

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