The Biological Sciences Complex renewal at UBC has received a prestigious Canadian Green Building Award presented through Sustainable Architecture & Building Magazine.

The LEED Gold Biological Sciences Complex was one of only seven projects nationwide that received awards from a total of fifty-six submissions.

The jury commented, “As a renovation this project set the design team the more challenging goal of revitalizing an unprepossessing existing building. Most striking was the use of an innovative solar tracking daylighting system, a courageous application of a new technology…”

The project will be published in the July/August issue of SABMag.

Biological Sciences Complex >

The Klemtu Ferry Terminal was a double-winner at the Northern BC Building Awards, taking home the Community Institutional category Excellence Award, as well as the Judge’s Choice Award for best in
show overall winner.

Acton Ostry collaborated with BC Ferries and the Kitasoo/Xai’xais to integrate and express the culture of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations people throughout the project. Elements of the project include a gateway canoe, waiting building, welcome pole, salmon wind vane, Spirit Bear Lodge sign and concrete lock-block walls embedded with relief sculptures of salmon and herring.

Earlier this year the Klemtu Ferry Terminal project received a Premier’s Award for Innovation and Excellence.

Klemtu Ferry Terminal >

The results are in for Vancouver Magazine’s 23rd Annual Restaurant Awards and Cactus Club Cafe has been awarded Gold for Best Casual Chain 2012.

The judges noted that Cactus has separated itself from the casual-fine-dining pack and with more splashy locations in the works joked, “the city’s best chain is making a full-court press toward world domination.”

The latest addition by Acton Ostry to the Cactus collection recently opened at the stunning beachside location at
English Bay in Vancouver.

Acton Ostry Architects as are featured in Vectorworks’ Notable Users this month.

Acton Ostry use Vectorworks computer-aided design software program as their design tool of choice. The aesthetic quality of drawings is of utmost importance and Vectorworks allows technical, accurate, and consistently beautiful drawings to be achieved through the detailed control and instant visualization of line work.

Full story at Vectorworks >

Two Acton Ostry projects, King David High School and the Sauder School of Business, are featured in a video about the use of wood in educational projects that was produced by naturally:wood and Forestry Innovation Investment.

Healthy, durable and naturally beautiful, the use of wood enhances learning environments both physically and psychologically.

People spend as much as 90 per cent of their time inside buildings, and for children, adolescents and an increasing number of young adults, most of this time is spent either at home or in school. It is clear that the design of indoor environments is of critical importance to human health — an intuitive conclusion that is now supported by an increasing body of scientific evidence.

Watch the video on YouTube >

Vancouver city council approved Acton Ostry’s rezoning application for a 19-storey residential tower and multi-use complex to be located at East Broadway and Kingsway
in Mount Pleasant.

Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a statement issued following council’s decision that the project fits with the Mount Pleasant community plan, and meets council’s goals for transit-oriented development.

“Transit-oriented development is a top priority for this council and a key piece for our city right now, and this site sits on one of the busiest transit nodes in B.C,”
Robertson told council.

The project now enters the design phase. Construction is scheduled to start in 2013.

Members of the business community, donors, faculty, students and alumni gathered last night for a special Open House celebration, marking the completion of the final phase of the $70M project.

The final phase of the project reinforces the School’s mandate of innovative learning through the inclusion of a wide variety of high tech and state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces. Transparency and lightness experienced throughout the building reaches its pinnacle in the new floor-to-ceiling glazed conference centre. The penthouse, clad with a varying pattern of clear, translucent and opaque glass panels, acts as a beacon signalling the renewal of the School.

Sauder School of Business >

The Klemtu Ferry Terminal project has been selected as a finalist for this year’s Regional Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Awards. Selected by the adjudicators from 118 nominations, the finalists come from a range of different ministries and organizations across the BC Public Service.

The new ferry terminal located in Klemtu, a small remote community off the West Coast of BC officially opened last fall with a ceremony hosted by the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation. Acton Ostry Architects collaborated on the project as part of an extensive team of engineers, contractors and government agencies, including the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation; SNC‐Lavalin Inc.; BC Ferry Services; and Infrastructure Canada.

Klemtu Ferry Terminal >

Russell Acton will take part in the informative and engaging panel discussion on February 9th from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm as part of this year’s BUILDEX Vancouver Conference.

The panel will consist of leading Vancouver architects Peter Cardew, Walter Francl, Michael Green and Bruce Carscadden (moderator). The discussion will raise the question of the way architecture shapes our lives and communities in countless ways, if architecture is a vital agent for social change and ultimately if architecture matters.

Sauder School of Business >

The Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church has been featured on the world’s most visited architecture website ArchDaily.

The church draws a congregation of the faithful from across the Greater Vancouver Region. The church is much more than a place of worship for the people; it is also a home for the community. The transitional sequence from an uninspiring external context to an internal one of communion and contemplation is a guiding principal of the design. The sanctuary is the spiritual heart of the religious house and community. The soaring baptistery articulates its symbolic purpose and spiritual function adjacent to the sanctuary.

Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church >

The Japan 2 x 4 Home Builders Association consists of wood frame building contractors, building material suppliers and architectural firms. The Association chose to feature the Ucluelet Community Centre in their monthly publication because of the project’s expansive use of wood.

Wood was used throughout the project for its beauty, versatility and economy. Wood is also the construction material with which the community has a close connection through its pioneering past and close ties to the forest industry. Overly complex framing geometries have been minimized to achieve an efficient building envelope system. The building utilizes primarily standard 2×6 wood-frame construction with the taller walls at the performance hall being 2×10 studs.

Ucluelet Community Centre >

The new Klemtu ferry terminal officially opened with a powerful ceremony hosted by the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations peoples that reside in the remote village of Klemtu on Swindle Island. The project includes a new waiting building, berth, ramp, vehicle compound and road improvements to the site.

Many nations travelled to Klemtu to celebrate the opening with Kitasoo/Xai’Xais who hosted a fabulous feast for the hundreds of guests and visitors.

Acton Ostry Architects collaborated with BC Ferries and the Kitasoo/Xai’xais to integrate and express the unique culture of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nations people throughout the project. Iconographical elements of the project include: a gateway canoe that tells the legend of the creation of Klemtu; a waiting building evocative of a traditional longhouse; a welcome pole by famed master carver Tom Hunt; a salmon wind vane; a tourism sign for Spirit Bear Lodge; and, concrete lock-block walls embedded with relief sculptures of salmon and herring.

Klemtu Ferry Terminal >

Acton Ostry’s Alhambra + Garage + Cordage + Grand + Terminus adaptive re-use and renewal project received top honours at the Heritage BC Annual Awards Ceremony held September 30th at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby.

Heritage BC presented Acton Ostry Architects with an Outstanding Achievement Award for the project, the highest distinction offered by the organization.

The Water Street renewal project has been recognized with a number of awards, including: a City of Vancouver Outstanding Achievement Award; a Lieutenant Governor of BC Medal in Architecture; and a Sustainable Architecture & Building Canadian Green Building Award.

Terminus >
Garage >
Alhambra >

Cactus Club Cafe has officially opened their 21st location in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The new 7,350 square foot restaurant, with expansive wrap-around terraces, is sited to take advantage of panoramic vistas of the Fraser Valley with spectacular views to the south and west.

Guests arriving to the restaurant enjoy stunning views through a linear, backlit, landscaped promenade that leads to a dramatic dining environment.

“We are excited to bring Cactus’ unique brand of casual fine dining to Abbotsford, and we’re equally enthused about setting down roots and contributing to the vibrancy of this wonderful community,” says president and founder, Richard Jaffray. “We look forward to becoming a dining destination in Abbotsford and offering our guests an unparalleled experience.”

Acton Ostry Architects announces the opening of the newly renovated Biological Sciences Complex, South and West Wings at the University of British Columbia. The $45M, 170,000 square foot project includes the renewal of spaces originally built more than 50 years ago. The Complex houses new state-of-the-art laboratories, aquaria, informal research spaces, classrooms, seminar rooms and gathering spaces for the Departments of Botany and Zoology.

The seismic concrete buttresses are clad with laminated glass panels that are illuminated at night. The glass panels are printed with botanical and zoological images, visually referencing the building’s use and animating the pedestrian walkway along the Main Mall of the campus.

“On behalf of the Faculty of Science, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation for your hard work in making this dream become a reality. It is a spectacular facility that will no doubt spawn exciting scientific discoveries and produce a generation of global citizens,” stated David Shorthouse, Assistant Dean, Finance and Administration, University of British Columbia.

Biological Sciences Complex >

The Sauder School of Business expansion and renewal project was recognized with a Lieutenant Governor Award at the President’s Award Gala held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 27th.

This year, the AIBC and RAIC presented the 2011 Festival of Architecture which brought to Vancouver over 800 architects and allied professionals from across the country for a joint celebration.

The Sauder School of Business project has previously been recognized with a Best of Canada Award for interior design and a Green Building Award for sustainability.

Sauder School of Business >

The City of Vancouver hosted an open house event on April 12th to provide the public an opportunity to view potential changes to the rezoning application for the Rize site located at Broadway and Kingsway in Mount Pleasant.

In response to feedback received from the public during a workshop held in March, potential changes include: reduction in overall height from 26 to 19 storeys; reduction in density from 6.44 to 5.50 FSR; and reduction in the number of Short Term Incentives for Rental (STIR) housing from 62 to 20 units.

The project will include a 9,200 sq. ft. community art space to be used for the production and display of art.

The Mount Pleasant Community Plan, adopted by Council in November 2011, identifies the Rize site as one of three in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood suitable for increased density and height in exchange for community amenities and exemplary design.

Mayor Gregor Robertson announced the winners of the 2011 Vancouver Heritage Awards held on April 11th at the SFU Woodward’s Gastown campus.

Four Acton Ostry projects received awards this year: an Award of Recognition for Garage & Cordage; an Award of Merit for Terminus & Grand; an Award of Honour for Alhambra; and, an Award of Honour for the Salt Building. This year was the 25th anniversary of the heritage advocacy program that honours the extraordinary efforts of architects, community organizations, developers, writers, artists and citizens who work to preserve Vancouver’s heritage.

Terminus >
Garage >
Alhambra >

The City of Vancouver hosted an open house event on April 12th to provide the public an opportunity to view potential changes to the rezoning application for the Rize site located at Broadway and Kingsway in Mount Pleasant.

In response to feedback received from the public during a workshop held in March, potential changes include: reduction in overall height from 26 to 19 storeys; reduction in density from 6.44 to 5.50 FSR; and reduction in the number of Short Term Incentives for Rental (STIR) housing from 62 to 20 units.

The project will include a 9,200 sq. ft. community art space to be used for the production and display of art.

The Mount Pleasant Community Plan, adopted by Council in November 2011, identifies the Rize site as one of three in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood suitable for increased density and height in exchange for community amenities and exemplary design.

Congregation Beth Israel has announced  that current pledge commitments are ahead of initial projections for the current stage of the capital campaign for the $14.5-million redevelopment of the synagogue. As a result of the strong support, the Campaign Committee will approach the membership in early April to seek approval to officially launch the capital campaign.

The project is currently in the rezoning phase and will include construction of a new 18,000 sq. ft. synagogue, conversion of the existing 26,000 sq. ft. synagogue to become the Family Life & Education Centre, and a new 26,000 sq. ft. community-services facility.