Award

July 2020

Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1274063

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 71

Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge. 6 | J U LY 2 0 2 0 GEC Architecture GEC Architecture remains committed to connecting people and places by NATALIE BRUCKNER | photography courtesy GEC ARCHITECTURE A rchitecture has the power to shape cities and influence human behaviours. While often thought of as static in nature, architecture plays an important role in moving people from place to place through the careful design of train stations, airports, marinas, and other transportation-related projects. For GEC Architecture, their influence in this realm is unmistakable when you look around Calgary and Edmonton – from the 7th Avenue LRT refurbishment that links people, businesses, trains, and buses in a vibrant urban corridor and Edmonton's new Valley Line LRT Southeast to West Extension (which will comprise of 26 kilometres of track and 29 stations), to Calgary Airport's Airside Connections Corridor/ Y YC LINK – it's obvious that GEC has played an important role in not just the design but the influence on the commuters. Looking at these endeavours it's also fair to say that GEC lives up to its philosophy of designing projects that connect people, encour- age development, and link communities. "One of the focuses of our practice is on transportation and transit infra- structure. This comes from a long history in Calgary and then being part of every new expansion line in Edmonton too. It's something we are very proud of," says Peter Osborne, partner at GEC Architecture. And so they should be proud. GEC's influence on the built world in both these cities is enormous. GEC started its life in Calgary back in 1966 and is one of the longest continu- ally operating architecture firms in North America. While the name on the door has changed a few times over the years, from DS Stevens and Partners to Graham Edmunds Cartier to the name it goes by today, GEC Architecture, its philosophy and focus have remained consistent, growing organically rather than through acquisitions or partnering. "I think of myself and the current partners as the third generation of the firm," explains Osborne, who first joined the firm in 2003 before taking a hiatus and then returning in 2011 to help open the Edmonton studio and then becom- ing a partner in 2012. Live. Learn. Play. A DA M M Ø R K

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Award - July 2020