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Scaling New Heights Acton Ostry Architects brings an adventurous, free-spirited approach to the West Coast by Jessica Kirby ook around Vancouver's stunning architecture and you can't help but observe the influence that Acton Ostry Architects has had on the city. Since its inception in 1992, the firm has established its commitment to a West Coast contemporary expression, well evidenced by the company's vast array of public institutional projects set within the Lower Mainland and throughout the province. Russell Acton and Mark Ostry spent the firm's first ten years discovering their niche – with background and formal training in architecture, building technology and environmental design, they delved into their artistic fervour while carefully studying the intricacies of successful business development. "We were refining the way we like to approach design projects," says Acton. "We focused on our identity and how we wanted to express our architecture." Like most West Coast inspired design, Acton Ostry's work resonates with an open relationship to the site and retains a strong sense of connection with the landscape. Clean, open spaces with abundant natural light and the judicious use of wood and stone capture the essence of nature while coloured glazing, metal panelling and angular structures elevate the projects to a place beyond typical. This helps them stay current and contextual as the city grows up around them. "People connect us in terms of our expression with something recognizable and unique to the West Coast – it's contemporary, with a sense of playfulness and colour, and visual interest," says Acton. At the ten-year mark, Acton and Ostry were pleased with their esthetic evolution, but were ready to grow. "Our early work had been recognized through national, provincial and municipal award programs L and that made our commitment to the practice of architecture very rewarding," says Ostry. "It was because of our early success that we made a concerted decision to expand our practice and to take on largerscale projects." Armed with a five-year plan and an arsenal of ambition, the partners set out with a vision of expanding their project capacity, scope and scale with a focus on public institutional projects with some mixed-use residential projects to diversify their work. They accelerated promotion, took on a larger space and increased staff to around 30. Their efforts met with success with several new projects that included community centres, schools, university facilities, places of worship and urban housing developments – all with a common thread. "We enjoy working with developers that are independent thinkers with complex, challenging sites," explains Acton. "One of our key strengths is resolving challenging design problems." Acton and Ostry pour their passion for artistic endeavours into their projects. The firm's typical client is often times atypical – free-spirited and adventurous, with an interest in creative, inventive design solutions. Projects typically evolve as a collaborative design partnership with hands-on clients who enjoy the design process. A signature example is the Stella building at 12th and Kingsway in Vancouver – thought to be North America's first auto dealer with a residential tower component. The main level encloses a full-service dealership that does away with the stereotypical outdoor car lot. It places all exterior functions typically associated with a traditional automobile dealership and service centre inside the building. The result is a dynamic, low-slung structure of sloping angles with a highly transparent, glazed facade accented with coloured glass. The twist is that the dealership acts as a podium for a 110,000-squarefoot, 96-unit condo development. It brings highdensity housing to a formerly low-land use parcel at a busy intersection in Vancouver's bustling Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. "That client came to us because of our problem solving abilities," says Acton. "The owner was the auto dealer – his expertise wasn't in residential development. He had an interesting problem that hadn't been done before in North America and we were attracted to the design challenge." Stella represents one aspect of the company's work that balances out its primary focus – public institutional work. Acton and Ostry pore through every detail of a project's design and function, often integrating multicultural or spiritual elements in large scale public spaces. "Schools are very interesting projects," says Acton. "They often have limited, constrained sites and budgets with a pedagogy that is undergoing a process of transformation as 21st-century learning principles are integrated into teaching facilities." Multi-functional learning spaces, atriums, generous use of natural light, comfortable seating, high flexibility and better connectivity are revolutionizing how school design is taking shape. "It is far more exciting today than when we went to school in the 70s. Back then an eight-foot corridor would lead to a few rectangles where students would go to listen," says Acton. "Academic institutions are Photo, left and above: A view from the parkade and one of the multi-purpose rooms at Hillel House student centre at the University of British Columbia. Below: The main hall and laboratory at the Biological Sciences West and South Wings at the University of British Columbia. All photos: Martin Tessler. p08-11Acton Ostry.indd 9 13-07-12 11:33 AM