BCBusiness

47 B C B U S I N E S S . C A A P R I L / M AY 2 0 2 5 P a t k a u A r c h i t e c t s ALL KINDS OF IDEAS are coming to life in a design lab attached to Patkau Architects' office in Vancou- ver. Husband-and-wife duo John and Patricia Patkau launched their architecture firm in 1978. Ever since then, no two undertakings have been the same. From residential and cultural projects to educational and research hubs, the firm has made its mark in nearly every design category. "I've always been a curious person," John Patkau says. Some of his company's iconic creations include UBC's Beaty Biodiversity Centre, the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver, the Audain Art Museum in Whis- tler and the Tula House on Quadra Island. "We're the ultimate generalists who flit from flower to flower," he adds. MATERIAL WORLD After close to 50 years in business, Patkau Architects is launching its own one-of-a-kind furniture line Now, after 47 years in business, Patkau is intro- ducing a new furniture line under the name Patkau Studio. The threads of this line can be traced back to the proprietary materials being invented in the work- shop attached to Patkau Architects' office. Some 15 years ago, the company was invited to design tempo- rary shelters for ice skaters in Winnipeg. "We used an unusual kind of plywood to make these shelters," John Patkau recalls. His team developed a way to take advantage of the plywood's characteristics, and the resulting structures were revered around the world to the point that they were recreated in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to celebrate the potential of plywood. The shelters also won Patkau Architects a design prize from Moscow. "Patkau Studio is going to be the name of all of the activities that we take on that aren't architecture," says its co-founder. From furniture to sculptures, this new arm of business is purely dedicated to experiments and innovation. First up is lighting. The company's Minima lights, starting at $950, are available in a range of sizes, from floor to table lamps. They can be spotted Canada-wide at stores like Vancouver's Inform and Calgary's Dwell Modern, and they're made with a unique blend of paper, polymer and cotton that gives the material a soft, paper-like appearance without compromising durability. "There is no other lighting product out there that has this material as a central part of its con- struction," John Patkau maintains. "It's been a jour- ney of invention and exploration that has been very rewarding. We've become really addicted to the free- dom with which we can work at this scale, which you don't have when you're doing large buildings because of the constraints of building codes, budgets, engineer- ing, et cetera." The new venture, according to its co-founder, is a natural and satisfying complement to their architec- tural practice. With options for made-to-order tables, stools and chairs on the way, the firm's team of 22 is looking to make high-quality design more accessible. "And by that I mean affordable," says John Patkau. "Where most people can't afford a multi-million-dol- lar house, they can afford a beautiful object in their apartment." Starting on this at an older age—John Patkau is 77— has been "so much fun," he says. "The reason we're turning it into a business is because if it becomes successful, then it will support a much bigger effort in terms of innovation in the future. We will have more resources to play with, and we can do more interesting things."—R.R. BRIGHT FUTURE A blend of paper, polymer and cotton gives Patkau Studio's new Minima floor lamps their unique texture

• Cover