Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/177525
Photo opposite page: River Rock Casino Resort. Above: Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre. Below: Lift restaurant, Vancouver, B.C. involve extensive public consultation or municipal issues. It's a reputation that's well deserved: throughout the years, DA Architects + Planners has earned more than 60 awards, the last ive for its groundbreaking work on downtown Vancouver's newly expanded Convention Centre. In fact, the irm's exten- DA Architects + Planners p.06-09DA Arch.indd 7 sive portfolio reads like a signpost of iconic city structures: the Vancouver Convention Centre, Library Square, Concord Paci ic Place, Yaletown House. . . And those are just the Vancouver properties. More proof that Knill and his colleagues know a thing or two about 'urban design.' Established in 1969 as Downs/Archambault & Partners, the irm originally concentrated on residential design that re lected the contemporary esthetics of regional modernism. Throughout the years, its design philosophy shifted in response to the growth and change of Vancouver and neighbouring districts. In 2008, Downs/ Archambault & Partners was rebranded as DA Architects + Planners, and is now recognized as a major in luence to Vancouver's West Coast esthetic as well as a training ground for up-and-coming young architects. Today, DA Architects + Planners lourishes under the partnership of Mark Ehman and Randy Knill. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, Ehman joined the irm in 1991 after working with a number of prestigious irms on projects involving mixed-use developments, institutional buildings and resorts. Knill came onboard in 2005, having owned and operated a full-service architectural irm for several years. The University of Oregon alum started his career designing site-sensitive homes on the Sunshine Coast before moving on to Alaska and then Vancouver, working with several irms along the way and gaining expertise in commercial, retail and hospitality design. The partners' diverse backgrounds and pro iciencies have proven invaluable in designing and constructing innovative, in luential and award-winning buildings. "We're skilled in different areas, though we de initely share an overzealous work ethic," says Knill, laughing. "But we do differentiate our workloads. Mark is a talented designer and shows incredible care and detail in all his projects. I focus on setting up new projects, selecting the consultant team and work plan, and then monitoring design direction and quality control." Together, the partners constantly aspire to break new ground in urban design. "We're looking at more than just the aesthetic of the buildings themselves," Knill explains. "With every project, we consider how each structure or group of structures its into the neighbourhood. Our approach is simple; we call it 'placemaking.' Essentially, it means that every building needs to accommodate the requirements of its users, but it should also act as a backdrop for the surrounding public space. At the end of the day, the architectural form will always respond to, and be determined by, its context." Indeed, the primary challenge for local designers is to underplay buildings so Vancouver's natural beauty can be showcased and enjoyed. Distinctive structures like the Evergreen Building respond to this ecological context, while historical buildings like the Vancouver Art Gallery preserve and celebrate the city's storied past. Finally, there are buildings that don't respond to the city's context, buildings whose styles can be incorporated into any city, anywhere in the world – but these too contribute to Vancouver's personality by creating a transcendent look that attracts ilm studios worldwide, helping to make the city one of the largest ilm and television production centres in North America. Vancouver's unique amalgam of architecture has inspired DA Architects + Planners' designs in developments ranging from high schools to casinos to the city's architectural darling, the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building. For the latter, DA Architects + Planners collaborated with two other irms, MCM Partnership and LMN Architects. Despite the irms' combined quali ications, design and construction FEBRUARY 2012 /7 1/23/12 10:08:02 AM