Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/678192
tourismvancouver.com 15 TVAN, JOANN PAI, ALEX BEIM, CHRIS SHERWOOD, ERIC FLEXYOURHEAD W ith a downtown of shimmering shards of skyscrapers (from the Shangri-La Hotel to the new Trump International Hotel and Tower), Vancouver is oen referred to as the City of Glass. But West Coast Style or Modernism—lots of glass, open floor plans, flat roofs and post-and-beam construction—evolved here in the '60s and '70s thanks to local and now-iconic architects, including Arthur Erickson, Ron om and B. C. Binning. Our architectural cred dips back into the '30s era of Art Deco too. By Barb Sligl West Coast wow Vancouver's architecture spans eras, pushing the envelope—and sky Alex Beim LOCAL INTEL Lead artist and creative director, Tangible Interaction Design shares his views on our city's architectural style. • VANCOUVER'S STYLE The city's overlapping mix of spaces creates a great environment to be creative. The sudden changes in architecture and people's styles make for very interesting walks where ideas are floating in the air ready to be picked up. • BEST STREET I love walking around areas where people don't really go. I just discovered an area behind the Vancouver Convention Centre that is full of old shipyard buildings made into living spaces. • FAVE ICONIC BUILDING Science World Driving past it on the way to our studio every day and observing its geometry and construction has greatly influenced our work. PITSTOP: Take a break inside the Marine Building at Tractor Everyday Healthy Foods, where contemporary design (note the Mikado light fixture by local design house Tangible Interaction) meets old-school Art Deco. Refuel with the avocado toast. It's #veryvancouver. Bright lights, big city: Walk Granville St. after dark to see more Art Deco facades and the Art Moderne neon light of the 1940 Vogue Theatre. EXPLORE ON FOOT Take a self-guided walking tour (or join a summer walking tour led by the Architectural Institute of British Columbia) to see a sampling of styles downtown. Here are three must-see structures. 1 Vancouver Convention Centre (Canada Place Way): This glass-fronted, waterfront building melds Vancouver's modern and green sensibilities. It's the world's first LEED ® Platinum–certified convention centre and has Canada's largest living roof, home to some 400,000 native plants and 240,000 bees. EXPLORE MORE Only in Vancouver: Discover the city's own idiosyncratic, love-it-or- hate-it, boxy residential style, dubbed the "Vancouver Special," on a tour with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. 2 Marine Building (355 Burrard St.): Once the tallest building in the British Empire, its 1930s Art Deco style is decadently decorative, featuring local flora and fauna, compared to the surrounding glass structures. 3 The Electra (989 Nelson St.): One of the first post-war Modernist buildings in the city, this award-winning highrise was designed by Ron Thom and Ned Pratt. Its original funky blue-and- green tile mosaic is by B.C. Binning.