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In the course of our daily reporting, we often uncover unusual projects, places, or connections that don't make the final cut. Instead of keeping it to ourselves, we're pleased to share our Architrivia.
The indelible legacy of Vancouver-born architect Arthur Erickson is felt in some of the most prestigious corners of the city. The MacMillan Bloedel Building and the Provincial Courts Building command attention through their monolithic concrete exteriors, which are softened by extensive exterior landscaping. The ten-storey trapezoidal Evergreen Building at 1285 West Pender Street, one of Erickson's most famous creations, similarly encapsulates the design traits of these monumental works.
Erickson's career trajectory aligned with the rise of Modernism, which emphasized glass, steel and reinforced concrete as building materials. Built in 1980 during the middle of his career, the Evergreen Building is restrained by the unorthodox boundaries of the property, yielding a structure with diagonal lines and a sawtooth edge. Each zigzag floor steps up from a larger one below, diminishing the size of the level as the building climbs higher.
Erickson's signature and liberal use of vegetation as a natural buffer once again comes into play at the Evergreen Building, where its balconies are draped in overflowing plantings. Integrating the structure with nature, the staggered profile of the building recalls the silhouette of a mountainside. With its corner location overlooking West Pender and Jervis Streets, Stanley Park and Coal Habour, the tapered reinforced concrete construction is an unmistakable landmark among the glass-walled condominiums that tower above.
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