Vancouver's Henriquez Partners Architects has been instrumental in shaping an evolving urban fabric. From the commercial-retail complex Gaslight Square to the Woodward's Redevelopment and contemporary residential towers like Cardero, the firm's indelible legacy is visible up and down the city. This year, the inimitable firm is celebrating its 50th anniversary, honouring the architecture studio's founder, Richard Henriquez.

Richard Henriquez in 1990, image via Henriquez Partners Architects

The firm's signature projects run the gamut of uses and sizes. Vancouver's Sylvia Tower and Sinclair Centre were among the most significant contributions to the cityscape in their formative years.

Named one of the most influential Canadian buildings of the 20th century by Canadian Architect Magazine, Sylvia Tower adopts the architectural vocabulary of the adjacent Sylvia Hotel, and employs a small floor plate that has since become a principal design characteristic in Vancouver. 

Sylvia Tower, image via Henriquez Partners Architects

The popular urban shopping mall Sinclair Centre is comprised of four distinct historical buildings connected by a glass atrium. An example of successful heritage rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and Postmodernism, the project won Canada's highest architectural honour in 1990 when it was gifted a Governor General's Award for Architecture.

Henriquez' work has also travelled outside British Columbia's borders, with the firm completing the United Nations National Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa in 1990, and more recently, proposing the now under-construction Mirvish Village development in Toronto and 1200 Stewart in Seattle.

Sinclair Centre, image via Henriquez Partners Architects

Richard Henriquez has amassed numerous accolades over his career, receiving the Order of Canada in 2017 and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Gold Medal. Upon being awarded that prize, the institute recognized Henriquez' "broad and significant impact on the profession, reaching beyond his hometown of Vancouver." They also applauded "his understanding of the art of sculpture and architecture...as he works from an imaginative tradition where buildings are much more than just composed technologies. His work expresses a search for meaning, demonstrating his ability to transform modest projects into highly symbolic works."

Woodward's Redevelopment, image via Henriquez Partners Architects

Looking both back and forward, Managing Principal of the studio and Richard's son, Gregory Henriquez, says "Our 50th anniversary marks the continued growth and success of the business, and is a celebration of my father's lasting impact on the studio and on the city of Vancouver. Our social justice roots, which date back over 40 years, are a part of my father’s legacy and the studio's future."

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