Students design and build new courtyard for UBC

Vancouver, Canada—October 1, 2007—As part of their course requirements, students in the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture worked last academic year to design—and during the summer helping to build—a new public green space on campus.

Through the SEEDS program of the UBC Office of Sustainability, the students were partnered with UBC Plant Operations staff; and their months of working together have resulted in a new courtyard behind the Landscape Architecture Annex on the southwest end of campus.

“We were very enthusiastic to be able to provide our students with the unique opportunity to work with and learn from operations professionals on campus,” says Landscape Architecture Program Chair, Cynthia Girling. “Through this SEEDS project, students gained hands-on construction experience and were able to translate drawing to structure, something difficult to understand in a traditional design studio.”

The new courtyard features:

- multiple uses, including social gatherings, eating, studying, outdoor learning, and classes

- a demonstration of sustainable landscape development practices, including low-impact construction methods, materials re-use, and use of low-impact materials, rainwater capture, rain gardens and design for sustainable maintenance

To visit the courtyard, go to: map and directions

About SEEDS
In 2001, UBC launched the Social, Ecological, Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) program—western Canada’s only academic program bringing together students, faculty, and staff in projects that address sustainability issues. To date SEEDS has saved the university hundreds of thousands of dollars and attracted more than 1,000 participants.
To learn more about SEEDS, visit: http://www.sustain.ubc.ca/seeds.html

Contact:

Sherry Green
Communications Manager
UBC Faculty of Applied Science
5000 – 2332 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Tel: 604-822-9091
Fax: 604-822-7006
E-mail: sgreen@apsc.ubc.ca

Students' "green" gardens showcased at VanDusen

Two eco-friendly gardens designed by UBC Landscape Architecture graduate students Seela Amaratunga and Shasta McCoy are being showcased at The Vancouver Sun Garden Show at VanDusen Botanical Garden June 7-10. The two were selected from among their 14 classmates in a design studio that sought to demonstrate how small-scale landscape design could be both sustainable and beautiful.

Their gardens, which are the focus of the Green Garden exhibit at the show, provide design inspiration and knowledge of composting, water conservation and reclamation, green roofs, living walls, urban food production and plant selection for those wanting to "go green.” Steve Whysall of the Vancouver Sun picked the Green Garden exhibit as one of the stars of the show, noting that the two separate gardens “offer innovative, sustainable gardening ideas as well as delightful flight of imaginative thinking.”

These gardens came out of the UBC course Landscape Architecture 502a: The Garden Studio. Professor Patrick Mooney and his students teamed up with show organizers Fireworks Marketing Group to design residential gardens that demonstrate sustainable garden design and provide an educational experience for visitors.

In addition to continuing to develop their skills in landscape design, the students were challenged to engage sustainability on a number of levels. Each student selected their own priorities for sustainable design. This was interpreted to mean not only reducing the environmental impact of the garden but also improving the sustainability of the region by incorporating such things as water and energy conservation or improving food production and biodiversity.

At the end of the course, a panel of judges, including horticulturist Doug Justice from the UBC Botanical Garden, Fireworks president Tom Stulberg (an architect by training), and landscape architects Derek Lee, Joseph Fry and Mooney, selected the winning designs. The designs of all the students are on display at the garden show and show a wide range of solutions for the gardening public.

For more information, visit www.vancouvergardenshow.com/page200.htm.

Contact:

Sherry Green
Communications Manager
UBC Faculty of Applied Science
5000 – 2332 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Tel: 604-822-9091
Fax: 604-822-7006
E-mail: sgreen@apsc.ubc.ca

Professor Patricia Patkau among 2007 AIBC award winners

The 2007 winners of the Architectural Institute of BC’s (AIBC) Awards were announced at the professional association’s annual Presidents’ Dinner and Architectural Awards Gala on Saturday, April 28 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.

An annual event, the AIBC Architectural Awards honour architectural achievement in projects designed and completed by AIBC members; recognize the role of AIBC members, associates, and clients in creating excellence in the built environment; and encourage public interest in BC architects and architecture. This year’s awards were presented by newly elected AIBC President David Wilkinson and the Honorable Colin Hansen, Minister of Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Asia-Pacific Initiative and the Olympics.

Two award categories receive submissions annually: the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Awards, which is a juried award to recognize excellence in recent completed projects by AIBC members; and the AIBC Innovation Award, which recognizes achievements that are not strictly ‘architectural’ but has a direct bearing on the future of architecture. No Innovation Awards were given this year however, two Special Jury Awards were given to projects that didn’t meet the traditional awards criteria but demonstrated excellence in the areas of sustainability and heritage restoration.

This year’s winners include:

2007 Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Medals of Excellence in Architecture:
Patkau Architects of Vancouver for the Winnipeg Library Addition
Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden of Vancouver for the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre

2007 Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Certificates of Merit for Excellence in Architecture:
Bing Thom Architects of Vancouver for Aberdeen Centre
Hughes Condon Marler: Architects of Vancouver for the Killarney Community Pool

2007 Special Jury Award:
Peter Cardew Architects of Vancouver for LeBlanc House
Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden of Vancouver for the Mole Hill Housing Project

View the complete AIBC release.

Over $200,000 raised for Architecture scholarships

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at UBC has raised over $200,000 from alumni and friends, creating eight new architecture scholarships over the past year.

Scholarship support is a priority area for growth within the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. The establishment of scholarships helps the School attract and support talented students in a competitive market. Dr. Sherry McKay, Chair of the Architecture Programs, points out the importance of the awards, “Awards, be they scholarships, bursaries, or book prizes not only acknowledge the multiple accomplishments of students, excellence in academic pursuits, demonstration of professional potential or contribution to student life, but also highlight what is deemed important in architectural education and practice.” She added, “These awards allow an invaluable enhancement of the program via the possibilities for travel, advanced study or even continued study that they provide while also ensuring that student recipients are recognized within the profession at large.”

New awards in the Architecture Program include:

• Bryce Rositch Entrance Award in Architecture
• Bunting Coady Entrance Scholarship in Architecture
• CEI Master of Architecture Scholarship
• Chernoff Thompson Science Scholarship in Architecture
• Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Scholarship in Urban Design
• Hughes Condon Marler Architects Scholarship
• Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd Scholarship
• Merrick Architecture Prize
• Merrick Architecture Bursary for Architectural Studies

UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture would like to extend its sincere thanks and appreciation to the donors for their generous support.

For further information on the different types of student awards available and how you can become involved, please contact:

Development Office
Faculty of Applied Science
The University of British Columbia
2205-2324 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Telephone: 604-822-8335
Email: development@apsc.ubc.ca

Paul Sangha gives back to Landscape Architecture

Paul Sangha Limited, a Vancouver B.C. based full service residential landscape architecture firm, has recently donated $50,000 to create the Paul Sangha Limited Scholarship in Design Excellence at UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Paul Sangha, owner of Paul Sangha Limited, earned a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from UBC in 1986 and was a gold medalist of the program. Early in Sangha’s career, he recognized his passion lay in residential landscape architecture and has focused his career to pursue excellence within this area. Uniting client aspirations, site and homes in seamless harmony has become his signature whether it be a classic or modern garden.

“I have always strived for uncompromising design excellence,” Paul Sangha said. “My parents imparted a simple philosophy, ‘whatever you do, do it well.’ I have focused on treating everything I’ve worked on as if it were my own and have always treated people the way I would like to be treated.”

“My gift of a Scholarship to UBC’s Landscape Architecture Program was to show my appreciation for the professional opportunities my education has provided me,” he added. “The scholarship is intended to encourage students in the pursuit of excellence in design, which for myself, has been instrumental in my career development.”

Scholarship support is a priority area for growth within the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Cynthia Girling, Chair of the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design program noted that in a competitive international “market” for the best students, annual and endowed scholarships help to attract and support talented students to UBC. “The endowed Paul Sangha Limited Scholarship in Design Excellence will make a significant impact on the life of one student every year by reducing the financial burden of their studies and rewarding excellence in design, thus encouraging students to excel in this area. We are deeply grateful to Paul Sangha for his generous support.” she said.

Prior to establishing Paul Sangha Ltd in 1999, Sangha spent 10 years with Ron Rule Consultants Ltd as a senior Landscape Architect and designer and three and a half years with Rule Sangha and Associates Ltd. as a partner.

For further information on the different types of student awards available and how you can become involved, please contact:

Development Office
Faculty of Applied Science
The University of British Columbia
2205-2324 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Telephone: 604-822-8335
Email: development@apsc.ubc.ca

UBC Landscape Architecture students benefit from gifts for awards

Awards encourage students to continue to excel, and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at UBC is reaching out to the community to ask them to help students reach their academic goals. In the past year, SALA has raised more than $170,000 for Landscape Architecture student awards, creating five new awards and enhancing two existing ones in addition to those already available to the students in the program.

“Scholarships continue to be a priority area for the School,” said Cynthia Girling, Chair of the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design program. “In a competitive international market for the best students, annual and endowed scholarships help us to attract and support talented students at UBC.”

Cynthia noted that recognizing academic excellence and reducing the financial burden of the students is another key reason to support scholarships for the program. Ann Jackson, a 2006 graduating MLA student demonstrates the importance of the awards, “As a student, the financial assistance was always needed and I was grateful for it. But the recognition of my efforts and accomplishments that these awards gave was just as important; being new to the design, and often struggling with it, it was encouraging to know that I was making progress. They also gave me the feeling that I had chosen a profession that cares about the achievements of its students and future members.”

New awards established in the Landscape Architecture Program include:

• Paul Sangha Limited Scholarship in Design Excellence
  
• Perry + Associates Scholarship in Landscape Architecture
  
• Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg Service Award
  
• PWL Partnership Scholarship in Landscape Architecture
  
• Will Marsh – Doug Paterson Scholarship
  

In addition, the Landscape Architecture Program would like to acknowledge:

• Durante Kreuk Limited for making an increased contribution to the program through endowing the previously annually renewed Durante Kreuk Prize in Landscape Architecture
  
• Mr. Henry Skinner for his continued support to build the Henry (Syd) Skinner Scholarship Fund, which supports four incoming students annually.
  

UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to the donors for their generous support. “We are grateful to the alumni and friends who made the donations,” Girling added. “These awards not only achieve the goal of attracting and supporting young talents, but also show support for our efforts to improve the program in this year of our MLA accreditation.”

For further information on the different types of student awards available and how you can become involved, please contact:

Development Office
Faculty of Applied Science
The University of British Columbia
2205-2324 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Telephone: 604-822-8335
Email: development@apsc.ubc.ca

World's architects and designers pitch in on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside at Global Studio Vancouver—Presentation Sunday July 2

Architecture, urban planning, and industrial design students and practitioners from 15 countries—some as far away as Finland, Papua New Guinea and Kenya—are putting their heads together to help improve the lives of residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside through design.

The 55 students and 20 teachers, all of whom attended the recent World Urban Forum, have been working for the past week with five community organizations in the Downtown Eastside, including the Chinatown Revitalization Committee, VANDU: Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Central Waterfront Coalition, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre and the Strathcona Revitalization Committee.

Working out of UBC's downtown studio, the students are designing a variety of projects ranging from a public space in Chinatown, to an interactive street painting, to a film to be screened against a building on Hastings Street.

These projects will be presented at a public event July 2, 2006 from 2-5pm at 425 Carral Street, between Hastings and Pender.

About Global Studio

The aim of Global Studio is to work in a participatory manner with communities on design and planning projects, ideas and proposals that might help improve their lives. As the project is short, it cannot deliver real change; however, we have found from experience (Istanbul 2005) it provides a space for dialogue, exchange, new ideas, empowerment and potentially real change.

Global Studio was spearheaded by the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers, and addresses the need for design professionals to work with communities experiencing disadvantage or social exclusion and to work with them to develop more sustainable and liveable environments. Our intention is that this one-week project will be a period of mutual learning and exchange, and that all participants will be empowered by the process and the outcomes.

Contacts:

Mari Fujita
UBC Asssistant Professor of Architecture
Email: mfujita@interchange.ubc.ca

Anna Rubbo
University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture, Associate Professor
Email: rubbo_a@arch.usyd.edu.au