REGISTER NOW!
Date: April 15 –  May 27, 2015 (7 weeks)
Time: 7pm-9pm
Location: Lord Byng Secondary School
Fee: $129.00

Come and explore Vancouver’s lively and local architectural legacy. This is a survey course of the kaleidoscope of buildings in Vancouver, beginning with indigenous dwellings and ending with modern-day landmarks, and ranging from modest shacks to architectural masterpieces. Vancouver was for a very short time not much more than a sawmill company town, but this minor backwater very quickly became the site of aspirations of wealth and grandeur.

The primary attraction of Vancouver has nearly always been its potential for real estate speculation by new settlers and foreign investors. However, new arrivals also appreciated Vancouver’s beauty and potential to become a great city, and the buildings they constructed reflected that. Always with a view to achieving the highest and best use, change has occurred quickly during boom times in Vancouver, and then almost halted during economic downturns.Our architectural legacy reflects those waves of construction activity.

The primary focus of this course will be on the architecture itself. We will study the way in which international architectural themes were expressed in this city that was reachable only by train and boat up until the 20th century. However, architecture is always informed by social themes, and we will touch on those as well. You will come away with a deeper understanding of this beautiful crazy place we call home.

Instructor: Susanna Houwen

Raised in a construction family, with a Degree in Art and Post-Graduate Degree in Architecture, Susanna brings over 12 years of experience in the architectural field, and a passion for the balance of aesthetics and function.

Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives: PAN N120A