Arthur Erickson | Evelyn Condos Architect West Vancouver BC Canada

ARTHUR CHARLES ERICKSON

Architecture, as I see it, is the art of composing spaces in response to existing environmental and urbanistic conditions to answer a client’s needs. In this way the building becomes the resolution between its inner being and the outer conditions imposed upon it. It is never solitary but is part of its setting and thus must blend in a timeless way with its surroundings yet show its own fresh presence.

The real needs are often beyond written briefs and become apparent through discussions and demonstrations. We come with extensive and valuable experience but no baggage so that each project is approached as new and original territory, yet to be explored. We are not peddlers of the fashionable. We believe that good design defies fashion, is truly innovative, eminently sensible, yet a source of inspiration to those who have the pleasure of living with it. — ARTHUR ERICKSON

An Architectural Legacy

Born in Vancouver, BC, in 1924, Arthur Erickson is a Canadian treasure. His internationally acclaimed works of architecture are expressed with incandescent artistry and craft. Evelyn joins a portfolio of masterworks, a collection of esteemed public institutions, galleries and museums, large office, condominium and hotels towers as well as exquisite single family residences.

His contemporaries included some of the most influential and pioneering architects of the 20th Century, including Mies van der Rohe, Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright. At various times, Erickson was called a poet (in concrete), a philosopher, a grand master and an unapologetic modernist. But at the root of his genius, those who knew him best, describe him simply as an artist.

Six decades have passed since the eager twenty-something Erickson became mesmerized by the possibilities and poetry of Frank Lloyd Wright’s residential expressions. Up until his mid eighties, Erickson practiced his craft daily, at the office in Vancouver that he shared with one of his original protégés and long-term collaborator, Nick Milkovich and his design team.

Erickson’s large scale architectural works include the venerable Simon Fraser University, The Museum of Anthropology at UBC, the Provincial Law Courts and the MacMillan Bloedel Building; as well as the San Diego Convention Center, the Canadian Chancery in Washington, DC, California Plaza in Los Angeles and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.

While the influence of his large scale works is far reaching and impressive, Erickson began his practice designing custom homes in West Vancouver and over the years amassed a thoughtful, quiet collection of small-scale works that are equally accomplished.

In fact, many critics contend that Arthur Erickson’s oeuvre is perhaps best expressed through this exclusive collection of private modern residences.

Many of these one-of-a-kind homes grace the hills of West Vancouver, where he designed for the last 50 years.

Fittingly in 2007, with his own career a mastery, Erickson’s enduring designs were honoured by Canada’s highest architectural honour, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Prix du XXe siècle award, for both Simon Fraser University and The Smith House, one of his very first residential commissions, located in West Vancouver. These iconic works of architecture, both large and small scale, marked the start of Erickson’s prolific and illustrious career and are still highly celebrated today.

Erickson was a Companion of the Order of Canada and won numerous other medals from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the French Académie d’Architecture and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In 1986 he became the first Canadian to receive the Gold Medal for design innovation, the highest honour bestowed by the AIA.

At Evelyn, the architectural design team also includes Nick Milkovich Architects and Walter Francl Architects. This innovative team of professionals based in Vancouver has an award-winning portfolio of striking commissions in the commercial, recreational, institutional and residential sectors. Known for creative collaborations, their large scale residential projects include Shaughnessy Mansions, UBC Carey College, Porteau Cove, 900 Pacific Boulevard, CBC Towers and Jameson House with London’s Foster + Partners Architects.