Architecture of Vancouver

[4] Vancouver's cityscape and architecture have developed in response to its temperate, scenic, and readily accessible natural setting of ocean, forests, and mountains.

A noticeable feature of Vancouver's strong connection to nature is the Seawall, a man-made, car-free pathway which stretches around the downtown peninsula along the waterfront.

Stanley Park itself is an 800-acre microcosm of coastal British Columbia rainforest, all within direct sight and easy walking distance from the central business district.

[10] In the 1949 'Design for Living' exhibition, Pratt cited five specific local characteristics that determined the form of the emerging style:[8] Key themes of this style have been described as: "Don't fight nature, use it to your advantage;"[11]"responding directly to the site"[12] "post-and-beam construction with sleek lines that showcased North and West Vancouver's rugged natural setting;"[13] "extensive, monumental use of glass,"[14] "rooms where inside and outside dissolve;"[15] include the natural environment as part of the design;"[16] and "the buildings are terraced remain in harmony with the contours of the landscape.

Connection of the interior to outdoor environment was continued in commercial developments such as the landscaped terraces atop government offices in Robson Square, the glass-roofed Law Courts, the planter-infused Evergreen Building, vine-covered Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, and the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

The earliest European settlement was the Hudson's Bay Company outpost at Fort Langley, established in 1827 on the Fraser River approximately 32 km (30 miles) east of present-day downtown Vancouver.

Insertions of urban outdoor spaces include the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and the landscaped terraces atop the Erickson-designed Robson Square complex.

An early 1970s provincial government plan to erect the British Columbia Centre (at 682 feet it would still be the tallest building in the city as of 2013) was revised to become Erickson's 3-block complex comprising Robson Square, the glass and spaceframe roofed Law Courts, and the transformation of the old courthouse into the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The 2010 Olympic Games spurred new construction and revitalization of sporting venues and support facilities, including the Athletes Village, throughout the Greater Vancouver region and Whistler.

In addition to the many temporary structures erected for the duration of the fair, the rapid city growth that followed, and the massive redevelopment on what became known as Concord Pacific Place, several buildings developed for the fair remain as urban landmarks: BC Place, the once inflatable and now cable-suspended roofed stadium; Canada Place, the prominent tent-roof structure that housed the Canada and CN Pavilions and is now the East Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Pan-Pacific Hotel, and a cruise ship terminal; and Science World, a public educational and entertainment venue at the east end of False Creek.

[25] In the 1960s, a movement emerged to preserve Gastown's distinctive and historic architecture in the face of plans to demolish it, along with nearby Chinatown, Japantown, and Strathcona, to build a major freeway.

Unlike many cities, Vancouver and its suburbs have no large plazas, squares, or public gathering spaces in the heart of the urban areas.

[27] One possible influence for this was the 1935 Battle of Ballantyne Pier and reading of the Riot Act near Victory Square; shortly afterwards the location for the new city hall was selected out of the downtown core.

[28] A modern hallmark of urban Vancouver is the abundance of slender "point towers" above low-rise podiums, also a key aspect of "Vancouverism."

Slender towers allow more natural light to reach the street, a feature for the region's climate, and open view corridors of the sea and surrounding mountains.

Urban density and pedestrian-friendly streets are supported, and local, regional and provincial governments have launched initiatives to encourage the use of bicycles.

[31][32] The regional transit system is a comprehensive network of buses, rapid buses, passenger ferries, commuter trains, and the light rapid transit (not light rail) SkyTrain that links downtown with Vancouver International Airport and regional centres in Burnaby's Metrotown, Coquitlam, Surrey City Centre, and Richmond.

[33] Vancouver's West End, a primarily residential area approximately one mile square on the downtown peninsula between the central business district and Stanley Park, is the most densely populated neighbourhood in Canada.

[45] Vancouver has several prominent and notable urban time signals: Moshe Safdie and Cornelia Oberlander are the principal design architects for the downtown Library Square, in collaboration with the firm Downs/Archambault & Partners.

[46] Oberlander, a landscape architect based in Vancouver, also includes in her projects Robson Square, the Law Courts, and the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

Vancouver is sometimes referred to as the "City of Glass" because of the glass aesthetics that dominate downtown.
Helmut Eppich house, located in West Vancouver , was designed by Arthur Erickson Architects in the West Coast style. A style popular throughout Greater Vancouver, it utilizes the environment as part of the design.
UBC Museum of Anthropology was designed by Arthur Erickson. Erickson drew inspiration from the post and beam architecture of the Northwest coast First Nations .
Built in 1865, Hastings Mill Store is the oldest building in Vancouver.
An example of Art Deco style, Vancouver City Hall was completed in 1936.
Completed in 1967, the Academic Quadrangle of Simon Fraser University was designed by Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey in a brutalist style .
Designed by Perkins and Will in a modernist style , the One Wall Centre was completed in 2001 as a hotel and residential tower. The sloping facade behind it is the Law Courts .
Built as the main centre for Expo 86 , an intensive lobbying campaign after the fair would see the centre be maintained as Science World .
Renovated in 1986, the Sinclair Centre comprises four early 20th century buildings that were restored as an upscale shopping complex.
Urban Vancouver holds an abundance of "point towers", a design that has slender towers anchored by townhouses or retail shops at its base.
The west building of the Vancouver Convention Centre was designed with sustainability in mind. Its roof is the largest living roof in Canada.
The Vancouver Special is a unique architectural style of housing that emerged in the Lower Mainland from the mid-1960s to 1980s.