Patkau Architects facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Patkau Architects |
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| Practice information | |
| Key architects | John Patkau Patricia Patkau Greg Boothroyd David Shone |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Location | Vancouver B.C. Canada |
| Significant works and honors | |
| Projects | University of Toronto Academic Wood Tower Capilano Library Temple of Light Audain Art Museum Hadaway House |
| Awards | 2019 Canadian Wood Council Design Innovation Award 2019 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence 2019 Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Medal in Architecture 2019 AIBC Innovation Award Canadian Architect Award of Merit |
Patkau Architects is a company that designs buildings. It is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They work on many different types of projects in both Canada and the United States. This includes designing art galleries, libraries, university buildings, and even private homes.
The company has won many awards for its amazing designs. Patkau Architects also represented Canada at a big international art and architecture show called the Venice Biennale in 2006. Their work has been featured in many books and exhibitions around the world. In 2017, they even published their own book, Patkau Architects: Material Operations, which talks about their ideas and how they use different materials in their designs.
Contents
History of Patkau Architects
Founding the Firm
The company was started by a husband and wife team, John Patkau and Patricia Patkau. They first opened their business in Edmonton, Alberta in 1978. Later, in 1984, they moved their company to Vancouver.
John and Patricia Patkau were both born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They met while studying at the University of Manitoba. John studied arts and environmental studies, and Patricia studied interior design. They both went on to earn advanced degrees in architecture.
Growing the Team
Over the years, Patkau Architects has grown. As of 2014, the company has about 20 staff members. It is led by four main architects: John Patkau, Patricia Patkau, Greg Boothroyd, and David Shone.
Patkau Architects has been a leader in using wood in their building designs. They have won seven awards specifically for their wood designs since 1984. Both Patricia and John Patkau are highly respected in the world of architecture. They are members of many important architectural groups, including the Order of Canada.
Design Ideas and Style
Patkau Architects is known for its unique design style. Their buildings often use ideas from modern architecture. They also get a lot of inspiration from the beautiful natural landscapes of Canada's West Coast and the Pacific Northwest.
Their designs are often described as having a "sculptural" look. This means the buildings look like works of art. They pay close attention to how different materials look and feel. They also make sure their buildings are comfortable and have clear, detailed finishes. Patkau Architects loves to use natural materials like wood. They are always trying new ways to use wood in their designs. For example, in their Temple of Light project, they even used "light" itself as a main building material.
A famous architectural historian, Kenneth Frampton, once said their work is like "Critical Regionalism." This means their designs are modern but also fit in with the local environment and traditions.
Cool Projects by Patkau Architects
University of Toronto Academic Wood Tower
Patkau Architects is working with another firm, MJMA, to design a very tall wooden building for the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. This building will be 15 stories high and used for classrooms and offices. It is planned to be 80 meters tall, which would make it the tallest building made of wood in North America!
The entire building will be constructed using special strong wood called glu-laminated mass timber. Some of this wood will be left visible inside the building. This helps to show off how it was built. This project aims to show how tall wooden buildings can be safely constructed in the future.
Capilano Library
The Capilano Library is a new branch of the Edmonton library system in Edmonton, Alberta. It's a 10,000 square foot building that is completely black on the outside. It has a very striking roof with many sharp, wavy shapes. The underside of the roof is softer and covered in wood. Inside, the library has a special area for children and a community room for events.
Temple of Light
The original Temple of Light in Vancouver, British Columbia, burned down in 2014. For the new design, Patkau Architects wanted to bring nature and a sense of sacredness into the building. They created "portals of light" that stretch from the top of the building all the way down. The building's shape is made of complex, petal-like forms. These shapes were built using panels made in a factory and then put together at the building site.
Audain Art Museum
The Audain Art Museum is a large, two-story museum in Whistler, British Columbia. It is 56,000 square feet and holds a private art collection. The museum is built on a flood plain (an area that can flood) at the bottom of Whistler Mountain. To protect it from flooding, the building is raised one full story off the ground on tall supports. It also uses special systems to handle earthquakes and has large sections that stick out without support (called cantilevers).
Hadaway House
The Hadaway House is a private home also located in Whistler, British Columbia. The unique shape of this house was designed to fit the area's building rules. It also helps snow slide off the roof easily, which is important in snowy Whistler! Building rules in Whistler are very strict. So, the design started with the outside shape of the house first, instead of designing the inside layout first. The house uses a mix of concrete, steel, and heavy timber to make it strong. This helps it stand up to heavy snow and earthquakes.
Awards and Recognition
Patkau Architects has won many awards for their designs. They have received at least one architectural design award almost every year since 1981. These awards include 15 Governor General's Medals in Architecture, which are very prestigious in Canada. They have also won awards from the American Institute of Architects and other important groups. Most recently, they won the Canadian Wood Council design innovation award for their Temple of Light project.
Images for kids
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The Audain Art Museum, designed by Patkau Architects.
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The Hadaway House, a private home in Whistler.
