Saba's Blog: arts, culture, visual material, and good readin'

JapaDog's flagship stand; in front of the Sutton Place Hotel on Burrard

My girlfriend introduced me to JapaDog upon hearing about this Japanese Hot Dog stand in the media.  JapaDog gets alot of good press. I doubt there's another Hot Dog stand in the city that gets as much media attention as this one, and for good reason.


Poster leaning on JapaDog's Cart boasting its celebrity clientele

The Japanese-infused Hot Dogs from JapaDog are incredible.  Last weekend was the first one in 4 weeks in which Catherine and i didn't make an excuse to go downtown to get a Japadog. i think about JapaDog almost on a daily basis.  I am infatuated with JapaDog, and feel forever indebted to Catherine for making me try it.

The first time you go, make sure you get the Jalapeno & Cheddar Smokie Terimayo.  Its a delicious Jalapeno & Cheddar smokie garnished with toppings that will forever change the way you think of Hot Dogs. It is topped with Japanese Mayo, Teriyaki Sauce, fried onions, and nori.  I like to add Wasabi Mayo. 


My favourite JapaDog: Jalapeno & Cheddar Smokie Terimayo. You haven't fully lived until you've tasted one of these


Next time you're spending some leisure time downtown make sure to visit JapaDog on Burrard & Smithe.  Be prepared to spend 10-20 minutes in line, but trust me, its well worth the wait.


JAPADOG in the media:

Recent Vancouver Sun article

Macleans Article

Segment on Anthony Bourdain's popular Food Network show "No Reservations". Skip to 7:25 to get straight to the JapaDog segment.  

My current favourite feature on Photoshop is the "Photomerge" function. 

Using "Photomerge", amateur photographers such as myself can make professional-looking panoramic shots with their simple point & shoot cameras, that look like the product of a specialized panoramic camera.

Here are some panoramic shots i've taken around the North Shore:
     






These first 2 shots were taken at Lighthouse Park. They enabled me to see the interactions between the sea and the sky in a way that i hadn't before.  Notice how in both pictures the sky is grey and cloudy on the left, but in the centre of the image, there is a more or less blue sky; these colours are reflected in the water below. i
never noticed how dramatically the sky effects the sea's colours until i took these shots. 














Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, from a previous post.




Capilano River


View of the heritage homes on Comox St from Nelson Park


Burrard Inlet from 15th Street

I am a total amateur biker (i dont have a helmet or even officially own my own bike!) 

With that being said, i am very proud of myself for having successfully biked from my home to Yaletown (and back) today. The trip is about 10 km 1 way and took me 30 mins with a 10 minute break halfway.  Since i love Google Earth, i created a map showing my route:



The ride was very pleasant and relaxing since most the time i was either right by the water or in the forest. How nice being able to bike to downtown, without having to deal with cars and traffic, but rather being able to enjoy the sights and sound of nature.  Today's trip made me appreciate our city's planning in a way i never had before, and helped me see why Vancouver is one of the world's most livable cities.        

i've always wanted to be one of those hardcore bikers who bikes to work everyday...but because i dread biking in cities and around traffic, i never could see this happening.  However, after learning today how pleasant and safe the ride from my home all the way to downtown is, my biking aspirations may one day come true.

Since learning the great news that i was accepted into UBC's MLA program, and my Spuraway project is basically finished, my mind has been at rest, and i feel very happy. 

My current state of mind, the great weather we've been having, and seeing the scene pictured below, has re-sparked an interest of mine in Rock balancing.

The last time i had the state of mind to sit worry-free, by the river and play with rocks for hours, was in highschool.  I briefly got into rock balancing then, but not too seriously.

This photo was posted in my latest entry - This scene and the success of its photo reminded me of rock balancing.




The trail i take along the Capilano River to get to Park Royal is very nice, and has some great rocks for balancing. Here are some pictures of my balanced rocks.










i strongly recommend rock balancing.  Its a very relaxing pastime, and it's also mentally stimulating.  It can be likened to playing with very advanced  Legos: You have to find the pieces that fit or mould into one another, establish a point of balance, and then stack. 

There is also a sense of accomplishment one feels when stepping back, and looking at the sophisticated structure just created. 

Searching "rock balancing" on Google Image shows a number of extraordinary balanced rock photos. will i ever be that good? 


  

The weather here has been nice and sunny lately, prompting me to get out, and take lots of photos.  Here are a few pictures i have taken that i particularly like.














(i must acknowledge Ashley Houlihan for the success of this last photo.  She saw this scene's beauty before i did, and suggested i take this shot)

Besides his musical talent, [i am not embarrassed to say that] i love Lil Wayne because of his character and his success story, which represents to me many years of hard work, determination, and loyalty. 

His climb to the top of the rap world began 15 years ago.  At age 11, after persistently recording raps on Brian 'Baby' Williams' answering machine, the record label owner eventually signed  Wayne to his company, Cash Money Records.

Lil' Wayne's special abilities stood out from a young age.  He was enrolled in his elementary school's program for gifted children, and got straight A's until he dropped out of school at 14 years old.

He never knew his father, and his mother was a drug-addict who bought him a gun when he was 13.  A year later, he had his first daughter. 

Despite this troubled childhood (if you can even call it a childhood) he remained focused on his passion: Rapping.

Brian 'Baby' Williams treated Lil Wayne like his own son.  This solid relationship demonstrates to me Lil Wayne's character: his undying loyalty and gratefulness to Baby is one of the main reasons why he is where he is today. 

Baby, realizing Lil Wayne's talent and potential, put him straight to work.  Starting as an intern with Cash Money, Lil Wayne eventually became a member of the Cash Money act the Hot Boyz when he was 15. 

Following his commercial success with the Hot Boyz (in a recent song he raps: "I'm hungry like I didn't eat / I want it like I didn't see a mill before seventeen") he began his solo career. 

Picturing a young Lil Wayne, thrilled to be in this musical environment, and the conversations he must have had with Baby, make me appreciate this artist much more. 

i can just imagine Baby telling him "if you keep practicing, keep writing, keep rapping, one day i will make you famous, and we will be on top of the rap world".

The fact that he did this, stayed loyal to Baby all through out, and continues to demonstrate his gratefulness to his surrogate father, is a beautiful thing.  Amidst rumors arising from a photo that appears to show Lil Wayne and Baby kissing, many believe Lil Wayne and Baby have a homosexual relationship.  Whatever type of relationship they have, i think it is a beautiful one, because it has lasted over 15 years, and from it a musical messiah has emerged.  

In an interview, Wayne said senior members of Cash Money often kiss each other on the cheeks, like the Mafia does. Here is a quote from a Lil Wayne song, in which he addresses the infamous photo.

"Damn right, I kissed my Daddy
I think they pissed at how rich my Daddy is
And I'm his kid, so I stunt with my Daddy
Cuz who was there when no one wasn't
Just my Daddy
Who was there when I needed money
Just my Daddy
So who'll be there when I see the money
Just my Daddy
Who said that I'd be the one
Just my Daddy"


i'll admit that i jumped on the Lil Wayne bandwagon that started to pick up after his 2005 release, The Carter II.  This was Wayne's most highly acclaimed album to date, and the first time i heard it, i knew there was something special about this rapper.   

After The Carter II, Wayne's career sky-rocketed.  He calls himself the hardest working man in hip-hop.  The slew of material that he released after The Carter II and before his most recent album, The Carter III, supports this claim. 

Following the lead of other innovative artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, who embraced (rather than battled against) the internet as a means of getting their music heard, he released numerous mixtapes for free download online. 

The buzz these mixtapes created led to the monumental success of The Carter III, which remains the top selling album of 2008.

Lil Wayne had 8 Grammy nominations this year, more than any other artist.  He won 4 of the 8 nominations. 

His insatiable desire to learn, and further his musical experiments is another trait of his i admire.  Despite already being a millionaire rap star, in 2005 he completed courses to obtain his GED.  He then enrolled at the University of Houston, and took courses online towards a degree in Psychology.  He has also recently learned how  to play the guitar, and is expected to release a rock album this year, entitled Rebirth. 

I found this map a little while ago that shows every neighbourhood in the City of Vancouver.

 

Seeing this map and learning the exact locations of Vancouver's 23 neighbourhoods (and learning for the first time some of their names) impelled me to explore each one.  

Mount Pleasant is the newest neighbourhood in Vancouver i have (consciously) explored, leaving another 18 neighbourhoods for me to visit - i am already quite familiar with Downtown (15),  West End (14), Kitsilano (3), and W. Point Grey (4)

Mount Pleasant is a very young and colourful neighbourhood.  Most the businesses are locally owned.  It reminded me of the Abbot and Hastings area, with lots of young and trendy boutiques...but the store keepers in Mount Pleasant seem friendlier.

Next time i am in the area i want to eat at The Foundation, a vegan restaurant known for its nachos (located on Main & 7th).

Here are some pictures i took during a visit to the commericial area of Mount Pleasant.

For the last 5 days, a thick fog has enveloped Vancouver.  i wanted to share some photos i have taken of this photogenic weather over the last few days.


These first four photos were taken while on a short hike around the Capilano Regional Park, which i am grateful to live less than 5 minutes away from.












The next photos were  taken at Ambleside.








Playing around on Photoshop

This article reaffirms what i have noticed on Facebook in regards to the current war in the Middle-East:  Young adults from across the world will be much more involved in this conflict than any previous one, due to the dominance of the internet in our daily lives.

i have seen a number of my friends on Facebook "donate their status" to applications that  broadcast the numbers of civilian casualties, missiles launched, and other war stats from this conflict.

For example, two of my Facebook friends' statuses currently read as: 

 " In the past 36 hours, 33 Hamas rockets hit Israel. 1 hit near a kindergarten in Ashdod city. Donate your status: http://qassamcount.com/fb "

and

 " In 16 days: 888 Palestinians killed in Gaza (including 284 children and 100 women) and 4080 injured". Donate your status: http://apps.facebook.com/supportgaza. "

Each count is bias and only serves the purpose of making the other side seem like ruthless killers. 

Maybe this is just my stance as a firm critic of anything militaristic, but by partaking in this online war, as removed citizens from this troubled region, we are only perpetuating the hate among Palestinians and Israelis, and bringing the war closer to the home front.

i believe those who "donate their status" are being used as pawns in the game of the Israeli government or Hamas.  By "donating your status" you are essentially saying:  "Look!  our people DO have a right to kill and bomb and start wars". 

This attitude will get us nowhere closer to peace in the Middle-East.   

i am finally completely done my portfolio and my application for Grad school.  i am very proud of myself for completing such a beautiful book using Adobe Creative Suite - a program i had no idea how to use 6 months ago.  

Preparing the pages and having them look good on the computer screen is one thing, but having them look good printed is another.  Here are five lessons i learned about printing and binding an important booklet.

1) Adobe CS:  If you want your document to look professional, you need Adobe Creative Suite.  Become proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, and it will pay off.

2) Run test prints:  Print everything as a test run first, then scrutinize the heck out of every page, and ask others to do the same for you.  Only do test prints once you think you are ready to print the final product - and expect the test prints to be far from perfect.

3) Mylar: This thick, translucent plastic makes great section dividers in a portfolio, but it is difficult to find and its not very cheap.  Also, the only way to print on mylar digitally is with an ink jet printer.  Kinko's, Staples, Copies Plus (almost any printer) will not use mylar in their laser printers, because they fear the laser will melt the plastic and ruin their machine.

4) Finding the right Printer:  Find a person who knows exactly what they are doing when it comes to printing and binding.  He/she should be confident, and answer all your technical questions assuredly. Befriend this person and make sure that only he/she handles your entire project from start to finish.  i recommend Marcus at the Kinko's on W. Broadway and Burrard.

5) Expenses:  Printing a nice, professional looking portfolio is expensive.  The total cost of my test prints, mylar sheets, trimming and binding (then i screwed up so i had to do re-prints, re-trims, and re-bindings) came to $200  -  Hopefully it all pays off! 

One of the main reasons i created this blog was to record my thoughts and interests.  By doing this, i encourage myself to delve deeper into my current curiosities, and i am able to document them on a website that (theoretically) will keep them safe forever.

For about 3 years now i have become increasingly interested in birds.  A few weeks ago i saw two bald eagles atop a tree in my housing complex.  i wish i had a more powerful camera, but this pic was the best i could do



These are obviously Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus ).  i used to think these were the only type of eagles we had in BC, but i recently learned we also have Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). 

All eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and constitute about 20 genera. It is interesting to go through the list of all the eagle species on Wikipedia, and see the differences and similarities in their appearances.  

In BC, we only have Haliaeetus and Aquila eagles, and only the two  above-mentioned species of these genera. So the 18 remaining genera, and the 70 or so species within them, are mostly found in Eurasia and Africa, with about 10 species found in Central and South America.

Now on another note, as i write about birds...

Israeli tanks are lined up along the Gaza border, and one of the most densely populated places on earth is witnessing all out war. At the same time, savage atrocities are occurring against civilian populations in central Africa, and Canadian troops are undergoing their worse month of war in Afghanistan to date. 

Two thoughts come to mind: 1) How did it all get this bad?  And 2) i am so fortunate to be sitting here, learning about birds.

As the new year approaches, and political instability seems to increase by the day, i feel more and more troubled, and therefore increasingly motivated to do something.  Where can i start?  How can i make a difference? 

With my UBC application out of the way, the next task is to find a job.  Working full time is less time consuming than studying full time, so i plan on getting involved with some non-profit organizations that can divert my energy and resources the most efficiently.  i feel inclined towards local organizations since i witness the plight of the homeless in the lower mainland daily, and because i am in Vancouver (as opposed to the Mid-East or Africa) i feel i can be the most effective here. 

Aside from volunteering, one thing i can do every second to make me feel better about the currently grim global situation is acknowledge, and be grateful for, this peaceful and pleasant environment i am currently in.

For the last 2 weeks, one artist's music has been playing in my mind and through my speakers almost 24/7.
 
Certain musicians really hit a  sweet spot with me.  Artists like Nirvana (Nevermind from 1991), Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness from 1995), Mase (Harlem World from 1997),  Dr. Dre (Chronic 2001 from 1999), Bone Thugs n Harmony (Resurrection from 2000), Jim Jones (This Is Jim Jones from 2004), or Lil Wayne (C3 from 2008) really stand out in my musical memory.

One trend you might notice is that all these artists are male and relatively popular on the charts, so i won't deny the obvious...i have a mainstream taste in music, and am more inclined to the work of male musicians.

That is why my new found love for Joni Mitchell strikes me as particularly odd. i can't help but wonder why certain artists really stand out to me. i really like Joni Mitchell for her voice, no one sings quite like she does.  Her lyrics are also some of the most poetic that i have ever listened to.

But what explains this sudden shift in taste from Lil Wayne to Joni Mitchell?  i have been wrestling with this question in my head but it is proving to be nearly impossible to answer.  i have come to the conclusion that an attraction to a particular song or artist does not need concrete reasons to be explained.  While some factors can be good lyrics, good memories, or nice vocals or instrumentals, more often than never, the best answer to explain one's fondness for a particular song or artist can simply be "i really like the way it sounds".  In its essence, that is the reason why i like Joni Mitchell so much right now.  

Here are some youtube links to a couple of her songs i have been playing a lot lately, California and Carey, both from her 1971 album Blue.

California, made me think Joni was from there.  And also, due to my own ignorance, i thought she died a long time ago.  i recently learned she was Canadian AND alive!   

Cary, upon careful listening, gives a  sense of escapism.  Knowing you are somewhere that you love and is beautiful, but by staying here, you are avoiding the realities at home.  ("Lets have a round for the bright red Devil that keeps me in this tourist town").  Also, judging from what i read here, Joni did a lot of traveling, and the Mermaid Cafe is apparently a popular spot in Crete. 

Today, Catherine and i visited the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park for the first time.



The Bloedel Conservatory is operated by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, and is the second largest domed conservatory in the world.  

Completed in December 1969, this indoor environment maintains three simulated climate zones; tropical rain forest, sub-tropical, and desert.  Aside from the nearly 500 plant species from these three climes, about 100 exotic birds are also found inside the dome.

Here are some pictures from today


Plaintain Banana, Musa paradisica - This is your common banana tree.  Native from New Guinea to India, this plant grows extremely fast. 


Lobster Claw, Heliconia psittacorum - This flower is also known as the False Bird of Paradise.  The original (the non-false) Bird of Paradise belongs to a different genus, Strelitzia.  Heliconias are native to the Americas and the Pacific Islands west of Indonesia.  Strelitzia are native to South Africa.


This is a trunk of a palm tree covered with bromeliads. Bromeliads are a family of flowering plants.  Many bromeliads, like this one, are epiphytes.  This word is derived from Greek: epi means 'upon', and phyton means 'plant'.  Why?  Because epiphytes like this one, do not root in the soil - but rather derive their nutrients and physical support from growing on other plants.


Pandan or Screwpine, Pandanus utilis - This tree is native to Madasgascar. Read more about it here.


India Fig, Ficus auriculata - Native to Northern India, this tree has pumpkin shaped fruits growing directly on its trunk, a common characteristic for many rain forest trees.


Anthurium in front of a pair of Green-winged macaws.


This is Rosie, an African Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus).  She is native to the rain forests of central Africa.

The rest of these pictures lack descriptions because i couldn't identify their subjects


wish i got the name of these birds! if anyone can identify them, please fill me in


Didn't get this one's name either...but how cute


Slimy!


i will have to go back to get this plant's name!








Can you spot the bird?

i have been ultra busy with finalizing my UBC application.  I want to finish the Spuraway Project a.s.a.p. so that i can get to printing and assembling my portfolio, and using that project as one of the main entries.  

Therefore i have been working for obscene amounts of hours on the Spuraway project .  Last week my wrists hurt from walking around Spuraway all day while carrying my laptop and plotting things directly onto VectorWorks.  I find the project goes much faster when i am standing right in front the thing i am plotting. 

So if there is no precipitation, i am most likely walking around my complex, carrying my laptop and my measuring tape.  When the weather is rainy i am inside, taking care of the details and trying to make everything look nice and readable, because in my mind, this is crucial. 

i wanted to write this blog after searching  for VectorWorks forums, because i needed symbols for a boulder retaining wall.  i came across a dozen or so VectorWork Galleries - website which showcase people's designs on VectorWorks.  There were some remarkable drawings on there, which can be considered art in their own right.

My favourite gallery was this one:
http://www.nemetschek.net/gallery/index.php

i took a VectorWorks training course and one of the 5 other students was a stage designer.  Until tonight i had a hard time understanding how VectorWorks can be used for stage design, but upon visiting the "Lighting" gallery, i learned just how manipulable and versatile this program is. 

i thought i was proficient at VectorWorks, boy was i ever wrong!  

Wow, over one month since my last post! i have neglected my blog for so long because of several reasons - and i realize now these are more so excuses than reasons.  One is an apparent lack of interest from my audience (which shouldn't matter because i should be doing this for MYSELF!) and the other excuse is i have just been too busy with my full time job and my UBC application.

With the excuses out of the way, i want to write a bit about two of our province's very important (and therefore official) trees:  The western red cedar (Thuja plicata Donn) and the Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii).

What prompted me to write this blog was my recent realization of just how much i love trees - i have even been considering getting my arborist certification if i am not accepted into UBC this time around.

One of the books i am currently spending a lot of time with is "Trees, Shrubs, & Flowers to know in British Columbia", by C.P. Lyons.  It is a conveniently smaller-sized book that i can carry around with me, so its great for reading during my lunch break at work;  while consulting the book, i try to identify the various trees that surround me.

According to the book, and confirmed by BC's provincial website, the western red cedar, and the Pacific dogwood's flowers are BC's official tree and floral emblem, respectively.  Here is some basic information on these two trees.

1) The western red cedar (Thuja plicata Donn)


The gigantic, fluted tree trunks one sees when driving through Stanley Park (the road is designed in a way for drivers to get dramatic views of them) are Western Red cedars. 

Red cedars often grow over 150 feet high.  Their wood has a red tinge and a nice fragrant scent.  Their leaves are feather like (versus needle-like) and some of their foliage dies (and becomes brown) in the autumn. 

These are their cones:


First Nations people valued the Red cedar's wood for how easily it can be split into thin boards, and according to Lyons,  it was used for making baskets, mats, and even clothes (i don't know how they made clothes out of wood?!).

An entire tree trunk would also be used to make a massive war canoe. 

2) The Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)


Citing Lyons again, the limited range of the  Pacific dogwood prevents its general acceptance as the official flower of the province.  This dogwood only grows on the Western coast of the BC mainland and the bottom third of Vancouver Island. 

Dogwoods grow six to eight metres high, and flower in April and May.  In actuality, their flowers are 4-6 white bracts, surrounding a compacted knob of about 40 small green flowers:

In the autumn, these trees are easily identifiable with their clusters of bright red berries and colourful foliage.

p.s.: thank you for anyone who took the time to read this entry - if it was as boring for you to read as my previous posts, and in your mind sums up why this blog receives such a small following - in the very least, the next time you drive through Stanley Park or encounter BC's official flower, you now have some more knowledge about what you're seeing.  

Today i finally made time to do something i've been wanting to do for too long: Bike over the Lions Gate  Bridge.

With this amazing weather we've been enjoying lately, it feels like Summer is pleading with me, saying: "Saba, its your last chance to get out and enjoy me before I leave again!"

There was a 5 hour time frame in which i planned to work on the Spuraway Project  today...but It is very hard for me to remain indoors when the sun is shining. So i thought, why not bike downtown today, and i can justify my lack of productivity by getting a haircut since i need one!

Using  my neighbour's bike (which he graciously shares with me) i had a great time today biking over the bridge and through Stanley Park.

Here are some pics i took today. 

I  would like to speak for a moment on the first 2 photos.

Just past Prospect Point, on the North side of Stanley Park, there was extensive damage caused by the December 2007 windstorm.  While the storm greatly affected the park and the city in many ways, the most noticeable way it affected me - as a resident of the North Shore - was the way in which this peninsula's appearance (from my point of view) was transformed. 

I  see the Northern side of Stanley Park from the North Shore almost everyday.  All that was visible before the storm was a dense forest of evergreen trees.

Today, these trees are sparse and one can see the land and cliff faces beneath them.  The park's brown floor and the grey rocks which were once hidden, are now exposed.  Easthetically, the view was nicer before - Possibly because  the forest was once full and healthy, but now appears visibly damaged. 

Therefore, until today, i viewed the effects from the storm as purely negative.

Today however, on my bike ride through Stanley Park, i realized how many lookout points to the ocean have been created because of all the fallen trees and branches.  These stunning views were once nonexistent for travelers along Stanley Park Drive (the Park's main road) - but now  they are. 

i am certain this will create many great memories for tourists and visitors to the Park.  i say this because today i saw numerous passengers who were either leaning out of their cars in order to take pictures as they drove through Stanley Park Drive. 

These first two pictures were taken from the North side of Stanley Park.  Before the storm, one wouldn't be able to see the ocean  from this high-traffic area of the Park. 




Heading South on the Bridge










Yes, i stopped tourists and asked them to take a picture of me..



Arriving in Stanley Park





Attempts to "temporary stabalize" the Hollow Tree




This uprooted tree, at the Southern end of the Stanley Park causeway, always seems to encourage people to play, sit, and climb on it



Headed back home Northward

I wanted to share National Geographic's recent article on Iran with the readers of my blog.

I found this article to be very insightful and pleasurable to read.  It was refreshing to read about Iran in a non-overtly political context.  The brief overview it provides on Iran's history and cultural background is very well written and covers all the important aspects of it. 

I want to share this article because its a great introduction for anyone who wants to learn about Iran. I am also happy to promote it, since it's a nice balance against all the negative press Iran's been receiving lately, and it sheds light on the true essence of my culture. 

Here's a recent article in the Vancouver Sun about the Olympic Village, an 80-acre site being built next to Science World, which once complete, will house athletes during the 2010 Olympics, and thereafter (if all goes to plan) become a trendy new neighborhood. 

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/at_home/story.html?id=23c2df22-15cb-4a6d-bced-2a3252b96364



If you read this article, you will learn that one of the most exciting things about the Olympic Village is the "large island habitat, that will act as a sanctuary for bird life and marine creatures as well as home for a wide range of native plants".

i am happy to see developers and the city work together to create public green spaces using native (and therefore sustainable) materials.  i am also happy to see its coverage in the mainstream media.

i hope the sustainable design program used in creating the Olympic Village will continue to be advertised, so people can be educated on sustainable design initiatives, and Vancouver can continue to be a role model for smart and ecological city planning and design. 


 

As a Vancouverite, and an aspiring student of architecture, i am ashamed to admit that i have only recently learned about Arthur Erickson.


My sister first told me about him when we were discussing the new residential building he is designing near my home on Taylor Way.  She was surprised that i hadn't heard about this famous architect from Vancouver before.

When i read the billboards hung around the future site of the Ritz Carlton in Vancouver, and learned that this building will be "an architectural statement by Arthur Erickson", i was compelled to learn more about the architect who is in charge of this prestigious project. 

Here are some of his works that really blew me away:  (Click on the Links for more pictures and information)

Helmut Eppich House, West Vancouver, BC.  Designed 1972





Fire Island House, Fire Island New York. Designed 1977





The Graham House, West Vancouver, BC. Designed 1962




Maui House, Western Shore of Maui, Hawaii. Designed 1998





Smith House, West Vancouver, BC. Designed 1964.





Museum of Anthropology, University of BC, Vancouver. Designed 1971



Fresno City Hall, Fresno, California. Designed 1987.





Judging by the selection of his work i have chosen to share, i seem to like his residential homes more than his buildings.  What do i like so much about his homes?  i like their non-traditional forms, their open and spacious floor plans, their floor-to-ceiling windows, and their organic placement in nature.

One of Erickson's homes, the Graham House (pictured above), was recently in the news. The new owner of the home wants to demolish it, while conservationists and architecture students are  fighting to stop this.  The latter have even threatened to chain themselves to the home in order to save it from destruction.