Globe architecture critic Lisa Rochon profiles Vancouver developer Ian Gillespie here.
(You’d think that by now the hometown Sun would be embarrassed that Toronto’s newspaper is doing a better job of covering the built environment of Vancouver than they are.)
Rochon’s column profiles Gillespie’s projects from Shangri-La to Woodward’s, and makes this fascinating observation about the latter:
The vision is monumental, but I admit to being a little fixated on one clever design detail: the bike rack that (architect Gregory) Henriquez has squeezed into the front hall of the tiny units for people on social assistance. “For these people, the bike is really an important part of their lives and their livelihood. They’re not going to park it out on the street.
“They’re going to bring it inside their apartment, so we designed a rack for that purpose.” That insight speaks to the years that Henriquez has poured into the project, meeting with squatters and housing activists for countless consultations, and pushing his practice into the vanguard of architecture with a conscience.
This is the quote that many are also talking about (Post Office site?):
“And, now his attention has turned to …….. and, importantly, of adding international architectural talent to his current stable of Vancouver boys. A prime site in Vancouver is being negotiated. Seems to me that the finish line just got moved, possibly a little closer.”
For most people, if your bike is in your apartment, you’re more likely to ride it than if it’s tucked away in a common bike room.
Definitely – explains why I’ve been jogging rather than biking for the past 5 years…