Wednesday, April 14, 1993 - North Shore News - 25

Bo Helliwell and Kim Smith propose site-specific architectural philosophy

OU CAN sense the hesitation in Bo Helliwell’s

voice, as if he’s bracing himself against unleashing a

blistering attack on present-day residential architec- ture.

“You don’t see any regard for environment when you look at houses being built today. With the revival of fake historicism, they get bloated up so that you get a place like Caulfeiid Plateau which was once a beautiful landscape. As soon as the 50-year land hold was up they literally blew the s”** out of that area and put.up a lot of houses that are too big for the site, Evelyn Jacob with no dialogue going on be-

tween them. They’ve got all the SPOTLIGHT FEATURE

mod cons, but they’re a bit heartless.’* Westminster, you've got your five

Helliwell and partner Kim Smith — houses already there: your Tudor, . of Blue Sky Architecture don’t your Regency, whatever. It’s too BO HELLIWELL and Kim Smith of Blue Sky Architecture and Planning believe that good architec- hate everything modern. Both bad, but I'm not sure how to get ture should take its cue from its natural environment. One need only look at their innovative West admire Vancouver architect Arthur architects back into residential ar- | Coast-sty!le resideniial architecture.

Erickson’s strong West Coast sen- chitecture,” he says.

sibilities and point to his Mac- Taking their cue from the West Millan Bloedel Building and Rob- Coast modernists, Blue Sky Ar- son Square as examples of honest —_chitecture, which Helliwell architecture with integrity. founded on Hornby tsland with Ed

It’s the swell of pastel-colored, Colin and Michael McNamara in showy homes that have sprungup 1974, has managed to avoid the all over the Lower Mainland, most — seduction of post-modernism and of what gets passed off as con- ° continue the spirit of work done temporary architecture, that they by people like Ron Thom, Ned disdain. Pratt, Fred Hollingworth, Arthur

And you can’t argue about the Erickson and Geoff Massey into thinking behind the designs the ‘90s: architecture that respects because there is no design behind the landscape, topography, most houses, says Helliwell. climate, site lines, natural vegita-

“Ninety-seven per cent of the tion and sunlight.

houses being built today have no “Our design philosophy, in design behind them. It's purely simplistic terms, comes from the market driven. - powers that we feel from the site,

“Now when you go into a subdivision in Surrey, in New See Eagle House page 31

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

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