Arthur Erickson
Arthur Erickson was a prominent Canadian architect, born on June 14, 1924, in Vancouver, British Columbia. His early artistic inclinations were evident as a teenager, leading him to study architecture at McGill University after serving as a captain in the Canadian Intelligence Corps during World War II. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, Erickson's architectural career took off with his design of Simon Fraser University, completed in 1965, which marked a significant milestone in his professional journey. He is known for integrating natural materials and light into his work, as showcased in structures like the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia and Robson Square in Vancouver.
Erickson's innovative designs earned him recognition, including the prestigious AIA Gold Medal in 1986, making him the first Canadian to receive this honor. However, his career witnessed significant challenges, leading to personal bankruptcy in 1992 after his firm faced financial difficulties. Despite these setbacks, Erickson rebounded with projects in the Middle East and the successful Waterfall Building in Vancouver in 1996. He passed away on May 20, 2009, but left a lasting legacy in Canadian architecture, with two of his works recognized with the Prix du XXe siècle award in 2011 for their enduring excellence.
Subject Terms
Arthur Erickson
Architect
- Born: June 14, 1924
- Birthplace: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Died: May 20, 2009
- Place of death: Vancouver, British Columbia
Contribution: Arthur Charles Erickson was a Canadian architect who, during the course of his fifty-year career, designed many important educational and civic buildings, including the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, and the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC. He is also noted for his brilliant use of concrete, which earned him the nickname “the concrete poet.” In 1986, he became the first Canadian to receive the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.
Early Life and Education
Arthur Erickson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 14, 1924. When Erickson was thirteen, he showed an interest in art by painting fish on his bedroom walls. He continued to develop his artistic talents, and by the time he was sixteen, several of his drawings were placed on exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Erickson attended the University of British Columbia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He then served in Malaysia and India as part of the Canadian army where he achieved the rank of captain of the Canadian Intelligence Corps.
After completing his military duties, Erickson was inspired by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert house, Taliesin West, and pursued a career in architecture. He attended McGill University in Montreal from 1946 to 1950 and then traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East. During his travels he studied the effects of various materials and light on architecture and later incorporated these concepts into his own designs.
Architectural Career
Erickson began his architectural career in London, England, but later returned to Canada to work with architect Geoffrey Massey. Erickson’s big break came in 1963 when he won a competition to design the campus of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Construction began the following year, and the university opened in the fall of 1965.
In 1976, Erickson incorporated glass and large cement beams in the design of the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Two years later he created the design for Robson Square, a large complex in downtown Vancouver that integrates landscape design with architecture. Other notable works by Erickson include the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC; City Hall in Fresno, California, which is a five-story 201,750-square-foot structure designed to mimic the feel of the surrounding landscape; and the Convention Center in San Diego, California.
In 1986 Erickson received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal. He was the first Canadian to receive this award. By 1989, however, Erickson’s offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Saudi Arabia went bankrupt, and in 1992, after accumulating a debt of more than $10.5 million, Erickson declared personal bankruptcy. He made an attempt to revitalize his career by working on projects in the Middle East during the 1990s. Erickson, in his seventies at the time, was not able to bounce back until he designed Vancouver’s Waterfall Building in 1996, which is a condominium complex and includes a reflecting pond with a waterfall at the building’s entrance. Other notable aspects of the building include its vast expanse of glass and steel.
Erickson died on May 20, 2009, at the age of eighty-four. In 2011, two of his buildings, the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology and Robson Square, received the Prix du XXe siècle award, which nationally recognizes “enduring excellence” in Canadian architecture.
Bibliography
Babineau, Guy. “Erickson’s Urban Waterfall.” Architecture Week. Artifice, 2002. Web. 24 Aug. 2013.
Bula, Frances. “Battle Royal.” VanMag. Transcontinental Media, 1 May 2010. Web. 24 Aug. 2013.
Erickson, Arthur. The Architecture of Arthur Erickson: With Text by the Architect. Montreal: Tundra, 1975. Print.
Huber, Garth. “The Work of Arthur Erickson.” Garth’s Hall of 20th Century Architecture. Garth Huber, 4 Nov. 1999. Web. 24 Aug. 2013.
Littler, William, and John Terauds. Roy Thomson Hall: A Portrait. Toronto: Dundurn, 2013. Print.
Mindenhall, Dorothy. Unbuilt Victoria. Toronto: Dundurn, 2012. Print.
Stouck, David. Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life. Madeira Park, BC: Douglas & McIntyre, 2013. Print.