Vancouver, BC, Canada
Originally open in 1976, the Museum of Anthropology has been recognized by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for its enduring excellence and national significance to Canadian architecture as one of the best works of the 20th century.
The focal point of the Museum is the high ceiling Great Hall housing massive totem poles. Large glass windows, towering up to forty feet in height, provide an unobstructed view and enable the totem poles to be seen in daylight against a natural exterior setting.
The scope of the project includes envelope rehabilitation of multiple areas of the Museum, seismic structural upgrade of the Great Hall, and a potential addition of a theatre.
The planned intervention of additions and rehabilitation upgrades of the original Museum building must be approached in light of its cultural and recognized architectural significance and an understanding of its conception. The building is a sublime testament to Arthur Erickson’s design philosophy which is founded on a deep understanding of the “function and meaning of architecture as an art of environmental context and of cultural expression, as something having more than sheer mechanistic utility, as something expressive of the human condition and the human spirit.”
Architect: Nick Milkovich Architects
Original Architect: Arthur Erickson Architects
Completed: ongoing