The Architecture Foundation of British Columbia (AFBC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing architecture and design within the province of British Columbia.

The AIBC Architectural Awards were transitioned to the AFBC in 2019, and the AFBC launched its rebranded and expanded awards program in 2021. The new direction reflects a commitment to modernization, diversity and inclusivity in the field of architecture in BC. The expansion of Awards categories allows for a more inclusive representation of architectural achievements, encompassing a wide range of project types, styles and contributions to the field.

The AFBC Architectural Awards of Excellence, including the sought-after Lieutenant-Governor Awards, are a prestigious recognition in the field of architecture in British Columbia. The biennial awards program serves as a significant platform for acknowledging and celebrating the exceptional, unique and diverse architectural design work carried out by BC’s architects.

Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award

411 Railway Street | Vancouver, BC

Architect: office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers

411 Railway Street establishes a precedent for creative manufacturing and employment space that supports Vancouver’s urban vitality. It reinforces and reimagines Railtown’s heritage fabric by reinterpreting robust industrial building stock and creating a home for a diverse mix of creative professionals in the heart of the city.

The design marries the allure of adaptive-reuse with the advantages of Class-A work environments. Prioritizing resilience and flexibility, the project provides open floor plates with long-spans, generous ceiling heights, adaptable spaces and durable materials.

Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award

SFU Stadium | Burnaby, BC

Architect: Perkins&Will

A new covered stadium providing over 2,000 formal and informal seats and a much-needed gathering space on campus for athletic and cultural events prominently features an expansive, cantilevered canopy, designed as an elegant, thin, plane floating above the spectators. The seating area has been used as a marshalling space for sports camps, an outdoor lecture theatre, and an informal socializing space for students. The Stadium offers a variety of viewing experiences from formal seats to more casual areas.

Equity Award

Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksat Student Housing, Terrace, BC

Architect: hcma

Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksatis is a 40,500 square foot, three-storey student housing building at the Coast Mountain College campus, which serves 34 communities and seven First Nations in northwestern BC. The building was named by leaders of the Kitsumkalum community and translates to “Where learners are content or comfortable.” Guided by an Indigenous-led process of co-creation, the building’s design is informed by Indigenous peoples’ stories, knowledge, customs and culture.

Innovation

F+E Home Office and Testing Lab | Vancouver, BC

Architect: f2a architecture ltd.

A 1480 m², four-storey structural engineer’s home office and materials testing lab had to fit on a tight site, realizing all allowed area without requiring zoning relaxations. Advanced technologies offer seismic safety, energy performance, sustainability and occupant comfort. The restraint of classic modern form offers visual calm in a busy place.

Unbuilt

Stanley Park Polar Bear Sauna | Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Architect: Tony Osborn Architecture + Design Inc.

The Stanley Park Polar Bear Sauna proposal introduces re-inhabitation of the Stanley Park Zoo Bear Enclosure, where hot pools, cave pools, saunas, sun decks and a café would re-occupy a site that has been inaccessible for 27 years. Where possible, the existing forms, geometries and materials will be preserved. The proposed structures comprise materials unique to the site (wood and glass) allowing them to be read as distinct.

Design Excellence: Single-Family Residential

Camera House | Pemberton Valley, BC

Architect: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc.

Camera House acts as a lens for the experience of the site. It heightens perception, captures incoming light and guides the inhabitants to connect with their surroundings. Designed as a rural retreat for a young family, the house is located on a five-acre, sloping, south-facing forested site and designed on a program that enables them to spend long periods of time at the house during the summer.

Design Excellence: Interiors

Shor House | Mayne Island, BC

Architect: Measured Architecture

At the heart of Shor House lies an exploration of responses to challenges such as salvage and reuse; sensitivity of construction in a natural setting; and layering in of environmental principles in a non-overt way. The Shor House demonstrates that careful deconstruction of wooden buildings, then refinishing and recombination of their parts into considered assemblies.

Design Excellence: Commercial

Workshop | Mount Pleasant, Vancouver, BC

Architect: Perkins&Will

The Workshop emerged from a city-initiated rezoning to create an innovative industrial hub in the heart of a traditionally light manufacturing district. The project sought to create a strong identity reflecting the neighbourhood character; foster an active and engaging public realm; and exceed city policy requirements for sustainable design and energy performance.

Design Excellence: Education

UBC Arts Student Center | Vancouver, BC

Architect: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc.

The Arts Student Centre at the University of British Columbia is conceived as a compact 11,000 square-foot, three-storey building with interconnected floor space across the second and third levels. The radial plan was developed as a response to the context—a somewhat idiosyncratic condition with the building situated at the corner of an intersection while also within the context of a larger continuous campus commons.

Design Excellence: Community & Civic

Old Crow Community Centre, Old Crow, Yukon

Architect: Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd.

The Vuntut Gwitch’in Community Centre located in Old Crow, Yukon, celebrates the traditional lifestyle of the Vuntut Gwitch’in people and their generational link to land and water. The curving building form captures the spirit of a Snowshoe or “Aih” and public areas are oriented toward the south, glazed side of the building to capture views, sunlight and a connection to the Porcupine River.

Learn more about Architecture Foundation of BC at architecturefoundationbc.ca

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