Architects from across the country will put their pencils together to come up with ideas on how to transform some of Nanaimo’s urban spaces.
About 400 people are expected to converge on the Harbour City for this year’s Festival of Architecture, sponsored by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
The four-day event, which starts tomorrow (June 8), will feature chances for architects to sketch the city, solve some of its design problems and connect with the community.
The conference is usually held in major city centres, like Toronto, and Vancouver, so Ian Niamath, president of the Vancouver Island chapter of the institute, says it’s a big deal the event is being held here. He attributes it to a twist on the conference.
The main role of architects is to change the world and make communities more livable, so organizers felt it was time for architects to include the community, rather than seeing architects get together, talk to each other and leave, according to Niamath, who said the event’s theme is connections.
One activity is Sketch Nanaimo, where participants will be able to draw different areas of the city and have those sketches kept at the Nanaimo Community Archives.
It’s a legacy project that will continue annually with the help of the public, to help build a complete picture of the city, said Niamath, who got the idea from a similar initiative University of B.C. students did years ago with the old Nanaimo Chinatown. He thinks it was a couple months after the paintings were done the whole Chinatown burned down.
A design charrette will see architects choose one of six sites and come up with ways to improve them or connect them to the city centre.
Re-design ideas for spaces like Diana Krall Place, the China Steps and the old A&B Sound building, will be documented for the City of Nanaimo.
“I think it’s going to be a fun week,” said Niamath, who adds that these are world-class architects who will look at city issues and come up with creative ideas to improve them.
“What we’re doing is trying to scrape off whatever talent we can while these people are here. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to actually give something to the city and that’s a part of this collaboration again, that’s part of this connection.”
The festival begins Wednesday and runs until Saturday. There will be parklets, designed in a Vancouver Island high school competition, the public will have the chance to vote on, and a street party Saturday (June 11) with musicians, artists and a corn boil.
For a full schedule of events, including ones open to the public, please visit https://goo.gl/7avi8n.