Bruno Freschi
- Years –Present
- Architect
- WCML Feature Masters of West Coast Modernism – 2018.10.04
Bruno Freschi is one of North America’s most honoured architects. A Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and a member of the American Institute of Architects, he is among a few architects given the Order of Canada, the highest individual honour awarded by Canada. He was also the recipient of the 125th anniversary of Canadian Confederation Commemorative Medal for Significant contributions to architecture and education.
Graduating with Honours in Architecture from UBC, Bruno Freschi was awarded the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Governor General’s Medal and the prestigious Pilkington Fellowship for the best architectural thesis in Canada. He continued his post-graduate study at the Architectural Association in London, England, including extensive research in architecture and urbanism in Europe, the Middle East, India and China. He has practiced in England, Italy and Switzerland.
Mr. Freschi joined the firm of Erickson/ Massey Architects as an Associate Partner and was a senior associate on the design teams for Simon Fraser University and the BC Courts/ Vancouver Art Gallery Master Plan, and numerous other projects. Mr. Freschi was also an Associate Professor in Architecture at UBC and later became head of a new Graduate Studies Program.
In 1988, Mr. Freschi became Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the State University of New York at Buffalo. During his tenure, the school became a leading design and interdisciplinary architecture and planning school and doubled in size. During his deanship, Professor Freschi lead the public initiative in preservation and restoration of the Darwin Martin Complex, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s preeminent designs in New York.
Professor Freschi is a leading proponent of the “integrated, transdisciplinary, and transcultural approach” to planning and sustainable, high-performance design. He utilized this approach in the master planning, renovation, and new construction of the two-campus Kyonggi University in South Korea, an institution of 20,000 students designed as Asia’s first “green” and global university. Mr. Freschi is a visiting Distinguished Professor at Kyonggi University.
BRUNO FRESCHI, ARCHITECTURE/ PLANNING/ RESEARCH was founded in Vancouver in 1975. His firm won numerous design awards for residential, cultural and commercial projects. He was the Chief Architect and Master Planner of the 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver, BC, EXPO Centre (legacy dome, now Science World) architect of the Vancouver Ismaili Jamatkhana for the Aga Khan. The firm was responsible for Vision Master Plans for waterfront cities in Canada and the U.S. Tacoma WA, Urban Vision and Waterfront Master Plan was the catalyst in reviving Tacoma’s urban housing, cultural and University precincts. Mr. Freschi has lead teams responsible for master plans for urban school districts, as well as, designing primary, middle and high schools in New York State. Mr. Freschi is currently a Development, Planning and Design Consultant.