Panelists Announced for Restomodern at West Coast Modern Week 2023

VANCOUVER: The West Coast Modern League is proud to be a returning partner in this year’s West Coast Modern Week.On July 5th, we invite you to join the West Coast Modern League for a conversation critically exploring the architectural RESTOMOD. Joined by renowned local designers Sophie Burke (Sophie Burke Design), Fook Weng Chan (FWC Architecture), and Mark Ritchie (Architecture Building Culture), and moderated by Chelsea Louise Grant (WCML + euoi studio | architecture + design), each of whom has taken on sensitive and innovative renovations to significant modern houses in the region, this discussion will probe the varied and divergent approaches used in the act of restoring our modern architectural history while modifying to contemporary technologies and standards of living.

RESTOMOD – Originating from the classic car world, the term refers to the restoration of a classic car that seeks to maintain the original aesthetic character and design qualities of the vehicle, while improving performance by utilizing contemporary technology and systems that may not have originally been available.

Renovation is a part of the natural life cycle of any building, and as times change, so too do the materials, building technologies, and standards of living. But how do you approach a renovation when the building is an important part of our modern architectural history? What, if anything, is precious to the original “classic?” What modifications should we make to usher this architecture into the 21^st century? How, among other things, do we uphold our regional expression of modernism while improving for healthier, more environmentally conscious spaces?

This event is presented as part of West Coast Modern Week 2023. The West Coast Modern League gratefully acknowledges the partnership of the West Vancouver Art Museum and The Polygon Gallery, and the generous support of event sponsor Acuitas Therapeutics.

RESTOMODERN:

WED, JULY 5, 2023 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Reception at 7:00pm | Presentation at 8:00pm
The Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Ct., North Vancouver, BC
Presented by the West Coast Modern League in partnership with the
West Vancouver Art Museum and The Polygon Gallery

TICKETS REQUIRED with suggested $20 donation.

Meet the Panelists

Sophie Burke launched Sophie Burke Design in 2004 after moving home from London, England where she studied design, and had been living and working for five years. She blended the classic aesthetic she honed while abroad with the singular beauty of the Pacific Northwest.  Since then, SBD has created a bespoke portfolio of work that seeks to define a new Pacific Northwest design ethos: interiors that take cues from nature — such as deep colours, rugged textures and natural materials — but dovetail with a global perspective.  Sophie believes that design should always be functional and liveable, with an inherent warmth and sense of ease. Her philosophy is to create timeless living spaces that are in balance with the lifestyles of the people who live in them.

Fook Weng Chan feels blessed to have been hired by Thompson Berwick Pratt upon graduation from the University of Manitoba in 1982. He initially worked for Dick Mann, then assisted Brian Hemingway, discovering the joy of architecture with amazing colleagues and builders. He has fond memories of retired Partners making forays to his corner of the office to check out, in Ned Pratt’s words, “what mischief the young man was up to.” He was an Associate at TBP and its successor firm, Hemingway Nelson Architects for over a decade, working on ceremonial, justice, residential, transportation, education, recreational, exposition, and other project types.

FWC Architecture & Urban Design Inc. was established in 1996. It quickly evolved to a predominantly one-man boutique practice focusing on crafted, bespoke homes, often blended into challenging mountainous sites. Fook Weng’s intuitive design approach fosters the creation of buildings infused with a strong spirit of place. His design process and consistent body of expressive contemporary Pacific Northwest coast work led to an unsolicited invitation from curators at the European Cultural Centre to exhibit at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale alongside 100 architects from over 50 nations.

Mark Ritchie, together with Brian Cavanaugh (USA), founded the office of Architecture Building Culture (ABC) in 2010. Mark was educated in New Zealand at the Victoria University of Wellington School of Architecture, where he later worked as a Senior Lecturer in the Interior Architecture degree program. Mark has worked in architecture in a number of countries including New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and now Canada, and is a registered professional Architect in New Zealand and the province of British Columbia. The team at ABC utilises their international background by blending imported ideas and principles with the Pacific Northwest architectural traditions and environment.

Meet the Moderator

Chelsea Louise Grant is an architect, founding principal of euoi studio | architecture + design, and a board member of the West Coast Modern League. Launched in 2019, euoi studio is a collaboration of Chelsea Grant and Steve Gairns, a design-oriented practice that uses an inclusive and playful methodology to enhance the private and public realms, inspire the unexpected, and create meaningful spatial experiences. The studio has a special focus on custom residential spaces, festival and event design, and site-specific public installations. Chelsea is an extroverted, collaborative, and people-oriented designer with a deep appreciation for west coast culture and living. Her research has focused on the intersections of architecture, festival, and the role that public gatherings play in fostering social inclusivity.