Fook Weng Chan
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.