Terri Meyer Boake B.E.S. B.Arch. M.Arch.
Associate Professor School of Architecture University of Waterloo

Image Gallery:

The MacMillan Bloedel Building

Arthur Erickson Architect with Geoffrey Massey

1965

Vancouver, British Columbia

Project Information:
This headquarters office building for Canada's largest company was a direct result of analyzing the client's requirements for office space and function, and an intensive study of the site and urban design impact such a structure would have on the City of Vancouver. The resulting building form is two independent towers positioned around a central core to allow for more perimeter, therefore, increasing the possible number of offices with outside views. Each tower is sized for a variety of partition layouts meeting a range of rental demands, while retaining independence and a sense of entrance created at the elevator lobby on each floor Ð an important feature lacking in most office buildings.

The exterior walls are load-bearing cast-in-place concrete, tapering from the base to the top and textured through techniques of sandblasting and bushhammering. The interior is column-free, each office floor being a concrete grid against which all partitions stop while completely integrating the mechanical, electrical, telephone and lighting requirements within the structural framework.

Information taken from http://www.arthurerickson.com/txt_macm.html