Research Projects
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A Future for Old Town Victoria
ABSTRACT Victoria, British Columbia, was one of the first cities in Canada to adopt a comprehensive heritage conservation program. That was 50 years ago. This article, written as provocative opinion piece, questions whether current strategies are adequate for the next half-century? I don’t believe they are. This “samizdat” lays out an ambitious reconfiguration of the way we approach preservation in our City’s historic core. I argue that everything, from our ultimate vision and goals to contemporary restoration techniques, needs renovation. I assert that we underestimate the threats facing the long-term sustainability of our built heritage. I question our attitudes to many contemporary shibboleths, the role of “facadism” in urban preservation for instance. I believe we have egregiously undervalued and failed to share the narratives embedded in our urban landscape which anchor our community identity. Heritage must find deeper connections to community. I sketch a bold transformative vision inspired by current international conservation practices. Further reading: Full text (PDF 620 KB) |
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Conservation Guidelines for Modernist Architecture in the Victoria Region (2019)
ABSTRACT Guidelines provides a framework for articulating the significance of project authorship and “design intent” in the process of developing strategies for preserving the Modernist architectural heritage in Victoria, British Columbia (1935-1975). It outlines an aesthetic historical context, presents a summary of the unique design vocabulary of regional Modernism, and provides a series of case studies that illustrate how the intentions of designers and builders can be respected and preserved within differing building types. Further Reading: Full text (PDF 9.28 MB) |
Richard Roskell Bayne (1837-1901): Architect to the East India Railway Company.
With Professor Anthony Welch, SSHRC funded field work in India, Italy, Spain, and England to document the life, travels and works of this 19th Century British trained architect who practiced in Indian Raj and Victoria, British Columbia. Based on extensive archival holding at UVic. In progress.
Further Reading:
With Professor Anthony Welch, SSHRC funded field work in India, Italy, Spain, and England to document the life, travels and works of this 19th Century British trained architect who practiced in Indian Raj and Victoria, British Columbia. Based on extensive archival holding at UVic. In progress.
Further Reading:
Victoria Modern: The Emergence of Architectural Modernism in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
SSHRC and Canada Council funded series of collaborative research initiatives, field work, publications, exhibition series, and website leading to the establishment of a dedicated archival collection and research resource at the McPherson Library, University of Victoria.
Further Reading: Victoria Modern Online Exhibit
SSHRC and Canada Council funded series of collaborative research initiatives, field work, publications, exhibition series, and website leading to the establishment of a dedicated archival collection and research resource at the McPherson Library, University of Victoria.
Further Reading: Victoria Modern Online Exhibit
Union Club of British Columbia
Union Club of British Columbia: National Heritage Significance Study for Nomination to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a National Historical Site. The historic social, cultural, economic and aesthetic context for the planning and construction of this major 1913 architectural monument within the range of institutional structures framing Victoria Inner Harbour.
Further Reading: Union Club History
Union Club of British Columbia: National Heritage Significance Study for Nomination to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a National Historical Site. The historic social, cultural, economic and aesthetic context for the planning and construction of this major 1913 architectural monument within the range of institutional structures framing Victoria Inner Harbour.
Further Reading: Union Club History