GESAMTKUNSTWERK

Westbank has built a practice around long-term commitments to artistry, sustainability and city-building. These commitments underlie an orientation towards projects like Woodwards, Vancouver House, Mirvish Village, Telus Garden and Oakridge – catalysts for larger change that go beyond the borders of the projects themselves. We are here to create. To provoke. To ignite. We are the vehicle for a new movement of cultural expression.

As the practice matures, we have become more ambitious. With every new project reflecting our commitment to the philosophy behind Gesamkunstwerk, or in our recent work the Japanese philosophy behind layering, the net effect is that our work becomes much more complex and far-reaching.

The core of Westbank’s mission is to create a body of work with a high degree of artistry that helps foster more equitable and beautiful cities. Westbank is active across Canada and in the United States, with projects including luxury residential, Five Star hotels, retail, office, rental, district energy systems, affordable housing initiatives and public art. Established in 1992, we are one of North America’s leading developers, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Seattle, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and over 25 billion dollars of projects completed or under development.

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April 16, 2014

Westbank Salon Series: Larry Beasley Recap

Larry Beasley, former co-director of planning for the City of Vancouver and Member of the Order of Canada, held the attention of a rapt crowd last night at the second evening of Westbank’s Salon Series.

Beasley spoke to a packed room about why he stayed in Vancouver (because he could see it “had a soul”), why great design and architecture should be the standard, affordability and accessibility, and how to build better, smarter cities with the help of visionary planners, developers and designers.

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Our next salon is Tuesday April 22, 2014 with Chris Phillips, the founding partner of Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg Landscape Architects (now PFS Studio).

Tweet your questions before next week at @gwerkca with the hashtag #gwerksalon — we’ll be picking a winner to continue the conversation with exhibition curator Trevor Boddy, Phillips and other guests at ORU following the salon.

Register here!

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