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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Philosophy
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May 20, 2014

Westbank Salon Series: James K.M. Cheng

Hong Kong-born James K.M. Cheng studied architecture at the University of Washington and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

James worked under Bing Thom as one of Arthur Erickson‘s team on Robson Square, then founded his own practice after co-winning the 1978 design competition for a Chinese Cultural Centre for Vancouver. The firm of James K.M. Cheng Architects has since developed a global reputation for housing, focusing on high density urban environments around nuanced public spaces that enhance social interaction. His Willow Court won a Governor-General’s Medal for Architecture, and in 2013 he was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to architecture.

A complete monograph of his architectural career City-Builder: The Architecture of James K.M. Cheng will be published later in 2014.

His salon is on Sunday June 1, 2014 at 3:00pm. This evening fill up quickly, so please RSVP here!

We look forward to seeing your questions for James! Tweet them to @gwerkca with the hashtag #gwerksalon, and we’ll share them during the Q&A session.

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