Chinese Cultural Center / Centre culturel chinois
1978
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada- Architecture for culture, research, sport or leisure
- Building
- Cultural centers
BACKGROUND
The intent of this competition, restricted to architects registered in British Columbia, was to "secure concepts for a Chinese Cultural Centre, not fully developed designs as evidence of the skill and imagination of the competitors. The winning submission will be the one which demonstrates the greatest sensitivity and understanding of the philosophical, social and physical needs of the sponsor... within the strict constraints of budget and phasing."
Forty firms entered, and jury members were: Dr. Wah Leung, chairman, Chinese Cultural Centre; Gustavo da Rosa; Dr. Hsio-Yen Shih, director, National Gallery of Canada; Ron Thom and Bud Wood. The professional advisor was Freeman Chan.
In their notes on the competition's intent and scope, the sponsors emphasized that the centre "as an organization and, following this competition, as a building, plays a role as a symbol of the community's needs and aspirations which goes well beyond the usual significance of most architectural work... the centre is to be a place for generating ideas and activities... drawing inspiration from the past, presenting the realities of the present and projecting the aspirations of the future. It will be a physical expression of a newly-developing cultural identity of Chinese-Canadians." Many cultural minorities have cultural centres, the brief noted, but the Chinese community - one of Vancouver's largest cultural minorities - does not, attesting to the difficulty of uniting a divergent population with varying backgrounds.
The site is a key location in Chinatown - and urban design considerations " will be highly significant to the overall restoration and development of Chinatown" and submissions would be carefully reviewed in this context. The centre's relationship with existing Pender Street activities; the Chinatown streetscape improvement project; the Carrall Street pedestrian connection to Gastown; the potential direct relationship with False Creek and the re-emergence of Keefer Street activities, were some of the initial program considerations. Two major site problems were identified: the water table of False Creek, from which the land was reclaimed by land-fill, and the service lines under the southern part of the site and the north-east quadrant - all of which would be unfeasible to move.
PROGRAM AND SPACE ALLOCATION
The building program called for flexibility of space, viable phasing, and for " efficient solutions below the maximum gross area in order to increase the level of quality while remaining with in budget." (A space breakdown is shown in Table 1). Note that competitors were not required to design the 1.6-acre (0.6 ha) Chinese Garden in detail - again, a concept was required.
The total competition building budget for phases 1 and 2 was $5.25 million and the garden $1.5 million (provided by federal grant) phase 1 building budget was $ 1.65 million plus the garden budget for a total of $3.15 million. Program comments included:
Community:
The entrance/ arrival space should be both symbolic and functional. The concept is left to the competitor but could be seen as a focus, as spine linking spaces, or as an extension of other activity spaces. Outdoor space for gathering and holding large crowds during community festivals is very important. Covered outdoor space would be useful and desirable during inclement weather, for bazaars, booths, lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, etc. (The Chinese community, in general, are southern people from a tropical climate where community activities are often oriented to the streets and outdoors. Therefore, festival activities are generally more successful when placed outdoors in the street environment.)
Education:
These facilities will be among the most heavily used of the centre, both daytime and evening. The classrooms must be flexible and multi-purpose to accommodate changing programs. Natural light is preferred.
Exhibition Library:
The lobby space is unassigned. This is left to the competitor to design and perhaps combine with other activity spaces. The permanent exhibition will be museum space dedicated to the contributions of the early Chinese immigrants. The artifacts will be displayed in settings, both indoor and out, to reflect the cultural settings of 19th century China and Canada from which the community grew. The library will double as a seniors' lounge. One half the area of library should be allocated.
Commercial:
This space will relate to and strengthen the commercial viability of Pender Street, as well as assist the financial operation of the centre. Phase 1 commercial will be composed of a gift shop and a tearoom / restaurant, both to be operated by the centre. Competitors should take advantage of the Chinese Garden in locating the tearoom / restaurant.
(From competition brief)
The intent of this competition, restricted to architects registered in British Columbia, was to "secure concepts for a Chinese Cultural Centre, not fully developed designs as evidence of the skill and imagination of the competitors. The winning submission will be the one which demonstrates the greatest sensitivity and understanding of the philosophical, social and physical needs of the sponsor... within the strict constraints of budget and phasing."
Forty firms entered, and jury members were: Dr. Wah Leung, chairman, Chinese Cultural Centre; Gustavo da Rosa; Dr. Hsio-Yen Shih, director, National Gallery of Canada; Ron Thom and Bud Wood. The professional advisor was Freeman Chan.
In their notes on the competition's intent and scope, the sponsors emphasized that the centre "as an organization and, following this competition, as a building, plays a role as a symbol of the community's needs and aspirations which goes well beyond the usual significance of most architectural work... the centre is to be a place for generating ideas and activities... drawing inspiration from the past, presenting the realities of the present and projecting the aspirations of the future. It will be a physical expression of a newly-developing cultural identity of Chinese-Canadians." Many cultural minorities have cultural centres, the brief noted, but the Chinese community - one of Vancouver's largest cultural minorities - does not, attesting to the difficulty of uniting a divergent population with varying backgrounds.
The site is a key location in Chinatown - and urban design considerations " will be highly significant to the overall restoration and development of Chinatown" and submissions would be carefully reviewed in this context. The centre's relationship with existing Pender Street activities; the Chinatown streetscape improvement project; the Carrall Street pedestrian connection to Gastown; the potential direct relationship with False Creek and the re-emergence of Keefer Street activities, were some of the initial program considerations. Two major site problems were identified: the water table of False Creek, from which the land was reclaimed by land-fill, and the service lines under the southern part of the site and the north-east quadrant - all of which would be unfeasible to move.
PROGRAM AND SPACE ALLOCATION
The building program called for flexibility of space, viable phasing, and for " efficient solutions below the maximum gross area in order to increase the level of quality while remaining with in budget." (A space breakdown is shown in Table 1). Note that competitors were not required to design the 1.6-acre (0.6 ha) Chinese Garden in detail - again, a concept was required.
The total competition building budget for phases 1 and 2 was $5.25 million and the garden $1.5 million (provided by federal grant) phase 1 building budget was $ 1.65 million plus the garden budget for a total of $3.15 million. Program comments included:
Community:
The entrance/ arrival space should be both symbolic and functional. The concept is left to the competitor but could be seen as a focus, as spine linking spaces, or as an extension of other activity spaces. Outdoor space for gathering and holding large crowds during community festivals is very important. Covered outdoor space would be useful and desirable during inclement weather, for bazaars, booths, lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, etc. (The Chinese community, in general, are southern people from a tropical climate where community activities are often oriented to the streets and outdoors. Therefore, festival activities are generally more successful when placed outdoors in the street environment.)
Education:
These facilities will be among the most heavily used of the centre, both daytime and evening. The classrooms must be flexible and multi-purpose to accommodate changing programs. Natural light is preferred.
Exhibition Library:
The lobby space is unassigned. This is left to the competitor to design and perhaps combine with other activity spaces. The permanent exhibition will be museum space dedicated to the contributions of the early Chinese immigrants. The artifacts will be displayed in settings, both indoor and out, to reflect the cultural settings of 19th century China and Canada from which the community grew. The library will double as a seniors' lounge. One half the area of library should be allocated.
Commercial:
This space will relate to and strengthen the commercial viability of Pender Street, as well as assist the financial operation of the centre. Phase 1 commercial will be composed of a gift shop and a tearoom / restaurant, both to be operated by the centre. Competitors should take advantage of the Chinese Garden in locating the tearoom / restaurant.
(From competition brief)