Friesen Wong House © Undine Pröfhl.
To celebrate the return of Vancouver Design Week(end), we’ve partnered with V.I.A. to highlight some of the outstanding creative minds currently working in Vancouver. First up is D’arcy Jones of D’arcy Jones Architecture, a local practice that works on a variety of projects including modern houses, multifamily buildings and gallery spaces. We are honoured to have this award winning architecture firm participating in the 2017 Vancouver Design Week(end)!
1. Design is / design can _______?
DJ: Design can be quiet or loud.
2. Why does it matter?
DJ: Everything unnatural that humans ever encounter was designed by someone: designed well, designed poorly, designed by a group, designed by an individual, designed for humanity, designed for institutionalization, designed for individuals, designed for the public, designed to last, designed to be trendy, designed flippantly, designed carefully, designed to save money, designed to flaunt money or designed to create value. This collectively creates our experience in the world, so design matters if we care about our experience or want to improve it.
Brown Cabin © Sama Jim Canzian.
3. What differentiates Vancouver design (from the rest of the world)?
DJ: Vancouver has a large proportion of designers who are not from Vancouver. This is unique, and creates a design culture that is outward-looking and tends to look for inspiration globally.
4. What impact is (Vancouver) design having?
DJ: Vancouver design has the greatest impact when it embraces regionalism, our grey climate, our nature and pluralism, stirring the pot to make something new.
5. What design impacts are you most proud of / what impact potential are you most excited about?
DJ: My studio works hard create inventive and interesting design that is neighbour-friendly, user-friendly and quiet. With our 430 House, the silhouette and structure of an unspectacular house from the 1980’s was entirely re-built inside. It is easy to drive or walk by this house and not even notice it, but at the interior we sculpted Vancouver’s soft grey light into modern and gracious spaces.
Vancouver Design Week(end) runs from May 12 – 14. Events include open studios, tastings, behind the scenes tours of the city’s stand out architectural spaces and more. If you’re a local designer, design organization or simply a design-minded thinker, you can get involved by visiting vancouverdesignwk.com
