Gregory Henriquez: The architecture solution
Vancouver architect Gregory Henriquez is the author of Towards an Ethical Architecture. Mr. Henriquez is the architect on the Woodward’s building, a mixed-income development in the Downtown Eastside. Woodward’s is a bold experiment: When it opens later this year, the development will see wealthy condo dwellers living cheek-by-jowl with the poor living in 200 subsidized units. Mr. Henriquez spoke earlier to The Globe’s Wendy Stueck. Henriquez answered your questions live Feb. 18.

Questions and Answers - Excerpt

Ed Long from Canada writes: We walked past the Woodward’s project on Saturday going to lunch in the area. I have been in the DTES twice in the last three weeks. I commented the project is distinctive, not austere like traditional poverty ‘projects’, it has wonderful historical design references that add to the surrounding area and it respects the streetscape. Therefore the residents and the project are not stigmatized. I could live there if I worked in the city. DTES can form a new transitional neighbourhood. Nice work.

Gregory Henriquez: Thank you, we have worked really hard to create a series of buildings which are not only meaningful from a programming perspective, but also have an expression that is grounded in an appropriate architectural vocabulary, which is a poetic expression of the historical context.

Read the article and Q and A at

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