It's not just ugly, it's also 'illegal'
No B.C.-registered architect on job, as required by law
 
Kent Spencer
The Province
 
Thursday, February 11, 2010
 
Canada Pavilion, the house that nobody likes, got another scolding
Wednesday.
 
Already maligned for being ugly and built by Americans, the federal
structure was chastised by the Architectural Institute of B.C. for
breaking the law.
 
The architects' legal expert, Thomas Lutes, said Ottawa broke the
law by failing to hire a B.C.-registered architect for the job.
 
Lutes said there are safety implications, although he saw "no
reason" to believe the two-storey, tent-like structure is unsafe.
 
"Our prime concern is public safety. Public buildings this size need
to employ a B.C.-registered architect. No such architect was
employed," he said.
 
It's believed the Canada Pavilion is the only one of a dozen or so
temporary Olympic houses that have not followed B.C. law, said
Lutes.
 
"Charitably, I would say what happened was there was a rush to get
things done. It was simply forgotten. There is no suggestion they
were avoiding it," said Lutes. "I hope someone will take
responsibility."
 
He said the matter is not one of mere theoretical importance.
 
An architect assures compliance with the B.C. building code,
construction standards and use of local materials. He/ she does not
have to reside in B.C. but must bear the ultimate responsibility for
everything being done right, he said.
 
"Every item on the checklist would have been knocked off," said
Lutes. Examples include fire exits, disabled access and
sustainability.
 
Lutes said it was too late to remedy the situation, because the
Games are only hours away.
 
The building is operated by Heritage Canada, which passed off the
latest criticisms as a difference of "opinion."
 
"People are always going to disagree with decisions that are made,"
Heritage Ministry spokeswoman Deirdra McCracken said from Ottawa.
 
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We complied with Vancouver
bylaws," she said.
 
McCracken would not say whether a B.C.-registered architect was
employed.
 
The Canada Pavilion was erected at Georgia and Beatty streets on the
old bus-depot site. It is a temporary building costing $10.4 million
and will be torn down following the Games.
 
Well-known Vancouver architect Bing Thom criticized its lack of
visual appeal last week, while one resident called it "rinky-dink."
 
It was built by a Chicago-based company after Ottawa awarded the
contract in November, just three months before the Games.
 
The pavilion won't open for the start of the Games on Friday. It
will be unveiled the day after the Games begin, on Saturday at 11
a.m.
 
Lutes said the matter has been taken from the realm of esthetics
into the legal arena.
 
The law in B.C. comes under a provincial statute called the
Architects Act, which he said supersedes municipal bylaws by
"several levels."
 
Penalties include court orders to stop building, civil suits and
damages exceeding $25,000.
 
kspencer@theprovince.com

Kent Spencer The Province