Patkau Architects Win 2021 Architecture Award For The Polygon

On behalf of everyone at The Polygon, a very proud congratulations to John and Patricia Patkau, and Peter Suter of Patkau Architects, on the announcement of a 2021 Architecture Award from The American Institute of Architects for our building. The 2021 Architecture Awards program celebrates the best contemporary architecture and highlights the many ways buildings and spaces can improve lives. ⁠

View all the 2021 winners here

Listen to John and Patricia Patkau on The Polygon Podcast

“The new gallery’s central mass floats above the ground plane, providing access to a new public space and a sweeping view of Vancouver’s skyline across the inlet. It is marked with an iconic sawtooth profile clad in mirrored stainless steel sitting beneath expanded aluminum decking. The facade’s materials play off one another, lending a sense of mass and depth that shifts with differing sunlight conditions and the evening atmosphere. The facade functions as the gallery’s uniform voice, just bold enough to define its place on the waterfront without contributing to any visual noise.⁠

Inside, Shier asked that the exhibition spaces remain free of obstacles, creating space for creativity to reign. More studio than museum, the gallery’s backbone does double duty, lifting the gallery up and providing an open space lit by diffuse northern light. Steel purlins hosting lighting, temporary partitions, and suspended works of art support the space. The gallery’s upper level includes a flexible event space that accommodates educational, outreach, and private events. Its southern wall is an operable glazed panorama overlooking the water.⁠

The lower level houses spaces for small retail outlets, further diversifying the waterfront development. Street-level activity at the gallery attracts a burgeoning social life at the waterfront and energizes this new cultural precinct. The gallery also provides a bold new identity for a smaller city adjacent to a better known metropolis.” – AIA Jury⁠

Image: James Dow