Arthur Erickson Place
Formerly the MacMillan Bloedel Building
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Designed 1965 with Geoffrey Massey & Francis Donaldson
This headquarters office building designed originally for MacMillan Bloedel, Canada's largest lumber company, was a
direct result of analyzing the client's requirements for office space and function, and an intensive study of the site and urban
design impact such a structure would have on the City of Vancouver. The resulting building form is two independent towers
positioned around a central core to allow for more perimeter, therefore, increasing the possible number of offices with
outside views. Each tower is sized for a variety of partition layouts meeting a range of rental demands, while retaining
independence and a sense of entrance created at the elevator lobby on each floor- an important feature lacking in most
office buildings. The exterior walls are load-bearing cast-in-place concrete, tapering from the base to the top and textured
through techniques of sandblasting and bush-hammering. The interior is column-free, each office floor being a concrete
grid against which all partitions stop while completely integrating the mechanical, electrical, telephone and lighting
requirements within the structural framework.
The furniture system, developed by Arthur Erickson Architects for this project, was catalogued by the manufacturer as a
standard item.
"The fact that the building is rather rugged in appearance and that it tapers upward like the trunk of a great tree is quite
incidental., but nevertheless conforms to the image that MacMillan Bloedel wanted to project."
- Arthur Erickson
The building was rebranded in 2021 to Arthur Erickson Place by new owners along with the Erickson family, as a way of
honouring the late architect for this great building, which was the tallest in Vancouver when completed.