Saying a final farewell to Arthur Erickson

More than 800 people paid tribute to legendary architect Arthur Erickson at a memorial at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., on June 14, 2009. (SFU)

On what would have been his 85th birthday, more than 800 people said a final farewell to legendary architect Arthur Erickson Sunday in a building he designed.

At Burnaby, B.C.'s, Simon Fraser University, friends and colleagues paid tribute to the man known the world over for his innovative and iconic building designs.

Speaking from Convocation Mall, Abraham Rogatnick, a University of British Columbia professor of architecture and longtime friend, called Erickson "a prince and poet among us."

"The poems of his long life's journey live on," he said.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, an architect who collaborated with Erickson for 35 years, spoke of his designs built into Burnaby Mountain at SFU.

"You always said you could never conceive of a building apart from its setting," Oberlander said. "You challenged the site on the mountaintop."

In Pictures: The iconic designs of Arthur Erickson

Erickson died May 20 in Vancouver surrounded by loved ones.

"He died in peace of old age, surrounded by loving family and fantastic friends from all over the world who've been coming and going, sending cards and letters," Erickson's nephew, Geoff, said.

Arthur Erickson was known for his innovative use of glass and concrete in a modernist style. He built dozens of important buildings in Canada and around the world in a career that lasted over 50 years.

His works include The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the Provincial Law Courts in Downtown Vancouver, the San Diego Convention Center, Napp Laboratories in Cambridge, England, the Canadian Chancery in Washington, D.C., California Plaza in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. His work can also be found in Asia and the Middle East.

A long journey

Erickson was born in Vancouver in 1924, and served in the Canadian army during the Second World War in India, Ceylon and Malaysia, ending up as a captain in Canadian Intelligence.

After the war ended, Erickson studied architecture at McGill University in Montreal, graduating in 1950.

He taught as an associate professor at the University of British Columbia from 1957 to 1963, when he left to open his own practice.

Advanced studies also took Erickson to Greece, Italy, the Middle East and Japan, where he perfected his views of how architectural style combined with climate and terrain.

In 1963, he achieved his first international acclaim alongside colleague Geoffrey Massey for his award-winning design for Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The project established his international reputation.

Erickson's architectural innovations, particularly in the use of glass and concrete, won him numerous awards.

They included the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal, the French Academy of Architecture Gold Medal, and many honourary doctorates. He was the first Canadian to be awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.

He was named a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1981.

With files from The Canadian Press