IRBC Evening Keynote – Bing Thom from Metro Vancouver on Vimeo.
With the unexpected passing of Bing Thom in October, the Canadian architecture and planning community suffered a huge loss. Thom’s contributions to his field had a global impact and Bing will be greatly missed. We were especially looking forward to his insights and perspectives, as a moderator for the 2016 Zero Waste Conference session ‘The Built Environment.’
Champion of Urbanism
With buildings demanding over half the world’s extracted materials and generating roughly one third of waste globally there is fertile ground in considering what can be gained by applying circular economy principles to this sector – preventing waste and shifting practice. In the video above Thom delivers the keynote speech to the 2011 IRBC (International Regions Benchmarking Consortium) and lays out his vision for more sustainable cities. It’s an entertaining journey through Metro Vancouver’s history and a great example of Bing’s warm manner and knowledgeable enthusiasm for talking about what makes great cities; touching on the design principles of ‘Vancouverism’, Thom’s vision for the city of Surrey’s downtown core, libraries as the new cathedrals of our time, and why complexity and diversity in mixed use neighbourhoods are vital concepts for modern cities. We think it’s a fitting reminiscence of Bing, whose life and work are inextricably linked to our region.
Thought-Provoking Session Expected
Stepping up on short notice to fill Bing’s shoes is no easy task, so we are pleased to announce that noted architecture/urbanism critic Trevor Boddy has agreed to be the moderator for this important session. We think Trevor’s unique perspectives and forthright approach will be the catalyst for the kind of provocative conversation Bing Thom would have loved. Boddy is a critic of contemporary architecture/urbanism and a Vancouver-based consulting urban designer.  His writing on buildings and cities has been awarded the Alberta Book of the Year Award, the RAIC’s Advocacy Award, membership in Lambda Alpha International, Fellowship in New York’s Institute of Urban Design and RAIC, and an Honorary Membership in the American Institute of Architects.At the 2011 World Architecture Congress/Tokyo, Boddy’s essay (for A/V in Madrid) entitled “MEGA + MICRO: Canada, Innovation at the Extremes” received commendation for the UIA/CICA’s Pierre Vago Prize for best architectural criticism worldwide. His “HybridCity” was included in the 2011 VAG exhibition “WE Vancouver: 12 Manifestoes for the City.” As curator, Boddy produced the “Vancouverism: Architecture Builds the City” exhibition plus linked Trafalgar Square demonstration construction (named marquee event for the 2008 London Festival of Architecture), re-mounted 2009 in Paris, then in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics. Appointed Adjunct Professor in UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in 2012 and 2014; previous appointments at Manitoba, Oregon, Toronto and Carleton, plus serving as a studio critic and lecturer world-wide.
Register for ZWC 2016 to Learn from Leaders of Industry and Government
The 2016 Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Conference (#ZWC2016) is an opportunity to learn from thought leaders such as Boddy and the Built Environment panelists, share ideas with like-minded colleagues, and gain a better understanding of where the shift to zero waste will take us.
Mark Nov. 3 on your calendar and register today.
Return to the 2016 Zero Waste Conference main web site