"Canada's Greatest Architect" Eulogized

"Is it any wonder that Arthur Erickson always imagined buildings ensconced in their settings? He grew up in the wet, lush climate of British Columbia, a land of tall trees, towering mountains, crashing waves and ancient reminders of totem poles and longhouses.

Scenery was rampant, landscape was monumental and both evoked reverence and a wary respect for rigorous weather and a desire to create human shelters in structures that were in harmony with their environment. His buildings, which are legion, include the University of Lethbridge, the inverted pyramid for the Canadian pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, the Canadian Embassy in Washington, and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.

Former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson, a friend since she first interviewed him in the mid-1960s for CBC, said: 'He was the greatest architect we have ever produced because he understood modern materials and he wanted to deal with them and he understood how to handle large-scale projects.'"