Last week in the Georgia Straight, Helena Grdadolnik tagged the Watermark on Kits Beach as the ‘Best New or recent Building’ in Vancouver. This will be the only category that the Watermark is going to pick up any awards for this year. What does Helena know? When she isn’t writing architectural criticism or running courses on design at Emily Carr Institute and UBC, she’s working with SpaceAgency, a local nonprofit group seeking new ways of widening public debate over Vancouver’s urban future.
“There was a lot of neighbourhood protest [over the construction of this restaurant] by people who were worried that it would block their view. But the building tries to work around that by having various passageways through, and by trying to be light in certain places, so that you can see through it.…It’s just a great space for the public, who can’t afford the buildings along the beach. Now you don’t have to have a million dollars to be able to drink and eat right at the waterfront.”
Congrats to the folks at Watermark and architect AA Robins!
Last modified: September 27, 2005
I’ll give you that. I was against it originally, but this structure is beautiful. Too bad about the food.