Westbank and Peterson, Canada’s leading developers of luxury mixed-use projects, are bringing revered Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, to Vancouver, British Columbia.

On April 12th, 1,400 people – a mix of Vancouverites, architects, planners, city builders, artists and students – will gather at the University of British Columbia’s Chan Centre for Small to Large, an Evening with Kengo Kuma.

Kuma will take the audience on his journey from Small to Large, first exploring the small, soulful scale of his early projects. As his practice and influence have grown globally, so has the scale of his work but the intimate detail of layering and connectivity to location remains. That includes the Tokyo National Stadium recently awarded to his firm and Alberni by Kuma, a proposed 43-storey residential tower in Vancouver, by Westbank and Peterson. It would be the first residential high-rise in North America for the architect and his firm, Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA).

“We believe that our role is to bring the best talent together to create more interesting skylines. It is also our role to use the best talent to meet the challenges that urbanization presents. We have a particular affinity for the Japanese architectural community, which brings a fine-grained perspective.”  ~  Ian Gillespie, President & Founder, Westbank

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Westbank initiated the architect speaker series, in partnership with UBC – SALA (School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture), to provide an opportunity to discover more about the local projects that are global influencers and spark conversations on how to innovate and shape the future of our cities. It began with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando. Bjarke Ingles, who has designed Westbank’s Vancouver House, followed, and now Kengo Kuma.

A comprehensive media package, including video, will be posted on Tuesday, April 19th.