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Simon Fraser University
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark639
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The planning, design concept, design coordination, site development and landscaping for the original part of the campus were all under the control of Erickson/Massey. The complex was conceived as one building, with future growth occurring at the periphery. Tall buildings would have been out of scal…
- Associated Dates
- 1965
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- University Drive
- Associated Dates
- 1965
- Description
- The planning, design concept, design coordination, site development and landscaping for the original part of the campus were all under the control of Erickson/Massey. The complex was conceived as one building, with future growth occurring at the periphery. Tall buildings would have been out of scale with the massive mountaintop ridge, so a series of horizontal terraced structures were designed that hugged the ridge and dissolve into the landscape. Following the linear peak of the mountain, the scheme organized various parts of the campus along an east/west line. The concept of a central academic quadrangle was conceived within the tradition of Oxford and Cambridge, and to enhance the sense of contemplative quiet, it was designed as a perfect square raised on massive pilotis, allowing stunning views through a landscaped courtyard. The connecting link was a gigantic space frame-developed in conjunction with Jeffrey Lindsay, a one-time associate of Buckminster Fuller-that provided shelter and a gathering-place for the students. Other architects who had placed among the top five in the competition were retained to design the individual components of the original plan: the Academic Quadrangle by Zoltan S. Kiss; the Theatre, Gymnasium & Swimming Pool by Duncan McNab & Associates; the Science Complex by Rhone & Iredale; and the Library by Robert F. Harrison.
- Heritage Value
- Following the end of the Second World War, there was unprecedented growth throughout the Lower Mainland. Many returning veterans had settled on the coast, and the loosening of wartime restrictions led to the creation of many new suburban developments throughout the region. The growing population strained existing facilities, and there was a recognition that new educational facilities had to be constructed to meet these growing demands. For many years, the only university in the province was the University of British Columbia. In the 1960s, new universities were planned for both Victoria and Burnaby to serve the wave of baby boomers just then going through high school. The dramatic site chosen for the Burnaby university was the top of Burnaby Mountain, with expansive views over mountain ranges and water. An architectural competition was held for a campus of 7,000 students that could eventually be expanded to 18,000. Of the many submissions, the judges reached unanimity on the winner, an outstanding scheme submitted by the firm of Erickson/Massey. The judges went even further, and recommended that every effort be made to ensure that the winning design be built as submitted. The new Chancellor, Gordon Shrum, agreed. The realization of this scheme won extensive recognition for the work of Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey, and launched Erickson’s international career. In Erickson’s words: "Unlike any previous university, Simon Fraser is a direct translation into architecture of the expanding fields of knowledge that defy traditional boundaries, of the vital role of the university as both challenger and conservor of human culture, and of the university community as one in constant intellectual, spiritual and social interchange." The new school opened for classes in September 1965, nicknamed the “instant university,” and quickly gained a radical reputation. The startling futuristic architecture and open layout suited the explosive nature of the mid-1960s, when political and social traditions of all types were being questioned and student protests were common. Many of SFU’s programs were considered experimental, even controversial, and unrest and conflict on the campus continued for a number of years. Since this auspicious beginning 40 years ago, SFU has grown to house 25,000 students on three campuses. The core of the original campus, recognized world-wide as a profound work of architecture, remains essentially intact today.
- Locality
- Burnaby Mountain
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Architect
- Erickson/Massey
- Area
- 1360000.00
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 8888 University Drive
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Doreen Lawson fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58356
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1950-2002
- Collection/Fonds
- Doreen Lawson fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 18 cm of textual records + approx. 1000 photographs
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records created and received by Doreen Lawson during her career as Parks Commissioner (1965-1971), Burnaby City Council member (1972-1985, 1990-1999) and environmental advocate following her retirement from Council in 1999. Records include election campaign materials, congratulat…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1950-2002
- Collection/Fonds
- Doreen Lawson fonds
- Physical Description
- 18 cm of textual records + approx. 1000 photographs
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Accession Number
- 2003-30
- 2015-15
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records created and received by Doreen Lawson during her career as Parks Commissioner (1965-1971), Burnaby City Council member (1972-1985, 1990-1999) and environmental advocate following her retirement from Council in 1999. Records include election campaign materials, congratulatory letters and correspondence, community speeches and slideshow presentations regarding the conservation of Burnaby Lake, the administrative papers of the Burnaby Centennial Rhododendron and Spring Flower Show Society, and photographs of Burnaby waterways and wildlife.
- History
- Doreen Anne Fowler Lawson was born July 8, 1928, to Eva Barnhill and Leonard Fowler. Her parents met in Alberta but decided to move to Vancouver where they got married and Doreen was born. The family moved to the north side of Claude Avenue in Burnaby when Doreen was a few months old. In 1931, they moved to a house with an acre of land directly across the street from their first house.
- When Doreen was six, her family moved to Collingwood, Vancouver, near where her father grew up. This is where her brother Ron was born. The family moved again to County Line in Langley Prairie in 1944, which is where Doreen met Edward Lawson, her future husband. Soon after, they moved to a seven-acre plot in Burquitlam. Ed and Doreen Lawson’s eldest daughter, Linda, was born in 1954. Their second daughter, Wendy, was born in 1959 and their youngest, Lisa, was born in 1961. They lived in the Brentwood area, where all three daughters attended Brentwood Elementary School. Linda went on to Alpha Secondary School.
- In 1945, Doreen began her first of several office jobs, and in the early 1950s she became the first woman to be elected into a vice-president position within the BC Trade Union Congress (now the BC Federation of Labour).
- Doreen Lawson had a long and prolific political career, starting as Parks Commissioner in 1965, and serving as its chair from 1969 to 1971. She was instrumental in the selection and promotion of the rhododendron as the official flower of Burnaby in 1966. In 1971, she was elected to Burnaby City Council and, in 1972, Doreen proposed that Council take action to declare Burnaby Lake a wildlife sanctuary. After a 10-year campaign, she was able to convince Council to declare the park “a nature conservation area.” She put forward a policy of preservation for creeks and streams, as well as a proposal to preserve trees in subdivisions, both of which were adopted by Council. Doreen continued to serve on Council until 1985, during which time she initiated and chaired the Burnaby Information Committee, which designed the present Burnaby logo (and official flower pins) and established the Information Burnaby Newsletter. In 1979 Doreen Lawson won Vancouver Natural History Society’s Frank Sanford Award.
- In 1984, Doreen was elected the first woman president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Doreen ran as a BC Liberal Party candidate in the new Federal Riding of Burnaby in 1979, and from 1985 to 1987, she served as the Executive Director of the British Columbia Liberal Party. As the B.C. Liberal Party Executive Director, her major responsibility was to work with both the Federal and Provincial Associations in implementing riding organizations and fundraising programs in preparation for election time. In the 1980s, Doreen was an active guest lecturer at Burnaby Elementary and High Schools as well as at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. Doreen was active in a variety of community clubs and organizations including: the Burnaby Library Board; Greater Vancouver Spinners and Weavers Guild; and Vancouver Natural History Society. She was an executive member of the Burnaby-New Westminster Canada Summer Games; the Burnaby Division of the United Way; Information Burnaby Committee; and the Brentwood Parent Teachers Association; as well as serving as the President of the Burnaby Voters Association from 1988-1990.
- In 1990, Doreen was elected back to Burnaby Council and put forward the rejuvenation of Burnaby Lake which she saw completed before her final year on Council in 1999. Doreen continued to be a strong environmental advocate for the protection and rejuvenation of Burnaby Lake after she retired from council.
- Doreen Lawson died October 11, 2003.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Creator
- Lawson, Doreen A.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- MSS071, photo catalogue 605, photo catalogue 618