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The mission of the Okanagan Institute is to contribute to the quality of creative engagement in the Okanagan through publications, events and collaborations. » Home » Events » Publications » Collaborations » The Institute » Contact  Kelowna BC Canada Telephone 250.870.2690 Email: Click here  Click here to help us improve our programs. |
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EXPLORING OKANAGAN ARCHITECTURE » Thursday 13 August 2009 | 5 pm » The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as architect Nick Bevanda and urban designer Patrick McCormick discuss the relationship between architectural form and the concept of place in the changing environment of the Okanagan. » $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost. » Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE Architect and Designer Engage the Nature and Style of Identity The intense growth the Okanagan Valley is experiencing is bringing significant change to the physical landscape. At the same time, the global economy imparts a high degree of homogeneity to the built form of our communities, such that the distinctiveness of those communities, and our sense of identity, is weakened. With the public's shift towards sustainability, Modernism has refocused and found purpose again. Architects, around the world, are producing work that is meaningful, sensitive to site and worthy of preservation. Recently, projects completed by local Okanagan architects have been recognized with Governor General and Lieutenant Governor Awards. On Thursday, August 13th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Exploring Okanagan Architecture. Join us as architect Nick Bevanda and urban designer Patrick McCormick discuss the relationship between architectural form and the concept of place in the changing environment of the Okanagan. The session is intended as a forum for the discussion of current ideas in Architecture and Environmental Design. The discussion will focus on the value of good design and how architecture can positively impact the quality of our community. The two panellists will offer their thoughts on how architecture within the Okanagan can strengthen the identity of the region. The question of whether an Okanagan response exists and what the components of that response might be, will hopefully be explored.  Nick Bevanda was born in Vancouver in 1962, the second of five children, to parents that emigrated from Croatia, in the late 1950's. From an early age, Nick expressed an interest in drawing and painting. This passion for artistic expression, as well as the influence of his contractor father, led him to pursue Architectural training at Washington State University, completing a Bachelors of Science in Architectural Studies, in 1984 and a Bachelor of Architecture, in 1985. Nick returned to work in his home town of Penticton, British Columbia where, in
2003, he founded Bevanda Architecture. Nick is registered in British Columbia and the State of Washington and is a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the American Institute of Architects and the Canadian Green Building Council. In 2008 Nick was honored with a Lieutenant Governors award for the design of Black Hills Estate Winery.In a recent article Regional Expression of Form in the Okanagan, Bevanda stated, "A number of Okanagan-based architects are conscientious in their pursuit of locally-inspired forms. For the population of the region, it's reassuring that so many practitioners are actively engaging a regional expression of form. As well, there have been architects from outside the region who have capably addressed the issue of place on projects located within the Valley. The rate of growth in the Okanagan is putting a strain on its sense of identity, challenging established values and patterns of living within the region. Moreover, individuality and identity are being threatened by a homogeneity driven by global forces. A regional expression of form, an authentic expression of place, will hopefully continue to build and celebrate that which is unique and distinctive about the Okanagan Valley."  Patrick McCormick is an urban designer with the City of Kelowna. His work merges planning and architecture and focuses on the creation of humane environments. His educational background includes undergraduate degrees in business and economics as well as a Master of Environmental Design in Architecture from the University of Calgary.The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, BC Chapter is currently presenting an exhibition - Architecture-Okanagan at the Kelowna Art Gallery - of work completed by architects working and living in the Okanagan Valley, defined by its desert climate, bountiful lakes, pine forests and blue sky. The exhibition represents individual projects, created from unique approaches and values, defined by each practice. The work is presented as individual 30" x 30" boards, one board per firm. The intent of the exhibition is to advance public knowledge on the importance of good design and the power of architecture to enhance our communities and to improve our lives. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE  Exploring Okanagan Architecture takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 102nd event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
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