Famous Scientist Arthur Erickson

Arthur Erickson

Arthur Charles Erickson, CC (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Asian languages at the University of British Columbia, and later earned a degree in architecture from McGill University.

Most of his buildings are modernist concrete structures designed to respond to the natural conditions of their locations, especially climate. Many buildings, such as the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, are inspired by the post and beam architecture of the Coastal First Nations. Additionally, Erickson is also known for numerous futuristic designs such as the Fresno City Hall and the Biological Sciences Building at the University of California, Irvine.


The personal selection of Arthur Erickson as the architect for the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC by then-Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was controversial because Trudeau overruled the objections and choices of the embassy's design committee. Erickson's biographer Nicholas Olsberg described the building as "making fun of the ridiculous terms to which buildings must adhere in Washington... mocking the US and all of its imperial pretensions."

Erickson was born in Vancouver, the son of Oscar Erickson and Myrtle Chatterton. He served in the Canadian Army Intelligence Corps during World War II. After graduating from McGill in 1950, Erickson taught at the University of British Columbia and designed houses in partnership with Geoffrey Massey. In 1963, Erickson and Massey submitted the winning design for Simon Fraser University. Erickson was mentor of many other noted local architects and urbanists, including founding members of many of Vancouver's premier design-oriented architectural firms.


In 1973 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1981. His family announced that he died in Vancouver on May 20, 2009.


Erickson lived in Point Grey with his life partner and interior design collaborator, Francisco Kripacz.