Roderick George Robbie (September 15, 1928 – January 4, 2012) was a British-born Canadian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and planner. He was known for his design of the Canadian Pavilion at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to t ...

(SkyDome).

Biography and personal life

Roderick Robbie was born in

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on September 15, 1928. He studied architecture and town planning at Regent Street Polytechnic School in London (now known as the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

). Robbie served his UK National Service in the 42 Engineer Regiment of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

from 1947 to 1949 in the United Kingdom and Egypt. He began his professional career with

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commis ...

in 1951. He emigrated to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Canada in 1956 with his wife Enid Robbie (née Wheeler) and infant daughter, and worked initially for the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

in Public Works. He left public service just weeks after arrival to enter the private sector with the firm of Belcourt & Blair. In 1959 he became an associate at Peter Dickinson Associates leading such projects as the New Town at Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit). Roderick and Enid Robbie (née Wheeler) participated during the period of 1956 to 1983 actively in the movements to ban the use of atomic weapons (1950s); the setting-up of the New Party Club, constituency work for the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

in Ottawa (1960s); constituency work for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

(1970s and 1980s) in Toronto. Since the early 1980s they were politically inactive and concentrated on scholarship. Enid died on their 49th wedding anniversary, December 20, 2001. She was survived by their three daughters and a son.

Career

In the mid-1960s he collaborated in the design of the Canadian Government Pavilion at

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. The distinctive main building in the complex, a large inverted pyramid called the ''Katimavik'', Inuit word for "Gathering Place", was designed by Robbie and Colin Vaughan of the firm Ashworth, Robbie, Vaughan and Williams Architects and Planners; Paul Schoeler of Schoeler, Barkham and Heaton Architects and Planning Consultants; and Matt Stankiewicz of Z. Matthew Stankiewicz Architect, with consulting architects Evans St. Gelais and Arthur Erickson. Expo chief architect Édouard Fiset had initially insisted the Canadian Pavilion be much smaller, confined to a single acre. Robbie felt strongly that Canada's pavilion had to have the largest site on the fair, demanding 11.5 acres. His vision was ultimately successful thanks to the support of federal minister Mitchell Sharp as well as Canadian Pavilion commissioner H. Leslie Brown. In the early 1980s Robbie teamed with structural engineer Michael Allen of the firm Adjeleian, Allen Rubeli Ltd. and Bill Neish of NORR Architects and Planners forming the Robbie Adjeleian NORR Consortium (RAN Consortium), to compete for the Ontario Stadium Project, which would later become the

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...

. Robbie and Allen’s patented winning design established the viability of multi-use retractable roofed stadiums worldwide and lead to a renaissance of the idea of the downtown stadium across North America. Now known as the Rogers Centre, the stadium continues to be an icon of the Toronto landscape hosting hundreds of events per year. Their retractable roof design has continued to function as designed, opening and closing under computer control in 20 minutes. Later prominent projects included the Seymour Schulich Building at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

Siamak Hariri Siamak Hariri, OAA, AAA, AIBC, FRAIC, RCA, Intl. Assoc. AIA (; born 1958) is a Canadian architect and a founding partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects, a full-service architectural and interior design practice based in Toronto, Canada. Born ...

and Robbie/Young & Wright Architects Inc. It was awarded the Governor General's Medal in Architecture in 2006. In 2004 work was completed on the Sharp Centre for Design at

OCAD University Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public university, public art school, art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park (neighbourh ...

, designed by architect

Will Alsop William Allen Alsop (12 December 1947 – 12 May 2018) was a British architect and Professor of Architecture at University for the Creative Arts's Canterbury School of Architecture. He was responsible for several distinctive and controversial ...

, and Robbie/Young + Wright Architects Inc. The expansion and redevelopment has received numerous awards, including the first

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

Worldwide Award, the award of excellence in the "Building in Context" category at the Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Awards, and was deemed the most outstanding technical project overall in the 2005 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards. Robbie was a founding member of the Construction Industry Development Council of the Government of Canada and spent many years as a member and chairing committees of the Canadian Standards Association on Systems and Industrialised Building and other professional and technical organisations. Robbie was the Chairman Emeritus of Robbie Young + Wright / IBI Group Architects and was Partner-in-Charge on many of the firm’s largest and most complex projects.

Honours

In 1989, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

. In 2004, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

as "an architect known for his innovation."

Education and professional awards

* Diploma in Architecture - Honours, Regent Street Polytechnic (

), London, England, 1950 * Diploma in Town Planning, Regent Street Polytechnic (

), London, England, July 1954 * Engineering News Record - Construction Man of The Year, 1969 *

Royal Canadian Institute The Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), known also as the Royal Canadian Institute, is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the public with Canadian science. History The organization was formed in Toronto as t ...

for the Toronto SkyDome, Life Member, 1989 * Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in the Art of Architecture, Academician, February 13, 1990 * Quaternario 90: International Award for Innovative Technology in Architecture, SkyDome, 1990 * Tau Sigma Delta, Kent State University for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Architecture, Silver Medal Award, March 15, 1993 *

Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

Fellowship for Exemplary Achievements in Architectural Design, Fellow, June 22, 1995 *

, May 2001, Doctor of Laws honoris causa * The Order of da Vinci of the Ontario Association of Architects (for exceptional leadership in the profession, education and/ or service to the profession and community), May 10, 2003

Experience

* 2008-2012 - Robbie Young + Wright/ IBI Group Architects, Toronto, ON, Chairman Emeritus * 2004-2008 - Robbie/ Young + Wright Architects Inc., Toronto, ON, Chairman Emeritus * 1993-2004 - Robbie/ Sane Architects Inc., Toronto, ON, President * 1991-1992 - Robbie Sane/ Lambur Scott Architects in Joint Venture, Toronto, ON, Partner * 1987-2004 - Robbie/ Young + Wright Architects Inc., Toronto, ON, President * 1987-2008 - RAN International Architects & Engineers, Toronto and Ottawa, ON, President * 1986-1989 - Robbie Adjeleian NORR Consortium (RAN Consortium), ON, Partner * 1985-1993 - Robbie Architects Inc., Toronto, ON, President * 1980-1985 - Robbie Architects Planners, Toronto, ON, President * 1977-1980 - Robbie Williams Kassum Partnership; Architects and Planners, Toronto, ON, Partner * 1974-1977 - Robbie Williams Kassum Young Partnership; Architects and Planners, Toronto, ON, Partner * 1972-1974 - Robbie Williams Partnership; Architects and Planners, Toronto, ON, Partner * 1965-1972 - Robbie Vaughan & Williams, Toronto, ON, Partner * 1961-1965 - Ashworth Robbie Vaughan & Williams, Toronto, ON, Partner * 1959-1961 - Peter Dickinson Associates, Ottawa, ON, Associate * 1956-1959 - Belcourt & Blair, Architects & Town Planners, Ottawa, ON, Junior Partner * 1951-1956 - Parnell + Robbie, Chartered Architects, London, England, Partner * 1950-1956 - British Railways, London, England, Junior to Senior Assistant Architect

Memberships

* Appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, May 3, 2003 * The

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

- Member, October 8, 2002 * Certified by the

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

- August 5, 1998 (Retired) * The

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state governmental umbrella organization that oversees all educational institutions, including schools, libraries, and museums in New York State. It is governed by the Board of Regents. D ...

, Licensee, 1996 * Canadian Institute of Planners, Member, May 13, 1974 * SEF: Metropolitan Toronto School Board, Study of Education Facilities, Technical Director, 1966 - 1969 * Royal Architectural Institute of Canada - Fellow, June 23, 1989 (Member September 21, 1962) (Life Member) * Town Planning Institute of Canada, Member, January 12, 1961 * Ontario Association of Architects - Member, 1957 (Retired Life Member) * Architects Registration Board (UK) - Registrant, 1951 (Retired) *

- Member, July 3, 1951 (Retired Charter Life Member) * SEF Advisory Committee and SEF Consultant on Systems Building, Past Member * Construction Industry Development, Council of the Government of Canada Past and Founding Member * CSA Standards Steering Committee on Industrialized Building Construction, Past Chairman * CSA Advisory Committee on Systems Building, Past Chairman * Canadian Construction Industry Research Board, Past Member * Ontario Professional Planners Institute - Member (Retired), 23 February 1995

Major architectural competitions won and/or built

* Canadian Government Pavilion Expo '67, Montreal, Quebec, Canada with Paul Schoeler and Matthew Stankiewicz (ARVW), 1963 * Metropolitan Toronto School Board's Study of Educational Facilities, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (SEF) (RVW), 1966 * Public Works Canada and Energy, Mines and Resources, National Low Energy Building Design Awards Competition. Large Buildings Category, with Arun Sane. First Prize (RVWKP), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 1980 * Ontario Stadium Project (SkyDome), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with Michael Allen (RAN Consortium), 1985 * Industrial Research & Development Institute, Midland, Ontario, Canada (RSA), 1996 * Toronto Island Public/ Natural Science School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (RSA), 1996 * Taipei City Sports Dome, Taipei, Taiwan (RAN International), 1996 * NY Mets, New Shea Stadium, New York USA (RAN International), 1996 * Weldstation, Frankfurt, Germany (RAN International) 1995 * King Fahd International Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (RAN International), 1992 * NYC 2008 & 2012 Olympic Stadiums, New York USA (RAN International), 2001 and 2004

Works

File:RogersCentre Toronto Sept1-05.jpg, Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario File:Expo 67, pavillons Ontario, Canada, Provinces-de-l'Ouest, et le Minirail..jpg, Expo 67, pavillons Ontario, Canada, Provinces-de-l'Ouest, et le Minirail. File:Toronto - ON - Ontario College of Art & Design.jpg,

, Toronto, Ontario File:Schulich.JPG,

Schulich School of Business The Schulich School of Business is the business school of York University located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The institution provides undergraduate and graduate degree and diploma programs in business administration, finance, accounting, bus ...

- York University

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbie, Rod 1928 births 2012 deaths British expatriates in Canada Officers of the Order of Canada Architects from Toronto People from Poole Expo 67 Royal Engineers soldiers Military personnel from Dorset 20th-century British Army personnel Alumni of the Regent Street Polytechnic