Queen Elizabeth Theatre Vancouver View of Lobby

Raymond Tait (Ray) Affleck (20 November 1922 – 16 March 1989) was a Canadian architect. He was born on 20 November 1922 in

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He died in Montreal on 16 March 1989."Raymond Tait Affleck"
Canadian Encyclopedia, 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014 One of the founders of

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 ...

-based architectural firm

Arcop Arcop (also ARCOP) was an architectural firm based in Montreal, renowned for designing many major projects in Canada including Place Bonaventure, Place Ville-Marie and Maison Alcan. The firm was originally formed as a partnership under the name ...

, he also taught at leading universities in Canada and the United States.

Academic career

Raymond Affleck attended

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1947, and in 1948 undertook postgraduate studies at the Federal Technical Institute in

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

. He later taught at prominent universities including

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and

Technical University of Nova Scotia The Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) was a Canadian university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. TUNS was officially founded as the Nova Scotia Technical College on 25 April 1907, and was renamed as the Technical University of Nova Sco ...

. He was a Fellow in the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

(1965) and an Academician in the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

(1967).

Business career

He opened the R.T. Affleck independent architectural practice in 1952, and in 1955 participated in the creation of an architecture firm together with Guy Desbarats, Dimitri Dimakopoulos, Fred Lebensold and

Hazen Sise Hazen Edward Sise (22 October 1906 – 15 February 1974) was a Canadian architect, educator, and humanitarian. Early life and education Sise was born in 1906 in Montreal, Quebec. His father, Paul Fleetford Sise, was president of the Northern ...

. This firm changed its name to Arcop Associates, Architects and Planners in 1970.

Major projects

Projects undertaken by Arcop ranged from

Queen Elizabeth Theatre The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum, Vancouver Playhouse, and thAnnex it is one of four facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres on behalf ...

, Vancouver (1955) to St John's (Newfoundland) Arts and Cultural Centre (1967). These projects helped to establish Affleck as an influential architect.Raymond Affleck fonds, 1956-1977
Canadian Architectural Archives, University of Calgary (2014), retrieved 6 August 2014 Between 1964 and 1968 Affleck was mainly engaged on the

Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure () is an office, exhibition, and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the second-largest commercial building in the world at the time of i ...

complex in central Montreal, which has been described as "a somewhat forbidding example of Brutalism". Other prominent projects included

Place Ville Marie Place Ville Marie (, abbr. PVM) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. The main building, 1 Place Ville Marie (formerly Royal Ba ...

(1956-1965) and

Maison Alcan Maison Alcan (English: Alcan House) is a building complex located on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Square Mile district of Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, provin ...

(1983) in Montreal.

Other projects

Place des Arts frame, View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the right. Place des Arts () is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Q ...

(Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier), Montreal (1963) * University Centre, McGill University, Montreal (1965) * Stephen Leacock Building, McGill University, Montreal (1965) * Life Sciences Centre,

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 ...

, Halifax (Nova Scotia) (1971) * Mughal Sheraton Hotel,

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

(1978) *

Place Air Canada Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Ofte ...

, Montreal (1983) * Post Office,

Mont-Royal Mount Royal ( , officially Town of Mount Royal, Ville Mont-Royal, abbreviated TMR, ) is an affluent on-island suburban town located on the northwest side of the eponymous Mount Royal, northwest of Downtown Montreal, on the Island of Montreal in ...

* Number One Wood Avenue, Montreal

Architectural thinking

In projects such as Place Bonaventure, Affleck sought to include indoor pedestrian routes and atria, design features suited to a cold climate. The aim was an integrated architectural plan encompassing buildings, streets and main highways. At Maison Alcan, a restored historic hotel and greystone houses on

Sherbrooke Street Sherbrooke Street (officially in ) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal, Canada. The street begins in the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West and ends on the extreme ...

are joined to the modern glass and aluminum-clad structure behind by means of a glazed atrium. Market Square ( Saint John, 1983) is another important conservation and infill project that demonstrates the application of Affleck's urban theories.

Personal life

Affleck married Betty Ann Henley in 1950. They had five children, including animator

Neil Affleck Neil Affleck is a Canadian animator, director, actor, and teacher. He has worked as an animation-timer and director on ''The Simpsons'' and ''Family Guy''. As an actor, he appeared in the 1981 film ''Scanners'' and had a leading role in the 1981 f ...

and architect Gavin Affleck.

Awards

Massey Medal The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) awards the Massey Medal annually to recognize outstanding personal achievement in the exploration, development or description of the geography of Canada. The award was established in 1959, by the M ...

- 1961, 1964, 1967, 1970 *

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal () is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were recommended by government, professional, ...

- 1967 * Award of excellence, Canadian Architectural Yearbook, 1968 * Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architectural Design, 1980"ARCOP"
The Canadian Encyclopedia. Accessed January 25, 2010. * ''Prix d'excellence'',

Ordre des architectes du Québec A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to f ...

, 1984"Honorary Degree Citation - Raymond Affleck"
Concordia University, June 1988, retrieved 8 October 2014 *

(RAIC) Gold Medal (posthumously) - 1989

References

External links

* Finding aid for th
Ray Affleck fonds

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; ) is a Architecture museum, museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between rue Fort (Fort Street) and rue Saint-Ma ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Affleck, Raymond 1922 births 1989 deaths Modernist architecture in Canada People from Penticton Canadian company founders 20th-century Canadian architects Architects from Montreal McGill School of Architecture alumni Canadian expatriates in the United States