“Building is possibly the most positive moment there is, and also a time for gathering. To build is to be together.“
-Patrick Bouchain
This project tells a building story, not only a story of infant construction but moreover a life of loving maintenance and the continued discussion of future preservation. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown lives on as a symbol of the Chinese Canadian Community and a space of lively culture, sharing, and joy. It was dreamed of, built, and cared for by many loving hands. Engaging with this space and the people who have helped maintain it over the years has been a personal process of deconstructing my own previously learned ‘roles of the architect’. The work produced in our studio is nowhere complete and has rather opened more questions than answers. What I am sure of, is communities can fall in love with an architecture, particularly when its building and design are not exclusively left to specialists. Generosity will follow, and with it, sweat and hearts invested into caring for a space; to preserve memories, sustain friendships, and generational exchange.