From corporate to residential landmark, a quarter century ago work began on the adaptive reuse of the 1957 BC Hydro head office as The Electra. Hear about this successful Vancouver project, its history and legacy from Architect Paul Merrick in conversation with Heritage Consultant Donald Luxton.

An original co-founder of the practice now Merrick Architecture - Borowski Sakumoto Fligg McIntyre Ltd., a fellow of the RAIC, and a recent recipient of the AIBC Lifetime Achievement Award, Paul conceived and directed much of the award-winning work of the Practice beginning in 1984. He remains a respected mentor for all of the practice’s staff, and, beyond the retirement of his ownership in 2010, continues to provide a valued contribution to the ongoing work of both studios as a Senior Design Consultant. Paul offers a widely-acknowledged reputation as a gifted and collaborative architect and urban designer, established early in his career, as Practice Chair of the acclaimed Vancouver firm Thompson Berwick and Pratt, which during the 1970s led to work across Canada and internationally.

Donald Luxton has been working for over 3 decades in heritage resource management and cultural planning across Canada. Don studied architecture at UBC, and in addition to finding a career path in heritage as a conservation consultant he has also become an author, educator and sought-after speaker. Don wrote and edited Building The West: the Early Architects of British Columbia, an important history of important early architects working on the west coast. He teaches at BCIT’s School of Construction and has been a part of VHF’s Old School courses since they launched in 2008. He is the winner of numerous awards and countless City of Vancouver Heritage Awards, and helped found Heritage Vancouver. Don was instrumental in the creation of VHF’s True Colours Historic Paint Palette, is one of Vancouver’s strongest advocates for heritage preservation and is considered one of Canada’s foremost heritage consultants.