WINNER OF THE 2018 CANADIAN ARCHITECT PHOTO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Photo: Ema Peter Photography
I always try to catch the decisive moment—the shot that will make you not only notice, but feel the architecture. This image is of the Parq Vancouver, by ACDF architecture in consortium with Architecture49, and in close collaboration with IBI Group. I knew that it would be important to showcase the reflectiveness of the building, and I concentrated on taking photos that highlighted how the building reflects the environment around it. Then I thought, this is the perfect building to mix two of my passions: architecture and clouds. I asked Maxime Alexis-Frappier, one of the partners and co-founders of ACDF, if he agreed to let me try this idea. He did. When the day came, I knew from the beginning it would be perfect. This specific shot was in an area where not many people passed by. It had the most unique cloud surrounding the terrace. I needed a person in the image, and put the camera on a timer while I ran multiple times into the shot myself.
Jury Comments
David Penner: I appreciate the complex composition and the intriguing layering of building, sky, context, and what appears to be a mullion fin layer on the facade itself. It’s very rich.
Ted Watson: The cloud elevates the photograph from simply documenting the architecture. It takes a photographer’s eye to capture that sky and reflection at that moment in time.
Monica Adair: At the end of the day, this photo seizes the essence of the magical moments where design, environment, time and the viewer meet.