Photo by Analyn Cuarto Bing Thom: Designing a cityscape > Vancouver's most prolific architect and his impact on the city Greg Waldock Staff Writer Me Vancouver has something pretty special in its distinct architectural style. Smooth curves, blue-green glass, and tan wood are the centerpieces of our aesthetic. One of the most perfect examples of this is the Surrey Central tower, a gorgeous spire in a city that has struggled with poverty and crime for decades—that imagery, using architecture to uplift the city around it, was typical of the man who designed it and gave Vancouver an iconic panache. That man was Bing Thom, world-famous architect and dedicated Vancouverite. Bing Thom got his start in architecture after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Architecture, and later a Master’s from Berkley in California. After returning to Vancouver, he trained under master architect Arthur Charles Erickson, who was most notable for designing UBC’s Museum of Anthropology and creating the design for Simon Fraser University. Thom would later launch into international fame after completing the Chan Centre in 1997. Hand-picked by the philanthropic Chan brothers to oversee construction on the lavish performing arts mecca, Thom threw himself into the work over the next two years and the result speaks for itself. The critical success of the design led him to work on other projects in Vancouver and abroad, allowing him to found his own firm, Bing Thom Architects, now known as Revery Architecture. His career afterward was extremely diverse. From the Surrey Public Library to entire city masterplans in China, Thom found success after success. His preferred style was to be generous with open space where possible, with large open courtyards and natural light. Where wide space wasn't available, he used slow sweeping curves and clear glass to give the appearance of openness. This has since become an The fine art of prop making > Basic techniques and materials Duncan Fingarson Senior Columnist M ost costumes, wno matter what they're for, can be made better with props. Video game characters will often have weapons, for example, so taking the time to craft that weapon makes your costume all the more impressive. Making the props on your own can be a challenge, but with a few relatively common materials you'll find that it’s a lot easier than you may think. Going in, it helps to know what you're looking for. Tools, knives, and other items can be found at pretty much any office supply or craft store. For others, you might need to hit up a hobby shop. Hardware stores are another good place to pick up tools and materials. You can also look in toy stores for toys to repurpose as props. Nerf guns and the like are pretty cheap, at least for the smaller ones. The bigger ones will run a little more, but for most of the handguns youre looking at $10-15, max. You can take off all the logos with a file or Dremel and paint it to look less like a toy, and more like something appropriate to your costume. For something like a sword, or an axe, you have a few options. PVC piping makes a good sturdy handle. You can use wood for a blade if you can shape it right, but it’s probably much easier to work with foamboard. Foamboard is basically a sheet of Styrofoam sandwiched between a couple sheets of paper. It can be easily cut to shape with a sharp hobby knife and stacked together for strength and extra thickness. Not to mention it’s significantly lighter than wood, something that could benefit you if you have to carry this prop around for long periods of time. Another thing to look into, because it’s great for adding small details, is sheet styrene. You might need to go to a hobby shop for that, but it’s not expensive and comes in a variety of thicknesses. Once again, it can be cut with a hobby knife, though it’s better to score it and break it off than to try to cut all the way through. Choice of glue is important. For plastic, you'll usually want some sort of cement or epoxy. Hot glue will work for most things but can get a bit messy, and if you're working with certain lightweight materials like foam-core, it will melt it. Try to avoid regular white school glue if at all possible. Primer is another important thing to consider once you're ready to paint. Sand your surfaces a bit to give the primer something to stick to, and make sure not to use spray paint on bare Styrofoam, because it will melt. Finally, painting techniques. There are three basic things to worry about: blending, highlighting, and dry- brushing. Blending, or making a wash, involves mixing water with the paint (you are using water-based acrylics, right? Good) in order to thin it down. Then, you can brush from where you want strongest colour to where you want it lighter, in order to get a nice fade. Highlighting is using a lighter iconic Vancouver look, embodied by the Surrey Central tower, Robson Square, Aberdeen Centre, the Chan Centre, and many others. It also found its way into Hong Kong and America through his work as his popularity and fame grew. Bing Thom worked hard right up until his sudden death of a brain aneurism on October 4, 2016 at the age of 75. He was in Hong Kong on a business trip at the time. His final project was the Guildford Aquatic Centre, which his firm dutifully completed after he passed. Bing Thom left behind his wife of 50 years, two brothers, his flourishing architectural firm, and a legacy of Vancouver design that continues to spread around the world. Photo by Duncan Fingarson shade of the base colour to go over edges and raised areas, making them stand out. Dry-brushing is most important for metallics, which should always by painted over top of black primer. This involves loading the brush with paint, then wiping most of it off until only the barest amount is left and brushing lightly over the surface of the prop. Experiment with different things. A combination of foamboard, styrene, and paint with a few oddments can turn into a surprising number of different props. Keep in mind that everything gets easier with practice!