James K. M. Cheng () is a Canadian architect best known for his

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

towers in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Cheng's designs, most notably the highrise towers, are noted for their extensive use of glass and for their contribution to the architectural style known as

Vancouverism Vancouverism is an urban planning and architectural phenomenon in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is characterized by a large residential population living in the city centre with mixed-use developments, typically with a medium-height, c ...

Life and work

Cheng was born in Hong Kong and educated at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

(B.Arch., 1970) and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(M.Arch.) where he studied under

Richard Meier Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American abstract artist and architect, whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white. A winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, Meier has designed several iconic buildings ...

. In Canada he then apprenticed under

Arthur Erickson Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Engineering at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is known ...

. He formed his own firm, James K.M. Cheng Architects Inc., in 1978 when he won the commission for the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Beginning in the 1990s Vancouver saw an unprecedented real estate boom that led to the construction of dozens of condo towers in the city. Cheng has become the leading residential tower designer of this period. UBC professor Dina Krunic has commented that "concrete construction and green glass façade, for which Vancouver is internationally known, are James Cheng's legacy." In 2012 Cheng was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. While most of his projects are residential and in Vancouver, Cheng has other credits: *

Living Shangri-La Living Shangri-La is a mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is the tallest building in the city and province. The 62-storey Shangri-La tower contains a 5-star hotel and its offices on the first 15 floors, with ...

currently the tallest building in Metro Vancouver * King George Tower - designed proposed tower that if completed would be one of the tallest buildings in Canada *

Fairmont Pacific Rim Fairmont Pacific Rim is an upscale hotel and condominium building in Vancouver, British Columbia. It stands at 140 m or 44 stories tall and was completed just prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 4, 2010. History The skyscraper, which i ...

- an upscale hotel and condominium building *

Shangri-La Toronto Shangri-La Toronto is a luxury hotel and residential condominium building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was designed by James K. M. Cheng and built by Westbank Projects Corp.; they also designed and built the Living Shangri-La in Van ...

- mixed used hotel, condo tower in Toronto and second building built by Cheng outside BC * Lincoln Square in Bellevue, Washington and first building built by Cheng outside BC * Shaw Tower - mix residential-commercial office tower * Parc Residences in

Victoria, BC Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

- residential mid-rise * Willow Court in

, BC - residential townhouses - In 1983, Willow Court won Cheng the

Governor General's Medal for Architecture The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

The Falls The Falls may refer to: * ''The Falls'' (Oates novel), 2004 novel by Joyce Carol Oates * ''The Falls'' (Rankin novel), 2001 crime novel by Ian Rankin * The Falls (mall), an open-air shopping mall in Kendall, Florida * The Falls, Nova Scotia, a ...

- residential mid-rise with retail base * Terminal City Club Tower - mixed used hotel, condo and office tower * Waiea Tower in

Ward Village Ward Village is a , master-planned community in the Kaka'ako district of Honolulu. It is being developed by The Howard Hughes Corporation. Once completed, this beachfront development will have luxury residences, retail stores, entertainment ven ...

- 36-floor residential tower in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Hawaii.

References

External links

Official WebsiteEmporis - James KM Cheng Architects Inc.
Canadian architects Canadian people of Chinese descent Glass architecture Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Living people People from Vancouver University of Washington College of Built Environments alumni Skyscraper architects Hong Kong people Members of the Order of Canada Year of birth missing (living people) {{Canada-architect-stub