Lecture Series: Joseph Fry, Hapa Collaborative

Joseph Fry, Hapa Collaborative, external link (external link) , Principal, BCSLA CSLA ASLA is the founding principal of Hapa Collaborative, and a vocal advocate for Vancouver’s public realm and the role of the landscape architecture, and is dedicated to deepening our collective understanding and investment in civic placemaking. His professional offices have included chair of the Richmond Advisory Design Panel, member of the Vancouver Advisory Urban Design Panel, director of the BC Society of Landscape Architects, and adjunct professor with the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia.  Joe is a coach, a parent, a volunteer and a committed participant in our City’s discussion about design and the public realm.  His work spans the full spectrum of the profession including large-scale master planning, landscape urbanism, commemorative landscapes, detailed design and construction supervision.  
 

Joe will review the work that his practice has been involved in over 14 years and discuss how Hapa has interacted with the work of mid-century modernists in Vancouver, specifically Cornelia Oberlander’s signature sites, including šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square at Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. The discussion will also examine into how landscape architecture as a profession has evolved – in this age of Reconciliation - to be more multiculturally literate and be a voice for stories who would be otherwise unheard.

About Hapa

Hapa Collaborative is a landscape architecture and urban design practice, deeply committed to the creation of connected and livable communities. We hearten the attachment between people and their environment by revitalizing forgotten spaces into ones buzzing with social energy, transforming them into dynamic and intricate parts of a larger, connected whole. This is the alchemy of what we do.

Since 2008, Hapa is a contemporary voice for landscape design and a fresh and agile alternative to the traditional practice. We are established with placemaking, attentiveness and collaboration at our core. We see each project as an opportunity to synthesize ideas wrought from many—often opposing—influences derived from the crossover between art and engineering, landscape and architecture, and ecology and culture. The resulting designs impart a sublime character, making them beloved and unique to the place.

Our process is a collective one that has involved many hands throughout our ten years as a firm. We have worked within the full breadth of scales, from masterplans to pocket parks, civic spaces to private residences, and streetscapes to green roofs. We love exploring new materials, building lasting relationships, and ultimately creating cherished spaces. The insights we have gained by working closely with the public have created our foundation for an excellent design team: strong leadership and design fundamentals, engaging presentation skills, experienced technical knowledge, and a keen ear.