Robyn Fenton is an architect, designer, instructor and facilitator. She grew up in Richmond, B.C. and after graduating high school, she traveled to Sydney, Australia to pursue her passion in architecture. She lived in Sydney for seven years and completed her B.A.Arch and B.Arch at the University of Technology, Sydney. While studying, she worked for six years with Yvonne Haber Architect. In 2007, Robyn returned to Vancouver. Working with Boni Maddison Architects from 2008 to 2013, she completed her internship and become a registered architect in 2011. In 2009, ReForma Studio was founded, completing small projects. In 2011 it transformed into ReForma Architecture, a registered practice with the AIBC.
AIBC: How can society benefit from the lens architects take to their work?
RF: Architects are problem solvers. We can help communities in a variety of ways. I’ve found this through my volunteer work as a facilitator in workshops and public charrettes.
Including the public (introducing design thinking or human-centred design, for example) and making them feel part of the design process has the benefit of helping them differentiate between good design and bad design and think about how to improve it.
AIBC: What is the highlight of your career so far?
RF: It’s been more than a single project or moment. I’ve had a great career, working with fantastic people, both colleagues and clients. I’ve followed my instincts, been a bit adventurous, which has sometimes led me in unexpected directions, but it’s always worked out! For a few years now, I’ve been doing presentations at conferences, which isn’t something I ever expected to do, but I enjoy and find it really rewarding.
AIBC: What lies at the heart of the value architects bring to bear on the projects they work on?
RF: Community engagement. I’m always thinking about who will be the ultimate end user, who will benefit from the project, and how can we help them have input on its design.
I’m always interested to hear about major projects that have gone through extensive community engagement and how successful they are. Dialog with the New UBC SUB building or Fowler Bauld and Mitchell with the new Halifax Central Library are good examples. Both went to great lengths to engage with the end users and the buildings are not only successful projects, but from what I understand, there is an immense sense of ownership and respect for these spaces in their respective communities.
AIBC: How is the concept of resilience applied in your work?
RF: At the moment, I generally apply the concept through volunteer work and advocacy. My work with the AIBC’s Post-Disaster Response Committee gives me the opportunity to talk about resiliency with colleagues, family, friends and people in my community. I try to advocate where I see opportunities for projects to bring resiliency into the mix. I’m looking forward to having resiliency become more integrated into my professional work.
AIBC: Who do you look to for thought leadership on resilience? Is there a particular concept that informs your thinking?
RF: Rachel Minnery has been a leading voice in the AIA, particularly in post-disaster context, but also in Resilient Design. The AIA has taken a clear leadership role for architects with their Resiliency Program and it is definitely something for us to aspire to here in Canada.
One concept that informs my thinking, as resiliency relates to environmental sustainability, is durable, low maintenance material. Designing buildings that are going to last 50 to100 years and are adaptable, repairable, and flexible is key to resilience.
AIBC: How has a focus on resilience influenced architecture?
RF: Resilience has been coming to the forefront more and more lately, and I only see that continuing. With climate change bringing more storms, drought, and extreme weather events, our designs will have to respond.
There will be innovators and pioneers at the forefront, and we’re already seeing this in some prominent projects that emphasize resilience, like The Big U project in New York City. It’s a seawall that will protect the city from storm surges, but also creates amazing new public spaces. Then coming in behind the pioneers, will be the more structured and universal measures, like those that come in through the building code.
AIBC: Which innovations do you anticipate when it comes to resilience?
RF: I like to think of resilience as the next wave of thinking in buildings. I feel the last 10 to 15 years has been about energy efficiency and GHG emissions (with programs like LEED, Net Zero, Built Green) which have done a great job in bringing public awareness to sustainability and energy efficiency in the built environment.
It would be great to see a standard develop to emphasize resiliency in design (there are some code-plus programs underway in the US, such as FORTIFIED). I know it’s not glamorous, but I see innovation in building codes and with insurers being key and influential. I’m a big believer in incentives. Insurers already provide incentives in places like Florida, where if you take measures to protect your house from hurricanes, you receive discounts on your premiums. This isn’t a new concept, but resilient design is a new area where we can advocate for incentives.
Imagine a discount on insurance premiums or even property taxes if you built your house to a post-disaster standard?
AIBC: Where do you plan to focus over the next five years?
RF: My newly adopted home of Bowen Island is an exciting place to be at the moment. There are new neighborhoods and community buildings in the planning stages, to be built in years to come. I hope to advocate for them to be built with resiliency in mind. I also plan to continue my work with the AIBC’s Post-Disaster Response Committee, where we are working to establish a national, cross-jurisdictional network of architects who can assist after disasters, much like the AIA’s Disaster Assistance Program.
AIBC: Do you have any advice for those looking to build a resilient future?
RF: One of the most important aspects of resiliency is building a strong, connected community. There’s a lot we can do with the built environment, but it’s the people inhabiting those spaces and how they will support and assist each other over time, especially in a post-disaster context, that will most effectively provide for a resilient future.
For more interviews on the state of architecture in B.C., please see the 2016 issue of architectureBC.