Richard Henriquez

Richard George Henriquez (born 5 February 1941 in Annotto Bay, Jamaica) is a Canadian architect and artist known for founding Henriquez & Todd with Robert Todd in 1969 which evolved over 50 years to become the Henriquez Partners Architects of today.

His projects are known for its blend of unique design with its historical context.

Once Henriquez graduated from highschool, he immediately pursued his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Manitoba in Canada from 1958 to 1964.

The program was highly technical and even included four years of structural engineering in its curriculum.

The school provided Henriquez with a strong technical base and taught him the construction and how to build buildings, but all his work was still constrained to reality and any superfluous work was considered illegitimate.

Upon graduation, Henriquez returned to Jamaica to work for McMorris Sibley Robinson Architects.

It was here where he took on over a dozen projects including corporate, cultural and domestic projects.

Many of these residential projects, were situated on hilltop sites or steep slopes, giving Henriquez experience later in his life when he designs for Vancouver's hilly topography.

Henriquez eventually attended MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to complete his master's degree.

It was here that he developed his theoretical and philosophical views in architecture that would be the basis of his work for years to come.

For his final thesis project, Henriquez developed a conceptual scheme of a satellite town for 100,000 people near Germantown, Maryland.

His project was an exploration of flexibility, adaptability, which Henriquez puts as “allowing them freedom to live as they choose and meaningful choice as to where and how they live”.

Henriquez had always designed for, however it was in this project when he started to develop his philosophical stances in architecture.

The project was deeply influenced by his supervisor, Lubicz-Nycz who believed that architecture is spiritual, where it must honor the past and carry its narrative, while allowing future growth.

This narrative approach becomes and integral part of Henriquez's design process in his future works.

The Sylvia Hotel Tower, built in 1984 was an addition to the Edward Sylvia Hotel (a once popular Vancouver hotel, and a current designated heritage landmark) located near the Vancouver waterfront.

His accumulation of work are celebrated by dozens of awards including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal in 2005, Governor Generals Medal in 1994 and the Order of Canada in 2017.

He is currently a Principal at Henriquez Partners, along with his son Gregory Henriquez who assumed the role of Managing Partner in 2005.

Richard Henriquez was known for his focus on the place of memory and history in his work.

He believed that contemporary buildings are disconnected with the past and so his architecture carries a memory which he calls "issue is continuity between the past, the future and the present, and making people aware of their place in time and space."

In a particular interview, Henriquez notes that Roman cities were laid out by cardines (running north to south) and decamanus (running east to west), all in line with the rising sun.

He believed that cities once had a relationship to nature, and wanted to take inspiration from the past.

He incorporates historic elements in a variety of ways such as relating the archaeology of the site to the traditional mythic stories that were passed down the generation.

He also explored the depths of spatial relationships beyond the quintessential floor heights, material, setback, etc. but in their cosmic and metaphorical relationships elements.

Henriquez says his work is "not to invoke nostalgia but to rather give people a new way of looking at what they take for granted."

He was also known for bringing a distinct style of high-density urban design to Vancouver, designing buildings that have slim proportions, low rise buildings, view corridors and parks that create livable communities.

A notable example would be the Sylvia hotel tower, with large glazing area and thin floorplates that influence the high rises of Vancouver for years to come.

Henriquez was born from a modest family.

When Henriquez was three years old, a hurricane almost destroyed his family's home.

Later that year, he discovered his father - an agricultural instructor who was Lancaster fighter pilot in World War 2 - was killed in action.

Due to these circumstances, Henriquez and his siblings went on to live with their grandparents while the mother worked.

During his time with his grandparents, Henriquez would hear stories on how his grandparents and his father lived in the past.

Although he lacked first-hand contact with his father, he valued objects his father made before his passing such as wooden bowls and furniture.

Henriquez comments that his interest in history may have stemmed from his absent father, inspiring the architectural work that he produced over the years.

Henriquez also credits his grand-uncle for his inspiration of pursuing architecture.

His grand-uncle was a multifaceted artisan that was a sculptor, painter, architect and an engineer.

This influenced young Henriquez to follow his footsteps and explored artistic endeavors such as creating sculptures out of limestone and painting.

None of his other 2 brothers and 2 sisters followed the same artistic pursuits, although his older sister, Kay Levy, worked in the early days of the firm as the bookkeeper and office manager.

Growing up in Jamaica had affected Henriquez's design sensibility.

In Jamaica, material was costly while labor was cheap and therefore, Henriquez believed that nothing of value should go to waste and should be instead reused.