AUGUST 2014
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business elite canada
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and design of the project to reflect Canada’s
domestic policy of multiculturalism, in other
words to represent the ‘guest’ country and to
show respect for the culture of the ‘host’ coun-
try. MacKay-Lyons and Sweetapple applied one
of their main philosophies in dealing with the
challenge that required a regional approach to
architecture. This means incorporating a de-
sign that respects and accommodates aspects
of place such as the local climate, geography,
political scene and local building culture.
Founding partner, Brian MacKay-Lyons feels
that the architecture of the firm is directly re-
lated to respect for the place and the commu-
nity.
“Connected to an architecture of place is re-
spect for tradition, or cultural heritage. While
deeply rooted in the idea of place (which in it-
self is culturally transferable) the architecture
of MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is ab-
solutely modern - the more ancient the work,
the more modern.” Mackay-Lyons said.
“We immersed ourselves into that culture of
place and culture of building to make the build-
ing relate to Bangladesh,” said Sweetapple.
For example, the firm made use of brick for
a beautiful courtyard scheme because brick
is so popular in the architectural culture of
Bangledesh. The courtyard was actually on a
mound to protect against flooding conditions.
Understanding water flow and the natural dis-
tribution cycle was critical.
Project: Cliff House
Photographer: Greg Richardson
