From Hong Kong to Gretna to Winnipeg to "Times Square"this is part of the saga of a 'driven' architect who is considered within the industry to be a great friend of masonry.
"I attempt to use masonry wherever I can," says Ray Wan, a 45-year old Winnipeg architect. "A masonry wall system outperforms other forms in durability for the life span of a building. There is a stable look about masonry and it provides great flexibility in texture, colour and scale."
Mr. Wan uses masonry for the interiors of a building as well. Asked for an example, he cites his own office. "I try to relate the exterior to the interior whenever I can," he says.
Mr. Wan is driven as well by his passion to work for the community in which he lives and was awarded the Golden Dragon Citizen of the Year Award he shared with former federal MP Reg Alcock in November, 2005. The Chinese community through the Golden Dragons recognizes one of its own and a nonChinese annually, 2005 being the 10th year of the award. |
Ray Wan stands beside his architectural design of the Can-West Global "Times Square" to be built at Portage and Main - Completion date in the fall of 2007. |
In addition to his work as an architect for 20 years, Mr. Wan is a founding member of the Chinese Community Foundation which raises money under the auspices of The Winnipeg Foundation. He has also been involved in the Chinese Cultural Centre and the Winnipeg China Downtown Association, along with being a founding member of the Toe Chew Chinese Organization which assists people coming to Winnipeg from his ancestral home in China.
Mr. Wan was born and raised in Hong Kong in a very traditional Chinese family. At age 15 he was sent to Gretna, Manitoba for his high school education. Why Gretna? His father wanted him to learn English and return to Hong Kong to take part in the family's importing business. The Mennonite High School in southeastern Manitoba was the first school mentioned in a list of foreign schools that his father consulted.
Those were three long years being thrown into a completely different environment. He strove to learn English as spoken here in Canada and used sports to break down the barriers. "I was able to mingle because I played soccer, basketball and track," he explains.
Then he was directed by his father to take studies at the University of Manitoba. He chose architecture because he had always like drawing.
Today, he considers himself and his wife, Connie, to be much less traditional in a cultural sense. and their three daughters and one son. "1 guide, not govern," he states emphatically. Connie, his wife of 22 years is a partner in their business, handling the administrative duties of the company.
Has he enjoyed the decision to become an architect? "There are no given solutions and that's the real challenge," he says. "My father recognized my ability to draw and appreciate art and that I could visualize in three dimensions."
While studying, Mr. Wan concentrated primarily on private sector projects because that was his family's focus back in China and Hong Kong. During his fourth year in architecture, Mr. Wan was offered two jobs before even finishing his thesis, a very unique situation. He took the job offer from Friesen Tokar in Winnipeg and worked there for nine years. "I became an associate with the company and I learned a lot, but the moment came," he claims, "when I had to try to go out on my own or it would never happen." Working from his home, his initial contract came in the first week of March, 1995, from a contact in Calgary; and soon his first major commission was designing a Northwest Company store in Rankin Inlet, NWT. He hasn't looked back since.
He has been involved in many Winnipeg projects including Point West, a project he designed for the Chipman family and the Smart Park at the University of Manitoba.
But perhaps his name will become even more recognizable when the proposed Times Square Project is completed adjoining the CanWest Global building at Portage and Main. His nine year association with the Asper family's development company, Crestwin, will put up his name on the big screen. This project has a tentative completion date set for the fall of 2007.
Questioned why he is considered a "driven" professional, Mr. Wan explains he is dedicated personally to his career and his staff, which he considers family. "Maybe its scary," he continues, "but I am seen as a workaholic and maybe I drive people up the wall because I am so adamant about what I believe. It's important to do the right thing." He adds it is so important to deliver on your promises and give the personal touch to the quality of your work.
But there is also a dark side to this drive. "Fat chance" is what one professor told him when Mr. Wan discussed his dream of owning his own architecture firm. "We Chinese are perceived as really studious and hard working, but not creative. I'm a minority within the profession. I don't want to be a failure!"
Mr. Wan wants to break the barriers and continue to explore the creative side of his chosen profession which has taken him on a journey from Hong Kong to Times Square. |