Architect Jacques Herzog shapes city culture with building design

In the centre of Beijing lies a daring new design, 42,000 tonnes of steel beams, woven together into the shape of a bird's nest.- Jacques Herzog, architect of Beijing's Bird Nest

Picture if you will, a simple parking lot. This one is in downtown Vancouver... near a busy theatre, some high rise condos, and the CBC building there.

Some bold designs for what that humble parking lot is set to become are being scratched out on blueprints by one of the world's leading architectural firms. We're talking about the future home to the new Vancouver Art Gallery.

What it will look like is still a bit of a mystery. The design is expected to be unveiled later next month. But we do know that the architectural firm behind it is Herzog and de Meuron, from Switzerland.

And while this is their first Canadian project, their portfolio of buildings around the world includes some veritable architectural icons, from the Tate Modern gallery in London, to Beijing's National Stadium... also known as the Birdsnest.

Their work has earned them the prestigious Pritzker Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Architecture.

Have a look at some buildings designed by Herzog & de Meuron

Today, as part of our series By Design, we were joined by one of the firm's founding partners, Jacques Herzog, in our Vancouver studio.

The new Vancouver Art Gallery is expected to open in 2021. 
 

This segment was produced by The Current's Liz Hoath.