Bing Thom
Bing Wing Thom, (Chinese: 譚秉榮; 8 December 1940 – 4 October 2016) was a Canadian architect and urban designer. Born in Hong Kong, he immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with his family in 1950. His paternal grandfather originally immigrated to Vancouver in the 1890s and his father was born in New Westminster before moving to Hong Kong after being unable to practice as a pharmacist in Canada. Career. Thom received a Bachelor of Architecture in 1966 from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Architecture in 1970 from the University of California, Berkeley. He moved to  Tokyo in 1971 to work for Japanese architect-urbanist Fumihiko Maki. Returning to Canada in 1972, he joined Arthur Erickson Architects as project director and oversaw projects such as Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto (1977), the Robson Square Courthouse Complex in Vancouver (1973–1979) and the Air Defence Ministry Building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 1981, Thom established his own architecture firm, Vancouver-based Bing Thom Architects. In 1995, Thom was made a Member of the Order of Canada and he was a recipient of the Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding service to his country. He was a Fellow of the  Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. Thom received honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. In 2010, Thom and his firm were awarded the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Architectural Firm of the Year award. and in 2011 he was awarded the RAIC's highest honour, the RAIC Gold Medal. Thom died at age 75 of a brain aneurysm while on a trip to Hong Kong in October 2016. Bing Thom Architects. As of 2015 the firm has a total staff of 47, including principals Venelin Kokalov and Shinobu Homma, directors, registered architects, architectural graduate  and students, urban designers and planners, and support staff. The firm specializes in urban planning and complex building types such as civic buildings, performing arts centres and public spaces. Typically projects are mixed-use, integrating commercial, residential and cultural uses to create a sustainable whole. They have offices in Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Washington, DC.