After an intensive international search, Arena Stage
selected Canadian firm Bing Thom Architects to be the
visionary for its extensive expansion and redevelopment.
Arena Stage wanted an architect that would reflect its
leadership in the arts and that would also be sensitive
to its existing heritage structures and its commitment
to Southwest Washington. Arena Stage found this with
Bing Thom Architects.
Bing Thom Architects (BTA) was selected from an international
pool of more than 150 candidates. An architectural firm
that has collaborated with and advised cultural institutions,
corporations, universities, governments, developers
and communities around the world for more than 20 years,
BTA has significant experience in building design for
performing arts and cultural complexes, as well as historical
preservation and waterfront projects.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Bing
Thom Architects undertakes selectively few projects
at any given time to ensure that founder Bing Thom and
at least one director are personally involved in all
stages of every project. The core team of 45 experienced
staff members provides the foundation for larger teams
that are assembled on a project-by-project basis.
The firm has an impressive worldwide resume of buildings
that include: the Canada Pavilion for Expo '92 in Seville,
Spain; the Master Plans for the City of Dalian and Yuxi
in China; and now the Arena Stage theater complex in
Washington, D.C. Some of the firm's recent Canadian
accomplishments are the Central City project, a 1.7
million-square-foot mixed-use development that integrates
an existing regional shopping mall with a major new
university and office development to create a new city
center; the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the
University of British Columbia, considered to be the
finest medium-sized concert hall on the continent; and
the Pacific Canada Pavilion at the Vancouver Aquarium
and Marine Science Centre. More recently BTA has been
quite active in Texas where they were responsible for
developing the masterplan for the Trinity Uptown project
adjacent to downtown Fort Worth. As an extension of
that work, they are now designing the first phase of
Tarrant County College’s new downtown campus for 10,000
students.
With a distinguished 40-year career to date, Bing Thom
(CM, MArch, FRAIC, AIA) is BTA’s principal and lead
designer of the new Arena Stage complex. Thom has gained
an outstandingly positive reputation for his innovation
and holistic approach to design and his range of projects
appear worldwide.
A Hong Kong native, Thom received his bachelor’s
degree from the University of British Columbia in 1966
and his Master of Architecture degree from the University
of California at Berkeley in 1970. He worked in the
offices of Fumihiko Maki and Arthur Erickson before
starting his own firm in 1980. His successful and thriving
practice is a testament to his achievement, as are his
scores of awards including the Golden Jubilee Medal
for services to his country and the Order of Canada,
the country’s highest honor, for his contribution to
architecture.
Dedicated to helping the next generation of architects,
Thom is a popular lecturer in Canada and abroad. He
was also the privileged recipient of an Honorary Degree
of Laws from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada,
for his major commitment to architecture and community.
“We have envisioned the space between the new
theaters as crossroads of exchange for the
community. The design of the lobby will inspire the
audience to be patrons, actors and observers,
simultaneously thereby creating the natural drama
that occurs during a memorable night at Arena.”
– Architect Bing Thom
