A lively tour of Vancouver's finest and internationally acclaimed architecture from the past 20 years.

Illustrated with 160 full-colour photographs and 40 architects' drawings, and accompanied by critical writings that position Vancouver in the broader context of urban development, this new book in the series takes readers on a visual tour of the city's most important recent design accomplishments. It evokes a generation of building that represents a period of unprecedented growth, beginning with Expo 86 and continuing through the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Drawing on the success of A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Montreal, this book features buildings and public spaces grouped by areas, with maps so that a visitor can create walking tours, including downtown Vancouver, Richmond, the North Shore, Kitsilano, the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. The convenient size and format, including an index, allows a visitor to put this guidebook in a pocket and go.

Christopher Macdonald is Director of the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and contributes regularly to popular and academic journals concerning architecture and urbanism. He is the author of Cabin, Cottage and Camp. He lives in Vancouver.

Christopher Macdonald's profile page

Veronica Gillies is the regional leader for global architectural firm HOK's Vancouver office and participates on municipal design panels, acts as a school guest critic and sits on the executive council of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia.

Veronica Gillies' profile page

Nancy Dunton has worked on architectural projects and organised public programs about architecture since 1981. She has taught courses at the McGill and Université de Montréal Schools of Architecture and at Dawson College. She was the curator and coordinator of the exhibition Printing the City/Imprimer la ville and presented the architectural visits Visites en ville and Architecture en lumière.

Nancy Dunton's profile page

Helen Malkin has more than twenty-five years experience in the development of exhibition and publication projects on architecture and the city, first at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and now as a consultant in arts and cultural management. She directed the Alumia Prize for Photography and Design on behalf of the Aluminum Association of Canada (AAC).

Helen Malkin's profile page

• Short-listed, City of Vancouver Book Award

"Vancouver is unequivocally a fascinating work in progress...as a laboratory for experimental research in architecture and the public realm, there are bound to be positive results, numerous examples of which are contained in this thoughtfully prepared guidebook."

Canadian Architects

"Macdonald has captured many...'moments of brilliance' in A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture, a new pocket-size book dedicated to the memory of Erickson...Each [building] is presented with a capsule description accompanied by lush photography."

Georgia Straight

"The Guidebook does not disappoint either as a tourist's guide to contemporary Vancouver architecture, or as a folio for the local Vancouverite...it makes for an indispensable reference for local architects and designers, historians and teachers alike. Most importantly, with A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Vancouver completing the set on the nation's three largest cities, these books contest to a continuing thriving industry of national architecture...and are a testament to the talent, new and old, that collectively defines our architectural culture."

Re:Place Magazine

"This pocket-sized book features 160 colour photographs and 40 architectural drawings. Each project is presented through a description, photographs and a list of details that include the architect, address and public access...Viewed together as a collection they create an impression of a city where form and function are both appreciated."

North Shore News