Bing Thom was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Vancouver as a child. He studied architecture at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley. Early in his career he worked with Arthur Erickson, where he oversaw projects such as the Robson Square courthouse complex in Vancouver and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. In the early 1980s he established Bing Thom Architects, and this firm quickly established a reputation for innovative design on a wide range of projects. Thom is a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He lives in Vancouver.