I’ve lived in Prince George for a year and a half and have talked to a few people about whether they’d been to Two Rivers Gallery. Regardless of their answer everyone referred to the amazing building.

 
As I mentioned on an earlier program: art is part of our everyday lives. Buildings or architecture is a good example of everyday art. We drive by, walk by, work in and live with it. Architectural design is a good historic mirror of landscape, politics and socio economic concerns that were evident during the build.

Two Rivers Gallery is a fine example of art in architecture. It was designed by Barry Johns of Hancock & Johns Architects in Edmonton.

The design of the building was inspired by the area`s landscape and industrial reliance on the Forest Industry.

The Two Rivers, Nechako and Fraser are represented by the river rock garden and the building itself is the river, where creativity flows.

The curved glass windows and giant Douglas Fir buttresses on the outside of the building and the sloping roof represent the cutbanks along the river. The wooden floors, stairs, banister & door pulls for our hands and feet remind us about the economic importance of the forest industry in this region. Even the design of the metal staircase railing represents the deadfall within the forest itself.

A historical design feature is the metal structure that surrounds the chimney flue. It represents the sawmill beehive burners of the past.

The cut stone & white metal clad building reflects the other buildings around the Civic Centre and the colour is indicative of some of our weather - snow.

So if architecture is a mirror of history how will people interpret Two Rivers Gallery in 200 years ....