Saskatchewan architect Clifford Wiens has passed away at the age of 93.
Wiens is known for his iconic structures in the province,  including John Nugent?s Studio (also known as St. Mark?s Shop) in Lumsden (1960); the University of Regina Heating and Cooling Plant (1968), the Qu?Appelle Silton Summer Chapel (1967); the Regina CBC Broadcast Centre (1983); the Prince Albert City Hall (1984) and many others.
Clifford Weins (centre) with Hossein Amanat (left) and John Patkau (right). Photo by Trevor Boddy.
Wiens was born in 1926 near Glen Kerr, Saskatchewan, and raised on his Mennonite family’s farm. He studied industrial design and architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1954. He returned to Regina to apprentice with firms Stock and Ramsay, and to work with architect Joseph Pettick. In 1957, he started his own practice, which was active until 1995. Silton Chapel, view from east, Qu?Appelle Lakes, Saskatchewan. Clifford Wiens, 1969. (Karl Hinrichs), From Canadian Modern Architecture, 1967 to the present.
Initial projects included three churches: Roman Catholic St. Joseph?s in Whitewood (1959), Mennonite Brethren in Regina (1961), and Roman Catholic Our Lady in Moose Jaw (1966).
Wiens’ work from the 1960s and 70s is particularly well-known. Arthur Erickson praised his designs, declaring, ?Not only is he Saskatchewan?s finest architect ever,  but Clifford Wiens? work is of international importance.?

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