As the new year begins, the Canadian architecture community is saddened to mark the passing of architect Eberhard (Eb) Heinrich Zeidler.
Eb Zeidler in his office. Photo courtesy Zeidler Architecture
Born in Braunsdorf, Germany in 1926, Zeidler emigrated to Canada in 1951. He practiced with Peterborough-based practice Blackwell and Craig, which relocated to Toronto in 1963 and became Craig, Zeidler & Strong. The firm currently continues under the name Zeidler Architecture.
An architectural training in the Bauhaus School underpinned Zeidler?s enduring interest in technological themes in architecture. This was most evident in a series of radical new projects created in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Ontario Place in Toronto (designed with landscape architect Michael Hough, 1968-71), the new Health Sciences Centre for McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (1972), and the Eaton Centre in Toronto (with Bregman and Hamann Architects, 1974-81). Ontario Place. Photo courtesy Zeidler Architecture
Influenced by the success of Expo 67, Ontario Place was created as a futuristic recreational complex. The modernist pavilions designed by Zeidler projected over the lake, including a series of five interconnected mast-hung pavilions (the Pods), as well as a 35-metre-diameter triodetic dome (the Cinesphere). The Cinesphere was the world?s first permanent theatre for Canadian-invented IMAX technology. Working with landscape architect Michael Hough, the design integrated canals, walkway...