Eva Matsuzaki

Eva Matsuzaki (born Eva Pūpols on 27 February 1944) is a retired architect and first former female president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Eva immigrated from Latvia to the United States and later developed her career living in Vancouver, Canada.

Early life and education Eva Pūpols was born on 27 February 1944, in Riga, Latvia, that at the time was occupied by Nazi Germany, and she later immigrated to New York City, USA with her family at the age of 5. Kiyoshi was a Japanese-Canadian architect, former president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and former council member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. Eva and Kiyoshi moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1972 where they worked together for the remainder of their architectural careers.

Eva worked for Arthur Erickson Architects from 1974–1984 with husband Kiyoshi Matsuzaki.

Architecture firm In 1984, Eva and Kiyoshi Matsuzaki partnered with architect Jim Wright to form Matsuzaki Wright Architects. In 1998, the firm was renamed Matsuzaki Architects Inc. Matsuzaki has followed two themes throughout her practice: a thoughtful approach to environmentally-sensitive design and a commitment to the architectural and larger community. Matsuzaki Wright Architects completed the structure, which includes 30,000 square feet and three storeys of offices, a display gallery and teaching spaces. The building entails minimal intervention into the natural landscape and features native plants, such as sedges and grasses to preserve the biodiversity. It consists of one residential unit per floor and stepped terraces to create unobstructed views that are oriented towards the sea. The design was awarded the BC Lieutenant-Governor's Medal in Architecture in 1992.

Vancouver Art Gallery (Arthur Erickson Architects, completed 1983) In 1974, Arthur Erickson performed a feasibility study on the building that was once the Vancouver Courthouse, to improve the usage of the building for the growing city. After extensive designs and renovations to the old courthouse, Arthur Erickson Architects opened the Vancouver Art Gallery. Eva Matsuzaki was an architect with Erickson's firm, and was a project supervisor for the courthouse renovations. The collection includes seven hundred years of western European art, from the fourteenth to the twentieth centuries and includes paintings, drawings, manuscript illumination, sculpture and glass.

Irwin Union Bank (Eero Saarinen, Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, completed 1973) The Irwin Union Bank, currently known as the Irwin Conference Center, was constructed in Columbus, Indiana. The original building was a one-storey structure designed by Eero Saarinen in 1954. Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates created a larger addition in 1973. Eva Matsuzaki was job architect for the 1973 addition when she was working in the firm of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates. 2000 American Institute of Architects, Top Ten, Earth Day Given for the C.K. Choi Building Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Millenium Celebration of Canadian Architecture Given for the C.K. Choi Building 1998 Architectural Institute of British Columbia Innovative Design - Award of Excellence Given to the C.K. Choi Building International Resource Award Awarded in Seattle, Best Building Award for C.K. Choi Building BOMO (Building Owners and Managers Association) initial Earth Award of Excellence Given for the C.K. Choi Building British Columbia Hydro power Smart Award of Excellence Given for New Institutional Building to the C.K. Choi Building British Columbia Hydro Power Smart Award of Excellence Given to a Large Commercial Building to the Frased Valley Credit Union Headquarters Architectural Institute of British Columbia - Award of Excellence Given for Les Terraces Condominiums Canadian Architect Magazine, Award of Excellence Given for Les Terraces Condominiums References List