Peter Busby (born 1952) is an architect and managing director at Perkins & Will Architects, with a background in philosophy and a history of advancing sustainable design. Throughout his career, he has advocated for sustainable building strategies and integrated green building infrastructure that serves to educate the users of his spaces.
Life and education Busby was born in Southport, Merseyside, UK on September 26, 1952. His father was a British engineer who emigrated to Canada and worked at Nortel in Toronto and New York. Busby's wife Catherine is an occupational therapist and they have four children. Busby holds a Bachelors of Arts in Political Philosophy from the University of Toronto where he graduated in 1974 to pursue a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of British Columbia in 1977. He received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Ryerson University in 2008. Throughout his years studying philosophy, Busby worked summer jobs on construction sites, which included carpentry. Some notable professors included architectural historian Douglas Richardson of the University of Toronto, and UBC sustainability professor Raymond Cole.
Career Upon graduating, Busby apprenticed with Rhone & Iredale Architects in Vancouver, then with Norman Foster in London and Hong Kong, where he was a project architect at the age of 28. He also worked with Miller Hull. He started his own practice in Vancouver in 1984. As the sole practitioner at the time, he constructed 1216 Granville Street office, then located in a marginal neighborhood. Paul Bridger would join as partner in 1986, and the practice grew to 10 in 1992 and 45 by 2004. In 1987 Busby founded the product design firm Designlines and integrated industrial design into his architecture. His attitude towards design is defined by an industrious vision driven by a confidence that critic Adele Weder describes as necessary for making an impact in an industry of "sclerotic conventions." Weder points to the example of One Wall Centre Project, a 48-story tower which ignited conflicts between his client and the city of Vancouver, resulting in a dual-toned glass envelope. He leads his practice making architecture notably present in all contexts responding to the existing urban fabric. One of Busby's first jobs was a lab for MacMillan Bloedel, the forestry company that created parallel strand lumber (Parallam), the same material he would use for that project and further served as an inspiration for Busby to incorporate into his future projects. The practice led to the formation of Busby Bridger Architects in 1986 grew to Busby + Associates which eventually collaborated with Perkins + Will in 2002 and merged for a strategic partnership in 2004. His team consists of researchers, biologists, and staff working towards issues he believes architecture should address. Their projects have received numerous design awards including six Governor General Awards Archived 27 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine, eleven British Columbia Lieutenant Governor Awards, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Firm of the Year Award. Busby often lectures on sustainability topics and green initiatives both nationally and internationally and is a founder of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) along with being a founding member of the Canada Green Building Council.
Design philosophy Busby's design philosophy of synergy between architecture and nature is reinforced by the values he gained from his philosophy background. He seeks to create buildings that give back energy rather than consuming it, at peace with nature and contributing to social responsibility. This manifesto is exemplified in the Center of Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) and Van Dusen Botanical Garden Visitor Center along with the multitude of projects using reclaimed building material and minimizing resource consumption. He makes the business case for sustainable design through reducing the cost and marketing with captivating graphics while requiring architects to collaborate with other disciplines. Busby also employs this logic in his personal life, as demonstrated by his off-grid Vancouver cabin powered by photovoltaic cells, eight vertical-axis wind turbines and a rainwater collection system to water the gardens. The row of vertical windows references his urban designs and maximizes the efficient use of light. This handcrafted summer home displays his love of wood, since the material embodies carbon along with providing the natural warmth and humanity evoked through the atmospheric qualities beyond its benefits as a building material. Busby believes sustainability efforts should begin with educating the general public; others in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry; and clients. He combines his sustainable design experience with his business acumen to advocate for greener cities, working with developers such as Concorde and large retail chains such as Walmart. When designing industrial architecture, he considers not only the building and environmental factors but also the intrapersonal impact, which he believes includes higher productivity and product quality along with lower staff turnover rates. An example is Busby's contributions to the EBCO Aerospace office in Delta, BC, which maximizes efficiency through its proximity to transportation hubs, rail, waterways, a labour pool, and lower-priced land. He believes employees should be supported by a full range of complementary community services such as banks, cleaners, restaurants, daycare, and recreation. Currently at Perkins and Will, he has focused on the regenerative design approach where each operation in a building's construction is measured by its positive impact on human and natural systems.
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