Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by Roger Kemble, with P. Stephen Babiak and John R. Chislett as contributing assistants. From the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect, pp 58-65. Presented here in post number 3 are 2 of the 4 full layouts from this article, with explanatory text to provide some context for these drawings.

Actually, I just realized this entire series of drawings can already be found online, along with a 1600 word essay to accompany the article, posted on Roger Kemble’s own personal webpage. Roger has also indulged in a few more of his architectural fantasies, including a some conceptual sketches showing what he would have liked to do with the North Shore of False Creek, given half a chance. He also shows one of his more recent award winning projects, the Vivo Gallery Residences in Nanaimo, recipient of the 2008 City of Nanaimo Design Award for a multi-purpose development. For more on Roger’s work, see this 2002 article in this Heritage Vancouver newsletter.

And incidentally, Roger’s own daughter is now an architect. According to the about page at Architrave.ca, she funded her University studies in Art, Art History and Architecture working as a model builder and draftsman for Arthur Erickson Architects and in her father’s firm Roger Kemble Architects in Vancouver.

I was impressed to see Swing City referenced in this U of T history of architecture course back in 2007: ARC 3033: Manifesto and Ethos through Postwar Architecture History in Canada. I wish I could have heard the professor discuss this work in class! I should also mention that this entire magazine article was originally printed on a special blue paper, a fitting tribute to blue sky thinking.

It was purely coincidental that I posted this series of drawings the very same week the City of Vancouver announced it was seeking a new director of planning. Will Swing City make a comeback and gain the approval of the next director of planning? Or will we dare to dream up even more fantastical plans for our fair city in the years to come? Time will tell…

ps: I also just learned that the domain SwingCouver.com is taken - it’s dance conference that just took place here last month! Have no fear, however; looks like they host an event once a year! Check out their videos from last year for some fancy footwork!

Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by Roger Kemble, with P. Stephen Babiak and John R. Chislett as contributing assistants. From the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect, pp 58-65. Presented here are a couple closer detailed cross sections of the concept, post number 2.

Think back to 1968 if you will, and imagine a city filled with ambition, idealism, and poised to begin an explosion of vertical construction. It was the year Vancouver’s International Airport terminal opened, the Pacific Coliseum, as well as the Centennial Museum and H. R. MacMillan Planetarium, and Arthur Erickson’s MacMillan Bloedel Building too. SkyTrain was still almost 2 decades away, but the second drawing prominently features a monorail system, an integral transportation choice in a city which seems to have left the traditional street behind. This plan radically challenges all prior conventions, seeking extremely modern and modular solutions. It seems obsessed with scalability, and not so concerned with feasibility or sustainability. Would these ideals allow uninhibited human achievement, or would it transform the city into the Borg? A final post will include some of the explanatory text that accompanied these drawings.

Swing City, a utopian fantasy concept of a city, imagined by Roger Kemble, with P. Stephen Babiak and John R. Chislett as contributing assistants. From the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect, pp 58-65. Presented here are a couple long range landscape sketches of the project.

From a distance, it almost looks like something out of District 9! In future posts, I’d like to show more detailed cross sections of this fantastical concept, followed by a final post with explanatory text. It’s certainly one of the most surreal concepts I’ve seen for the city, and yet, there’s more than meets the eye with this particular project!