Architect Terence Williams, designer of the wonderful Farquhar Auditorium at UVic, will be speaking about one of his particular areas of expertise: architectural acoustics. This promises to be an enlightening evening with Terry sharing some of his first hand accounts and reflections on the subject through his presentation entitled Architecture, Music, Acoustics and Composers: A Personal Journey of Discovery.

Terence Williams has designed several Performing Arts facilities, including the University of Victoria’s Farquhar auditorium, the 1984 Expo Theatre, The Port Theatre in Nanaimo, The Young Building auditorium for Camosun College, the Victoria Conservatory of Music renovations, and broadcasting facilities for CBC. For over 40 years he has been a member of the Acoustical Society of America. (ASA)

Other significant design projects for the University of Victoria are University Centre, The Centre for Innovative Teaching, The Petch Building, The Engineering Office Building, Engineering Lab Wing and the Computer Science Building. He was the Campus Planner for Camosun College’s Lansdowne Campus where he designed the pedestrian spine linking all of the existing structures and accommodating new facilities. Other Campus Planning Projects include Brentwood College, Malaspina University College (now VIU), and a new Net Zero campus -The West Valley Campus – for the College of the Desert, Palm Springs.

Based on his experience in leading the design team for Canada’s first LEED Platinum development, Victoria’s Dockside Green, and concerned with environmental, social and economic sustainability he became a founding Director of the Canada Green Building Council. During his term as President of The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada ( RAIC, 1987) he signed “An Accord on Professionalism” on behalf of all Canadian Architects, between the RAIC and the AIA, (American Institute of Architects), in the House of Commons in Ottawa. This Resolution and Agreement, now under threat, was incorporated into the first Canada/USA Free trade Agreement.

He is a Fellow of the RAIC and was Chancellor of the College from 1996-1999. As President of the Architectural Institute of BC he negotiated and signed an Accord on Professionalism between AIBC and the Association of Professional Engineers of BC. In 2019 he was presented with “A Lifetime Achievement Award“ for his contributions to the Profession of Architecture by the the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. In 2024 he was awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal for his “significant contributions to the country and achieved accomplishments that brought credit to Canada.”

Image: The Farquhar Auditorium at the University of Victoria, built 1978.