James K. M. Cheng is a Canadian architect best known for his condominium

Condominium

A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

 towers in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. Cheng's green glass towers have helped create the architectural style known as Vancouverism

Vancouverism

Vancouverism is an urban planning and architectural technique pioneered in Vancouver, Canada. It is characterized by mixed-use developments, typically with a medium-height, commercial base and narrow, high-rise residential towers to accommodate high populations and to preserve view...

.

Cheng was born in Hong Kong and educated at the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

 and Harvard where he studied under Richard Meier

Richard Meier

Richard Meier is an American architect, whose rationalist buildings make prominent use of the color white.- Biography :Meier is Jewish and was born in Newark, New Jersey...

. In Canada he then apprenticed under Arthur Erickson

Arthur Erickson

Arthur Charles Erickson, was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Asian languages at the University of British Columbia, and later earned a degree in architecture from McGill University.-Biography:...

. He formed his own firm in 1978 when he won the commission for the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Beginning in the 1990s Vancouver saw an unprecedented real estate boom that led to the construction of dozens of condo towers in the city. Cheng has become the leading residential tower designer of this period. UBC professor Dina Krunic has commented that "concrete construction and green glass façade, for which Vancouver is internationally known, are James Cheng's legacy."

While most of his projects are residential and in Vancouver, Cheng has other credits:

• Living Shangri-La currently the tallest building in Metro Vancouver
• King George Tower
  King George Tower
  King George Tower is a proposed skyscraper set to rise in Surrey, British Columbia near the King George Station. At a height of with 81 stories, the mixed-use building will be significantly taller than any highrise building in Surrey, the Vancouver area and Western Canada...
  
   - designed proposed tower that if completed would be one of the tallest buildings in Canada
• The Fairmont Pacific Rim
  The Fairmont Pacific Rim
  Fairmont Pacific Rim is an upscale hotel and condominium building in Vancouver, British Columbia. It stands at 140 m or 48 storeys tall and was completed just prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics....
  
  
• Shangri-La Toronto
  Shangri-La Toronto
  Shangri-La Toronto is a hotel and condominium tower under construction in downtown Toronto, Canada. It was designed by Vancouver based architect James Cheng is being built by Westbank Projects Corp. This is the same team that was responsible for building the 201m Living Shangri-La, the tallest...
  
   - mixed used hotel, condo tower in Toronto and second building built by Cheng oustide BC
• Lincoln Square
  Lincoln Square (Bellevue)
  Lincoln Square is a mixed-use complex located in Bellevue, Washington, completed in November 2005, and owned by prominent local developer Kemper Freeman Jr, who took over construction of the project in 2003 after several delays. Lincoln Square consists of retail and restaurant space, a 148-room...
  
   in Bellevue, Washington and first building built by Cheng oustide BC
• Shaw Tower
  Shaw Tower (Vancouver)
  Shaw Tower located at 1067 W. Cordova St in Downtown Vancouver's Coal Harbour is home to Shaw Communications' headquarters for Lower Mainland Operations and credited to local architect James K. M. Cheng....
  
   - mix residential-commercial office tower
• Parc Residences in Victoria, BC - residential mid-rise
• The Falls
  The Falls (Victoria)
  The Falls located at 813 Douglas Street in Victoria's downtown core is an 18 story residential building with a retail podium and credited to Vancouver architect James K. M. Cheng. The building replaced a surface parking lot and small shed.-See also:...
  
   in Victoria, BC - residential mid-rise with retail base
• Terminal City Club Tower - mixed used hotel, condo and officer tower