The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canada Council for the Arts today announced the recipients of the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture. The biennial awards celebrate outstanding design in recently completed projects by Canadian architects.
The jury found that the 12 winning projects reflect themes of connection, revitalization and experimentation. “Bringing people together in new ways, valuing what we have and designing innovative programs are currently what our architects do best,” writes jury member Annmarie Adams, FRAIC. “Each of the winning projects is a catalyst for change beyond its own site lines.”
The 2016 winners
• Amphithéâtre Cogeco (Trois-Rivières, QC): Paul Laurendeau | François R Beauchesne | Architectes en consortium
• BC Passive House Factory (Pemberton, BC): Hemsworth Architecture
• Bridgepoint Active Healthcare (Toronto, ON): Stantec Architecture / KPMB Architects (Planning, Design and Compliance Architects) and HDR Architecture / Diamond Schmitt Architects (Design, Build, Finance and Maintain Architects)
• Glacier Skywalk (Jasper, AB): Sturgess Architecture
• Halifax Central Library (Halifax, NS): Fowler Bauld & Mitchell
• Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization (Toronto, ON): PLANT Architect in joint venture with Perkins + Will Canada, formerly Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners
• Regent Park Aquatic Centre (Toronto, ON): MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects
• Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon (Vancouver, BC): MGA | Michael Green Architecture – project begun at mcfarlane | green | biggar architecture + design
• Head Office of Caisse Desjardins de Lévis (Lévis, QC): Consortium ABCP architecture and Anne Carrier architecture
• University of Manitoba ARTlab (Winnipeg, MB): Patkau Architects / LM Architectural Group
• Wong Dai Sin Temple (Markham, ON): Shim-Sutcliffe Architects
• Wood Innovation and Design Centre (Prince George, BC): MGA | Michael Green Architecture
The awards will be presented during a ceremony at Rideau Hall on September 20, 2016.
“The recipients of these awards are among Canada’s finest architects,” said His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. “I’m delighted to see such deserving projects being recognized and I offer my sincere congratulations to the recipients.”
“Architecture is at once a construction, a footprint in time, a structural innovation and an aesthetic vision,” said Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. “It expresses and shapes our culture and ways of living together. The winning projects of 2016 – spaces for gatherings, culture and work – are outstanding interpretations of our lifestyles and collective aspirations.”
“This year’s award recipients are ambitious in their use of innovative and sustainable building technologies,” said Allan Teramura, RAIC President. “and display a solid commitment to the public realm.”
Members of the 2016 jury
• Annmarie Adams, FRAIC – William C Macdonald Professor, McGill University School of Architecture (Montreal, Canada)
• Vanessa Miriam Carlow – Founder, COBE Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
• Gary Hack – Dean Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania School of Design (Philadelphia, USA)
• Richard Henriquez, FRAIC – Founding Partner, Henriquez Partners Architects (Vancouver, Canada)
• Todd Saunders – Principal, Saunders Architecture (Bergen, Norway)
