Canadian architecture has a problem with grade inflation. There are far too many awards programs. Too often our institutions applaud deeply mediocre buildings and then hire those award-winning architects to build more. In this context, the Governor-General’s Medals in Architecture matter. This 74-year-old award program, more than any other institution, sets the stakes and defines the canon.
Mixed News in the Latest Awards
The latest 12 awards, announced last week, bring mixed news. Judging from this lot, the best of Canadian architecture is well-meaning, moderately attentive to sustainability and maybe – or maybe not – interesting or beautiful. The medals, run by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada with the Canada Council and awarded every two years, recognize some laudable themes: Public buildings are pivotal. Wealthy people’s houses are not all-important. Working with existing buildings is crucial.
The most interesting choice may be a Calgary apartment building, dubbed GROW, by the local office MODA. Though modest, it delivers livable apartment layouts, a sloped rooftop deck, and a distinctive zigzag form. It’s slightly rough around the edges but brimming with spatial imagination. On public buildings, the big winner is Toronto firm MJMA, which won a rare two awards. Both are deserved, especially for the magnificent Churchill Meadows community centre in suburban Mississauga, which mixes the rigour of Minimalist sculpture with the beauty of mass timber and delivers the nicest basketball court. But there’s a quirky choice, the Simon Fraser University Stadium by the Vancouver office of Perkins & Will.
The Importance of Working with Existing Buildings
On the theme of working with existing buildings, there is a similar split. A clear winner: Pumphouse, by Winnipeg’s 5468796, in the Exchange District. This slips two apartment buildings onto the ends of an Edwardian pumphouse, and drops a new office floor onto its steel structure – all of which is a lot harder than it sounds.
The Issue of Social Change and Missing Projects
It seems that two-thirds of the selected projects display any sort of flair in their form, choice of materials and texture, or in the articulation of details, where architecture can deliver magic to the eyes or the hand. Equally, none of them display a perceptible agenda for social change. What’s missing? An Edmonton bus garage by GH3, the innovative and elegant Pearl Block housing in Victoria by Darcy Jones, and Montreal’s Insectarium. Plausibly, the judges could have honored houses by Omar Gandhi, Michael Leckie, and Atelier Kastelic Buffey. And above all: Where is the Ace Hotel Toronto, by the frequent medalists Shim-Sutcliffe?
A Question of Aesthetic Standards
Who knows why it didn’t make the list? This award was chosen by a jury of Canadian and foreign architects, and any juried award has quirks and surprises. But the aesthetic standards here are inconsistent, and it’s hard to read a political or environmental agenda that includes rooms at a pricey rural golf resort – as this set of medals does, with a project by Nova Scotia’s FBM – but can’t make room for an urban hotel.
The Uncertainty in Architectural Quality
Architectural quality is notoriously elusive. But in Canada these days it is often absent. And when the country’s top awards can’t decide what it is, or adequately explain why, then architectural culture is on a shaky foundation. The mixed news from the latest Governor-General’s Medals in Architecture highlights a complex landscape of Canadian architecture – one that is well-meaning but may lack the spark of true innovation and social change. As the industry continues to evolve, it is crucial to reflect on where our priorities lie and how we can push the boundaries of creativity and purpose in architectural design.
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