2023 Design Award Winners

The AIA Canada Awards program runs annually each fall to recognize best practices, innovative thinking, and design excellence in the work of AIA Canada members and future design professionals. The awards program includes the AIA Canada Student Architecture Awards consisting of a total scholarship of US $4,800 to celebrate students and recent graduates who have proven their dedication to the fields of Architecture, Interiors, Planning, Landscape and Urban Design. The student scholarship award is possible thanks to the joint scholarship program between AIA Canada and the American Institute of Architects. Winners will be published in the AIA Canada Society’s Journal, within the pages of Canadian Architect. Two winners will be selected to participate in the 2024 AIA International Awards Program (AIAI).

The 2023 awards invited entries in the categories of Architecture, Interior Architecture, Special Projects, Urban Design, Community Engaged Design, Open International, Unbuilt, and Student.

AIA Canada Society announced the winners at its 5th Annual General Meeting on November 29, 2023.

The jurors were two distinguished architects: W Neil Robertson AIA, Vancouver B.C., and Dr. Brian R. Sinclair, Calgary, Alberta.

W Neil Robertson, AIA, Principal Architect, Stuart Howard Architects

W Neil Robertson, AIA is a highly skilled leader with over 17 years of extensive design and technical expertise. Joining Stuart Howard Architects in 2007, he quickly rose to the position of Principal in 2017. Neil excels in overseeing large-scale tower projects and smaller multi-family developments, with a focus on collaborative and effective design. Neil has additionally acted as design consultant for the City of Vancouver in the development of rezoning policy and revisions to the zoning and development by-law

He is recognized for his dedication to projects, and ability to build strong client and team relationships. In addition to his professional work, Neil volunteers as a studio instructor in the RAIC Syllabus program, displaying his commitment to the field.

With a Diploma in Architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Syllabus Program and a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts/History in Art) (Honours) from the University of Victoria, Neil is a registered architect in British Columbia (Architect AIBC), Washington State (AIA), and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (MRAIC).

Dr. Brian R. Sinclair Baillargeon, PhD DrHC FRAIC AIA (Intl Assoc), President of sinclairstudio inc.

Dr. Brian R. Sinclair is an award-winning Professor of Architecture + Environmental Design, and former Dean, in the School of Architecture, Planning + Landscape (SAPL) at the University of Calgary, Canada. He is president of sinclairstudio inc., a consulting firm engaged in a diverse international array of research & design projects. His expertise, experience and engagement span the breadth from science and technologies to art and humanities. With a strong commitment to interdisciplinarity, integration and holism, Sinclair performs across a wide spectrum of roles, including educator, practitioner, scholar and administrator. Professional memberships include the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Fellowships in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research & Cybernetics (IIAS). Professor Sinclair has garnered numerous honors & accolades, including awards for Outstanding Achievements, Best Papers and Scholarly Contributions. Scholarship areas include professional practice, design methods, systems, open building & agile architecture, environmental psychology, international development, informal settlements, urban studies, sustainability, and the collision of science + spirit.

EXCELLENCE

Photo Credit: Acton Ostry Architects Inc.

Architecture
Gastown Child Care Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia: Acton Ostry Architects Inc.

SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AIAI DESIGN AWARDS PROGRAM 2024

Photo Credit: Scott Norsworthy

Architecture
Neil Campbell Rowing Centre (NCRC), Toronto, Ontario: MJMA Architecture & Design, Raimondo + Associates Architects

SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AIAI DESIGN AWARDS PROGRAM 2024

Photo Credit: Tom Arban

Architecture
UCalgary’s MacKimmie Tower and Hunter Student Commons, Calgary, Alberta: DIALOG

MERIT

Photo Credit: Michael Elkan Photography

Architecture
SFU Student Union Building, Vancouver, British Columbia: Perkins&Will

CITATION

Photo Credit: Scott Norsworthy

Architecture
Orillia Recreation Centre, Toronto, Ontario: MJMA Architecture & Design

HONORABLE MENTION

Photo Credit: Ema Peter

Architecture
The Workshop, Vancouver, British Columbia: Perkins&Will