Architect Harriet Burdett-Moulton, FRAIC received an honorary doctorate from OCAD University at their convocation ceremonies at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on June 9.
Burdett-Moulton is a Métis architect with primarily Inuit and Montagnais roots. Her unique perspective inspired her to create some of Northern Canada’s most innovative buildings, using an approach that involves and educates clients in the design process. Her extensive portfolio includes Piqqusilirivvik, an Inuit Cultural Learning Facility in Clyde River on Baffin Island, and St. Jude’s Cathedral in Iqaluit, for which she led the redesign after the original building burned down in 2005. Her goal in the redesign process for St. Jude’s was to maintain the cathedral’s cultural heritage, as well as the original design of renowned Canadian architect Ron Thom—all while working within the client’s limited budget.
Burdett-Moulton was born and raised in Labrador and was the second female graduate architect from Nova Scotia Technical University. She collaborated with the RAIC in the early 2000s to examine trends of women in architecture—specifically at ways to increase the number of women who register as architects after they graduate. Currently living full-time in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, she continues to work remotely with Stantec’s Iqaluit office.