As hundreds of architects from across Canada congregate in Saint John, New Brunswick for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s (RAIC) 2018 Festival of Architecture, the organization has released its 2017 Annual Report, looking back at the advocacy initiatives, membership statistics, financial statements, and programming notes of the past year. The annual report also includes a look back at the various architectural award winners of the past year, including the Moriyama RAIC International Prize, Awards of Excellence, Gold Medal, Young Architect Award, and the Prix du XXe siècle.
Opening the report, RAIC Executives Michael Cox, FRAIC, and Bruce Lorimer, FRAIC, set the context of the year that was:
2017 was about partnerships. Together with the Ontario Association of Architects, we hosted a hugely successful Festival of Architecture in Ottawa. The RAIC Indigenous Task Force, with support from Global Affairs Canada, brought together Indigenous architects from around the world for the first ever RAIC International Indigenous Architecture and Design Symposium. We partnered with the RAIC Foundation to celebrate the second awarding of the Moriyama RAIC International Prize. More quietly, we joined our colleagues in architectural regulation (CALA) and education (CCUSA) in a quest to explore the future of architecture and perhaps create an architecture policy for Canada.
At the same time, we completed a review of the RAIC’s board governance leading to new processes for ongoing organization performance evaluation. Supported by the results of a detailed membership survey, we laid the groundwork for a three year revolving strategic planning process and operationalized the expected first-year outcomes with a focus on membership growth.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the RAIC altered the organization’s work plan slightly for the fall and winter of 2017. The board, together with the Interim ED Bruce Lorimer, FRAIC, and our dedicated staff, continued with little interruption. We were able to offer support to “UNCEDED, Voices of the Land,” Canada’s entry to the Venice Biennale for Architecture led by Douglas Cardinal, FRAIC, and his team. We reaffirmed our commitment to procurement reform and positioned ourselves to be a strong voice in this ongoing discussion. We made a presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment, and Natural Resources with recommendations for transitioning to a low carbon economy. And we began the search for a new Executive Director.
You can find a full copy of the 2017 Annual Report via the RAIC, linked here.