The Royal Conservatory’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning is the only North American building shortlisted for a 2012 Civic Trust Award, recognizing the best in planning, urban design, and public arts. An awards ceremony takes place Friday, March 2, 2012 in Edinburgh, Scotland, where winners will receive an award, a commendation, or community recognition.
Based in the United Kingdom and established in 1959, the Civic Trust Awards are bestowed annually, recognizing outstanding architecture, planning, and design in the built environment. This year’s awards shortlisted 52 entries, the majority hailing from the UK. Awards are presented for buildings and schemes of architectural excellence that improve their surrounding community. Each entry is judged by an assessment team including architect and design advisors as well as local representatives.
Past winners of Civic Trust Awards include: San Francisco’s Matarozzi/Pelsinger Building, London’s Medieval & Renaissance Galleries and Stonebridge Hillside Hub, and Ireland’s McManus Galleries Conservation.
The Royal Conservatory’s TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning was conceived by Marianne McKenna, founding partner of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects in 1989. Completed 20 years later, its stunning centrepiece, the acoustically perfect Koerner Hall, has established itself among North America’s leading concert venues, attracting internationally celebrated classical, jazz, pop, and world music artists. The TELUS Centre also houses 60 professionally equipped practice studios for students and faculty, a Technology and New Media Lab, and a comprehensive music library.
The Royal Conservatory renewal project has earned national and international recognition with prestigious architectural awards including the 2011 American Institute of Architects/CAE Educational Facility Design Award of Excellence, the 2010 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, and the 2010 Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award.
The Royal Conservatory is one of the largest and most respected music education institutions in the world. Providing the definitive standard of excellence in music education through its curriculum, assessment, performance, and teacher education programs, The Conservatory has had a substantial impact on the lives of millions of people globally. In addition, the organization has helped to train a number of internationally celebrated artists including Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson, David Foster, Sarah McLachlan, Angela Hewitt, and Diana Krall. Motivated by its powerful mission to develop human potential through music and the arts, The Royal Conservatory has emerged over the last two decades as a leader in the development of arts-based programs that address a wide range of social issues.
For more information on the Royal Conservatory of Music, please visit www.rcmusic.ca.