To mark its 15th anniversary, Quebec-based architecture news site Kollectif has launched a social media campaign under the hashtags #quiestlarchitecte and #WhoIsTheArchitect. The effort aims to underscore the importance of naming architects and designers when buildings are featured in the news and on social media.
Kollectif calls on the public to add the hashtags #WhoIsTheArchitect or #WhoIsTheDesigner in the comments section when they see an unattributed building online. “This simple gesture serves to reinforce a positive design culture and to encourage best practices in architecture,” write the organizers. “It’s also a mark of respect for the work of architects and designers, who have the same right to recognition as artists or photographers.”
To further their efforts, Kollectif collaborated with artist-photographer Eric Branover to create a series of images showing prominent public places in Quebec, along with their designers. The images are posted on Kollectif’s Facebook and Instagram pages, and we’ve rounded up a selection below.
Architect Manon Asselin (Atelier TAG) at the Bibliothèque Raymond-Lévesque, in Saint-Hubert, designed in collaboration with Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architects.
Architect Gilles Saucier (Saucier + Perrotte architectes) at the Stade de soccer de Montréal, designed in collaboration with HCMA.
Architect Marie-Eve de Chantal (LemayMichaud) inside Strøm spa nordique du Vieux-Québec.
Architect Daniel Smith (Smith Vigeant architectes) in front of the Centre de découverte et de services du Parc National des Iles-de-Boucherville.
Architect Didier Gillon (Gillon et Larouche)at the LaSalle Metro Station, designed with artists Michèle Tremblay-Gillon and Peter Gnass.
Architecte Maxime-Alexis Frappier (ACDF architecture) in front of the Centre d’art Diane-Dufresne, in Repentigny. The artwork “Crescend’eau” was created by Richard Langevin.
Kollectif acknowledges that each of the presented projects is the work of many people, including architects, intern architects, technicians, designers, clients, contractors, engineers, and others. “The goal isn’t to glorify a single person, but to represent the efforts of a multitude of people through an identifiable face, as a symbol of the collective work,” write the organizers.