Safe, stable Canada has been a haven for global capital in the recent era of political and financial uncertainty. Its economic prosperity and centrist politics have also made for relatively consistent investment in public infrastructure. The results have yielded record construction activity, but on the flip side, it’s also led to a crisis in housing affordability in many cities. Meanwhile, there are regional concerns to contend with, ranging from the crash in oil and gas prices to Indigenous reconciliation. The effects of the climate emergency are also being felt more strongly each year, with melting permafrost in the north, forest fires in the west, and flooding in eastern Canada.
How do these trends affect architecture? What is on the minds of architects in different regions of Canada? To find out, Canadian Architect spoke to dozens of architects from coast to coast—to coast. Click the images below to read the buzz.
Based on interviews with Andrew Reeves, Anne Cormier, Anne Lissett, Ben Klumper, Bill Semple, Brent Bellamy, Charlene Kovacs, Christine Lolley, Chris Wiebe, Chris Woodford, Cynthia Dovell, Darryl Condon, Derek Kindrachuk, Dustin Couzens, Gavin Affleck, Jack Kobayashi, James Youck, Jeremy Bryant, Jim Anderson, Jim Siemens, Johanna Hurme, John Stephenson, Ksenia Eic, Lawrence Bird, Léo Lejeune, Lindsay Oster, Linus Murphy, Luc Bouliane, Marianne Amodio, Mark Ostry, Maxime Frappier, Monica Adair, Natasha Lebel, Pat Hanson, Peg MacDonald, Randy Cohen, Rayleen Hill, Richard Symonds, Richard Witt, Shafraaz Kaba, Stephen Kopp, Susan Fitzgerald, Ted Watson, Toon Dreessen, and Vivian Manasc.
