RAIC Festival to feature 2008 RAIC Gold Medalist

OTTAWA April 8, 2008 – The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2008 RAIC Gold Medal is Dan S. Hanganu, FIRAC.

In choosing Mr. Hanganu, the Gold Medal Selection Committee noted:

• Dan successfully transcends the professional and academic worlds as well as having an extensive body of internationally published articles and project reviews.
• He understands the impact that architecture can have on people; his work successfully balances function and feeling in a very strong “straight-forward” way; not showy but significant and successful as highly useable environments.

Mr. Hanganu completed a degree in architecture at the University of Bucharest in 1961, and arrived in Canada in 1970. He leads a diversified practice with projects ranging in scale from single-family houses to entire city blocks. Completed works include numerous housing projects of varying size and complexity, office buildings, hotels and resorts, multi-use complexes, institutional buildings, and several theatres.

He has been personally recognized with the: Ordre national du Québec- officer (2005); Doctorat honoris causa en architecture from the Université Laval à Québec (2004); Prix Carrière Sam-Lapointe from the Institute of Design Montréal (2004); Doctorat honoris causa in architecture from the University of Bucharest (2003); Man of the year- Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (1998) and with the Prix Paul-Émile Borduas (1992).

He has more than 50 Architectural Awards to his credit, many from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ) and from preservation organizations such as Sauvons Montréal. 

Project highlights include the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, the Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Church, the UQAM Design Pavillion, the Cirque du Soleil studio, the Hautes Études Commerciales school, the Montréal Archival Centre, l’Anglicane de Lévis, the Rimouski Arts Centre, and residential areas in Val de l’Anse, rue de Gaspé, Crémazie, rue Quesnel, etc.

The RAIC Gold Medal is awarded in recognition of significant contribution to Canadian architecture, and is the highest honour the profession of architecture in Canada can bestow.  It recognizes an individual whose personal work has demonstrated exceptional excellence in the design and practice of architecture; and/or, whose work related to architecture, has demonstrated exceptional excellence in research or education.

As part of this recognition, Mr. Hanganu will be the featured speaker at the Saturday June 28th luncheon during this year’s Conference and Festival of Architecture being held June 25-28, 2008. For more details and to register, see http://www.raic.org.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is a voluntary national association established in 1907 as the voice for architecture and its practice in Canada. Representing almost 3,700 architects, the RAIC is the leading voice of architecture in Canada whose mission is:

• To affirm that architecture matters;
• To celebrate the richness and diversity of architecture in Canada; and
• To support architects in achieving excellence.