5468796 Architecture leads a select group of RAIC Annual Awards winners for 2025

Today, 5468796 Architecture received the RAIC 2025 Architectural Practice Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada as part of the organization’s 2025 Annual Award program that includes the RAIC Gold Medal as well as individual awards for Advocate for Architecture, Research & Innovation, and contributions to Architectural Journalism and Media in the country and abroad.

The 18-year-old Winnipeg-based practice founded by Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic received the honor for their ability to match the country's inbound housing needs through a "profound" reading of capital financing and the application of two core tenants that challenge architecture to broaden itself into part of an urban strategy for the better social good. Their official citation from the 2025 jury reads: 

"5468796 Architecture has consistently demonstrated an inventive and unique approach to architecture, rethinking principles while navigating financial constraints and aesthetic ambivalence. The firm's creativity extends beyond the physical resolution and explores areas of new housing typologies, alternative practice models, and unconventional means of community engagement. They have significantly changed the face of architectural practice, showing dedication to accessibility for different clients and project budgets. Their flexibility, ingenuity, and perseverance have made otherwise impossible projects a reality. As energetic advocates for the profession, they explore political, philosophical, and social dimensions while maintaining craft and expression. 5468796 Architecture fosters a strong architectural community while remaining humble with international recognition. Their creativity and resilience sets a precedent for emerging firms."

Joining 5468796 was Rabbi Dr. Yosef Wosk, the winner of this year's Advocate for Architecture Award. Wosk has been an outspoken proponent of multiculturalism, architecture, and inclusion in Canadian society. The RAIC describes him as a "humanist with an uncanny ability to intervene at the right time and in the right place," adding he has "dedicated his knowledge and material resources to the improvement of our landscapes and gardens, cities and buildings at every level of the complex process that shapes our environment."

Wosk was joined in the announcement by LGA Architectural Partners and MJMA Architecture & Design, the two Toronto-based winners of the Research & Innovation in Architecture Award who were selected over their respective Single Exit Stair Building Code Reform and Western North York Community Centre projects.

The 2025 cohort was rounded out by Diamond Schmitt Architects, who won the Architectural Journalism and Media Award for a new book centered on innovations in the design of performing arts projects titled SET PIECES: Architecture for the Performing Arts in Fifteen Fragments. The book features essays from writers Kate Wagner and Justin Davidson, as well as an interview with the acclaimed set designer Mimi Lin.

Each recipient joins KPMB co-founders Marianne McKenna and Shirley Blumberg, who were selected as the 2025 RAIC Gold Medal recipients. The jury for this year's Architectural Practice Award was made up of Peter Braithwaite, Jamie Fobert, Eric Gauthier, KaaSheGaaBaaWeak | Eladia Smoke, and Carol Phillips. Individual Award categories were selected by a jury that included Jessie Andjelic, Chris Cornelius, Maya Przybylski, and Terrence Smith-Lamothe.