RAIC names winners of 2021 Architectural Firm, Emerging Architectural Practice, and Emerging Architect awards

Following the announcements of the 2021 RAIC Gold Medal recipients and Honorary Fellows in March, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada recently unveiled another round of award winners. 

This year's award jury was composed of Susan Ruptash, FRAIC (BDP Quadrangle, Toronto, ON), André Perrotte, FIRAC (Saucier+Perrotte Architectes, Montreal, QC), Drew Adams, MRAIC (LGA Architectural Partners Ltd., Toronto, ON), Marie-Odile Marceau, FIRAC (McFarland Marceau Architects Ltd., Vancouver, BC), and Susan Fitzgerald, FRAIC (Fowler Bauld & Mitchell Ltd., Halifax, NS).

Architectural Firm Award: MGA | Michael Green Architecture

Founded in 2012 by architect Michael Green (Natalie Telewiak became an MGA Principal in 2018), the Vancouver-based firm has built a following for its innovative research in sustainable architecture and leadership in the mass-timber movement.

The studio designed Oregon State University's new 17,500-square-foot mass-timber research and fabrication lab which opened in 2019. More recently, MGA received an RAIC Governor General's Medal in Architecture and an AIA Innovation Award.

"MGA has become one of the world’s leading voices on the future of wood design through their advocacy and in doing so, carry the banner for Canadian architecture internationally," states one jury comment. "In this sense, the work of Michael Green Architecture acts as an ambassador for Canadian architecture."

Emerging Architectural Practice Award: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design

Recognizing consistently high-quality work by a Canadian-licensed architectural practice that is younger than 10 years, the award went to Vancouver-based Leckie Studio. The now-20-person firm was founded in 2015 by principal architect Michael Leckie. Key projects from the studio's growing portfolio include the UBC Arts Student Centre, Camera House, Ridge House, and Full House (all in Vancouver).

Archinect interviewed Leckie not long ago as part of the Studio Snapshot series of firm profiles.

"In a short time, Leckie Studio Architecture + Design has produced a diverse collection of exquisite projects which demonstrate their extraordinary commitment to regionalism and their skillful understanding of materials, all evidenced by the enthusiastic support of their clients," says the jury. "Their work demonstrates careful attention to craft, materiality, and the specificity of place. The various projects enter an elegant dialogue with nature, and the use of wood contributes to this integration."

Emerging Architect Award: Anya Moryoussef

Anya Moryoussef is an architect based in Toronto. 

"From simple pavilions to homes and public buildings, her work has shown itself to be highly attuned to her clients’ needs and budgets while time and again creating designs of a high calibre, precisely detailed, and beautifully executed," reads a jury comment. "Her designs exhibit incredible skill, restraint, and innate understanding of materials. Her involvement in teaching, mentoring, and advocacy furthers her role as an inspiration to young architects everywhere."