Noted Architect Awarded 2006 RAIC Gold Medal

Warren Frey

Staff writer

A world-class architect is receiving his due and imparting his wisdom this June.

The newest Royal Architecture Institute of Canada Gold Medal winner will speak at the RAIC 2006 Festival, scheduled for June 14-17 in Vancouver. Kuwabara will speak at the festival on Saturday, June 17.

Kuwabara is being awarded the gold medal in recognition of his significant contributions to Canadian architecture. The medal is meant to recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional excellence in the design and practice of architecture.

“The medal recognizes Bruce Kuwabara’s contribution to the professional craft of architecture, and he and his firm’s focus and contribution to public life. His engagement in the schools is exemplary as well as his fundraising and educating young people. The culture of his practice shows wisdom and maturity in their work,” the RAIC’s Gold Medal Selection Committee stated.

Kuwabara is a founding member of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB), founded in 1987. The firm has received nine Governor General Awards for Architecture.

Kuwabara graduated from the University of Toronto in 1972, and spent early in his career working with George Baird, the noted architect and theorist. His early projects included Kitchener City Hall and the Reisman-Jenkinson Residence, both of which garnered early critical acclaim. He has also worked on the James Stewart Centre for Mathematics at McMaster University, the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, the National Ballet School and the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. Current work includes Manitoba Hydro’s corporate headquarters in Winnipeg and the future home of the Toronto International Film Festival Group.