The winners of this year's 2006 Governor General's Medals in Architecture were announced May 1. Six of the twelve award-winning buildings were designed by firms directed by McGill alumni, four of them by School of Architecture adjunct professors.
Atelier TAG, composed of Adjunct Professor Manon Asselin, her husband Katsu Yamazaki and a collaborating team, won a medal for their Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne, and also received a medal for their work on the Bibliothèque Municipale de Châteauguay. The couple met at McGill, formed their company, and positioned themselves among architecture's fresh new voices.
Adjunct Professor Howard Davies, who practices with Anne Cormier and Randy Cohen, all three of whom are McGill grads, won for their innovative housing development Unity 2 in Montreal's pulp and paper district, Paper Hill.
Adjunct Professor Annie Lebel, who practices with grad Stephane Pratte, won for their Structures d'accueil des jardins de Métis, which transformed the Reford Gardens' Site into a landscaped park.
Lapointe Magne et associés, which includes McGill alumni Robert Magne, won two medals alongside a collaborating team, for their Thêatre Espace Libre and for l'Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec.
The Governor General's Medals in Architecture are Canada's most prestigious national architectural awards program. They are bestowed every second year and recognize a maximum of 12 buildings erected over the two-year period.