Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1456977
6 | M A R C H 2 0 2 2 hcma P H OTO G R A P H Y BY EM A P E T ER For more than four decades, hcma has been working with communities to make a real difference by NATALIE BRUCKNER | photography courtesy HCMA "W e keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curios- ity keeps leading us down new paths." This quote from Meet The Robinsons could just as easily be describing hcma, its people, its buildings, its brand, and its philosophy. Little wonder then that during its recent rebrand, hmca (formerly HMCA Architecture + Design) introduced the term "Curiosity Applied" into its repertoire. It's fair to say that hcma is not your typical architecture and design firm … not by any stretch of the imagination. Walk into any one of their three offices in Vancouver, Victoria, or Edmonton and you will be struck by a sense that big things are taking shape; and you'd be right. For more than four decades now, hcma has been helping shape the built environment across Canada – but not in the traditional way you would expect from an architecture firm. And that solution-based thinking has become ever more prevalent within the firm over the past decade. "The world needs something different from architects today than they did in the past. We need to consider our designs through a lens of impact. As architects, it is our responsibility to respond to the social and cultural issues taking place," says Paul Fast, principal. CURIOSITY APPLIED Clayton Community Centre