Award

FEBRUARY 2015 | 7 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | V O L U M E 2 9 | N U M B E R 1 PUBLISHER Dan Chapman EDITOR Natalie Bruckner-Menchelli ART DIRECTOR Scott Laurie CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Angela Altass Robin Brunet Godfrey Budd Stefan Dubowksi Laurie Jones Jessica Krippendorf Yvan Marston Stacey McLachlan Dan O'Reilly Irwin Rapoport Zuzanna Wodzynska PRODUCTION MANAGER/PRINT Kirsty Senior PRODUCTION MANAGER/STUDIO Kristina Borys ASSISTANT STUDIO MANAGER Mandy Lau ADVERTISING PRODUCTION Chris Sherwood Sheila Stewart ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION Ina Bowerbank ELECTRONIC IMAGING Mandy Lau Laura Michaels ACCOUNT MANAGER Alexander Sugden ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Allie Davison AWARD MAGAZINE – HEAD OFFICE Phone 604.299.7311 Fax 604.299.9188 CHAIRMAN, CEO Peter Legge, obc, lld. (hon) PRESIDENT Samantha Legge, mba SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/CUSTOM PUBLISHING Kathleen Freimond, mba VICE PRESIDENT/FINANCE Farnaz Riahi, ca VICE PRESIDENT/SALES & OPERATIONS David Comuzzi VICE PRESIDENT/MARKETING Holly Pateman VICE PRESIDENT Rebecca Legge CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Charlene Rooke EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rick Thibert DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Mike Packer DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Kim McLane DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Raymond Yip DIGITAL MEDIA Ariane Fleischmann Debbie Jiang James Marshall Candice Ui MARKETING Kathleen Almeida Casey Crawford Allyson Wickham SENIOR SUPPORT ANALYST Peter Rensen APPLICATION SUPPORT ANALYST Eileen Gajowski HR MANAGER/SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Joy Ginete-Cockle ACCOUNTING Eileen Gajowski Terri Mason Sonia Roxburgh Jocelyn Snelling CIRCULATION MANAGER Tracy McRitchie CIRCULATION Ashley Cleggett Millie Coskun Kelly Kalirai Ruth Pisko EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS Janice Cheer Heidi Christie RECEPTION Heather Vince Award magazine is published six times a year by Canada Wide Media Limited. Head office: 4th Floor - 4180 Lougheed Highway, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6A7. Phone 604.299.7311, Fax 604.299.9188. Send covers of undeliverable copies to address above. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065475. © 2012. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Award is distributed to architects, interior designers, landscape architects, consulting engineers, specification writers, development companies and major construction companies throughout Western Canada and Ontario. For subscription information call 604.299.1023 or email: awardsubscriptions@canadawide.com National Library No. ISSN 1202-5925. Printed in Canada by Transcontinental LGM Graphics. Award magazine welcomes your letters, corporate announcements or company information. The statements, opinions and points of view expressed in articles published in this magazine are those of the authors and publication shall not be deemed to mean that they are necessarily those of the publisher, editor or Canada Wide Media Limited. The acceptance and publication of advertisement of products and services does not indicate endorsement of such products or services. The publishers cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. by SAMUEL OGHALE OBOH, fraic Architecture Canada | 76th RAIC President PERSPECTIVE Driving Force G rowing up with a father who was a mechanical engineering technician, I found myself moving from place to place. By the age of 20, I had lived in six different cities in Nigeria. Living in different regions gave me the opportunity to experience different cultures, meet various people and to under- stand what it means to be transient; it helped me understand the value of meaningful friendships. As I look forward to serving as the 76th RAIC President during 2015, I would like to share with AWARD readers some experiences that have shaped my views. I'm the third of six children: three boys and three girls. My mother operated a cafeteria-style restaurant in an open-air market, serving homemade food such as jollof rice and beans. We had to wake up every morning at 4am to help my mother and get ourselves ready for school. From the age of nine until I was 15, I had to fetch pails of water from a few kilometres away for my mother to use. There was no excuse. You had to meet your responsibilities and carry your weight within the family. I was always inspired by nature and its inherent efficiencies. As children, we made our toys, occasionally trying to mimic fea- tures from natural systems. For example, we would find snails and use the shells to make toys that spin around. You learned a lot about conical geometry and motion. When I was 16, I received an offer of admission to study architecture at the Bendel State University. It was joyful news. However, there was a problem – we didn't have the money to pay the tuition. My par- ents had to borrow money from a neighbour. I was the first in my immediate family to study at university. At architecture school, everything was done in the studio, including theoretical courses. It was where we slept when we had tight deadlines. We had desks big enough to contain our equipment – drawing boards, a T-square, a set square and tracing paper. Everything was drawn by hand. Assessment was done through a jury of external exam- iners who were practicing architects. In a studio culture, you get used to having critics and learn to see ideas from various angles. The view of Canada that we have in Africa is of a caring, compassionate society. After working as an architect in Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana, I moved to Edmonton in 2004 with my wife. I decided years ago to put my volunteer time and effort into the RAIC. I wanted to advocate for excellence in the built environment. I think the RAIC occupies a unique position to galvanize the entire profession within the country. It's not just about practice support, it's about ensuring a strong practice environment. I believe in collabora- tion and joining forces to strengthen the profession. Our aim is to be at the table when there is discussion of the built environment by government, the private sector, NGOs and institu- tions. We can guide and nudge decision makers to make good choices. We need to demonstrate the economic and social value, and also the civic pride that comes out of the work that architects do every day. How do we strengthen the profession to be of better service to the industry? How do we become the "go-to" profession when soci- ety is in need of help? Those are some of our goals as we work with regulators and design enthusiasts in many fields. I see the RAIC as an engine – a regenerative force – to project Canadian architecture into what it should be, enhance the quality of life in our community and to help the world become a better place. A AGE: 43. BORN: Lagos, Nigeria. EDUCATION: BSc in Architecture from Bendel State University (now Ambrose Alli University) in Nigeria; MSc in Architecture from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria; MA from the University of Alberta. RAIC: Joined the RAIC as an international associate in 2001. Helped establish the Alberta Chapter in 2006 and served as its president in 2007 to 2008. Elected to the national board as regional director for Alberta and Northwest Territories from 2011 to 2014. Member of the College of Fellows. CAREER: Worked at F&A Services Victoria Island, FMA Architects Southern Africa, IBI Group and Kasian Architecture. Currently, regional manager of the Architecture and Engineering Centre of Expertise, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Western Region. MAJOR PROJECTS: In Botswana: Botswana Police College; Maun Hospital; and the International Law Enforcement Academy. In Alberta: City of Red Deer Civic Yards; Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert; Villa Caritas in Edmonton; and the Alberta Legislature Centre Redevelopment Master Plan in Edmonton. FAMILY: Lives in Edmonton with wife Aisha and three children, Noora, Fego and Oreva.

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