Left To Right: Joyce Yam, Rami Bebawi, Olga Karpova, Katrine Rivard, France Moreu,Tudor Radulescu,Dina Safonova,Killian O’Connor, Minh-Giao Truong & Gabriel Caya;Photography © Marc Cramer

A Montreal multi-disciplinary firm that experiments with materials and building methods is the recipient of the 2015 Emerging Architectural Practice Award given by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).Founded in 2003,KANVA is a 10-person collective led by Tudor Radulescu, MRAIC, and Rami Bebawi, MRAIC.

“This is a firm that is always looking to the future,” said the five-member jury that selected KANVA for the broad range and high quality of its projects.

“The firm is continually and consistently innovative,” said the jury members. “Their work has a strong experimental quality. It demonstrates experience and knowledge of construction detail and quality.”

The award will be presented at a ceremony at the RAIC/AAA Festival of Architecture, which takes place in Calgary June 3 to 6.

Recently, KANVA won the 2015 Warming Huts competition in Winnipeg with an installation called Recycling Words. It was also co-winner of the international Space for Lifearchitecture competition to re-imagine the Montreal Biodome, a museum of the environment.

The Emerging Architectural Practice Award recognizes the principals of an emerging architectural practice that has consistently produced distinguished architecture. The award recognizes the quality of built work, service to clients, innovations in practice and public recognition.

“The kind of work we see coming out of firms who win an Emerging Architectural Practice Award exhibits ability to innovate successfully and manage risk,” said RAIC President Sam Oboh, FRAIC.

“Being innovative and evolving the scope of and approach to contemporary architectural practice in Canada is to be celebrated and recognized,” said Mr. Oboh.

Edison Residence;photography © Marc Cramer

At the Edison Residence, a student residence in a heritage district, KANVA experimented with photo engraving on concrete to create an unusual façade. It features stills from Thomas Edison’s 1901 filmMontreal Fire Department on Runners, alluding to the 19th century building that formerly occupied the site before it burnt down in a fire.

Entre Les Rangs;photography © Cindy Boyce

Entre Les Rangs, the firm’s winning entry for the 2013 Luminotherapy international competition in Montreal,referenced Quebec’s wheat fields in an installation comprised of thousands of flexible stems topped with white reflectors.

Dialogues image © KANVA

KANVA acts as an experimental laboratory for the advancement of building practices and material innovation, often building full-size mock-ups of one-off construction details.The firm has received a number of awards, among them a 2013 RAIC Award of Excellence for Innovation in Architecture, multiple Grands Prix du Design, and an Illuminating Engineering Society Award. KANVA’s projects have been featured in international publications, including the New York Times, Phaidon Atlas and Architecture Mouvement Continuité.

Irene:photography © Jimmy Hamelin

The principals act as mentors for the Order of Architects of Quebec, guest critics at McGill University and the University of Montreal and Master’s level thesis advisors. They were selected by the Quebec government to be mentors in the program Models Without Borders, connecting youth who are new to Canada with inspiring members of the community. 

Migration Du Biodome;image © KANVA