Architecture Matters

“Architecture matters” is an RAIC message that will be heard more and more. This message is timely and it’s important for everyone to understand how the quality of architecture is a key ingredient of the overall quality of life of Canadians and of our society.

Architecture matters, of course, because of the need for environmentally sustainable construction, which we are now becoming more and more acutely aware of. The design and construction of buildings are rapidly evolving as we aim to reduce their ecological footprints and their energy consumption, and to create healthy indoor environments. RAIC has adopted the 2030 Challenge, with its goal of producing carbon-neutral buildings, and we have recently launched a Wiki site with information about how to achieve this.

Architecture matters because of the need for functional buildings, which positively support the human activities they shelter. Hospitals must be healing environments, schools must help the learning processes, public buildings must represent our democratic institutions, housing must be adapted to our lifestyles.

Architecture matters because, beyond the practical considerations of functionality and comfort, it can provide us with both beautiful and pleasant buildings and cities, and it ultimately affects both our individual and collective well-being.

It’s not only the architecture of large commercial and institutional buildings that matters. The architecture of each and every building matters, as even the smaller buildings play an important role as part of the environment we live in and, combined together, form the fabric of our towns and cities.

Architecture matters, immensely, because it is the means of creating beautiful living environments that lift the spirits and can be a source of joy in our daily lives.

Excerpt from RAIC Past President’s Message
by Paule Boutin, PP/FIRAC