More than 500 architectural professionals are expected in Quebec City June 17-19, 2004 for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's annual conference. Delegates have a chance to exchange ideas and attend professional development courses that provide credits towards their licensing requirements, and listen to some of the professions' most forward thinkers.

"The RAIC Festival of Architecture is a celebration of Canadian Architecture and an opportunity to renew friendships, for critical reflection on architectural practice and urbanism, as well as interaction with the public," said Bonnie Maples, FRAIC, RAIC President.

Highlights

Thursday June 17
Prosperity through Residential Design - New Markets for Sole Practitioners and Small Architectural Firms - two of North America's well-known creative dynamos, John Brown, MRAIC, Architect, Housebrand Inc. and Sarah Susanka, AIA, Architect; explore new ways of serving the residential market. Susanka, a best-selling author, is a cultural visionary and nationally recognized architect in the United States, and Brown pioneered the practice of combining design-build and real estate for houses. (8:30 - noon)

Health Care Facility Design in Canada, moderated by Martin Fiset, MRAIC, Architect, Director, UIA Work Programme on Public Health. This discussion will look at the architect's role in public-private partnerships in healthcare projects and give an overview of several recently completed hospital projects in Canada. (1:30 - 5 p.m.)

Friday June 18
The Festival's Theme Panel, a dialogue with Michel Corajoud, an urbanist from France, Dr. Albert Jacquard, a geneticist from France and Paul-André Tétreault, AP/FRAIC, a well-known Montréal Architect, moderated by Edmond Koch, FRAIC of Moncton. Together they assess the risk to society and the irreparable consequences it faces if the future of architecture is allowed to decline. (Noon - 1:30 p.m.)

Announcement of the winners of the International Ideas Competition for the Development of the Montmorency Falls Area in Quebec City. $70,000 in prize money will be awarded during the RAIC President's Banquet. (8:30 p.m.)

Saturday June 19
The seventh annual workshop celebrating the success of Women in Architecture discussing strategies on how the profession can attract and keep more women; Odile Roy, councilor QC, Cedanne Simard, Paule Boutin, RAIC Regional Director QC, Ann Marie Adams, Anne Carrier; moderated by Carole Scheffer, FRAIC. (9:30 a.m. - noon)

The Convocation of the College of Fellows will be followed Keynote speaker: Dr. Jacquard, also a former professor at Università delle Svizzera italiana-Accademia di architettura School of Architecture, elaborates on this thought-provoking statement: "What distinguishes man from other species are not his genes. The only thing that makes him human is the path he takes by virtue of his education. So why squander our budgets on other causes?" (4 - 5:30 p.m.)

A detailed program is available at http://www.raic.org