The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is pleased to announce that Richard Henriquez, FRAIC is the recipient of the RAIC Gold Medal for 2005. As part of this recognition Mr. Henriquez will be speaking at the RAIC Festival being held in Edmonton May 4-7, 2005.

In bestowing the award, the Gold Medal Selection Committee noted, "Richard Henriquez, FRAIC is clearly unique and consistently inventive. His work has a broad and significant impact on the profession, reaching beyond his home town of Vancouver. His understanding of the art of sculpture and architecture is evident as he works from an imaginative tradition where buildings are much more than just composed technologies. His work expresses a search for meaning, demonstrating his ability to transform modest projects into highly symbolic works. His accomplishments raise the profile of architecture for the public and the profession alike."

Mr. Henriquez is a major figure in Canadian and world architecture having been referred to in 518 Architects in the World (1995) and Dictionnaire de L'Architecture du XXe siècle (1996), and having received numerous awards. He lectures extensively in Canada and internationally. His architectural designs and sculptures have been exhibited across Canada.

His most notable built projects include: The Justice Institute in New Westminster; Capilano College Library and Birch Building in North Vancouver; the Environmental Sciences Building at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario; the winning entry in the United Nations Peacekeeping Monument competition in Ottawa and the Sinclair Centre, an award-winning heritage restoration of an entire city block in Vancouver. He is the lead designer for both the BC Cancer Research Centre, that recently opened as Canada's first genome sequencing laboratory dedicated to cancer research, and the Michael Smith Building, named for the 1993 Nobel laureate, the University of British Columbia's genomic research laboratory.

Mr. Henriquez, M.Arch, MAIBC, FRAIC, OAA, RCA has been practicing architecture in Canada since 1966. In 1969 he began practicing in Vancouver and since then has contributed to shaping the city's architectural legacy.

The RAIC Gold Medal is awarded in recognition of significant contribution to Canadian architecture, and is the highest honour the profession of architecture in Canada can bestow.

The Gold Medal recognizes an individual whose personal work has demonstrated exceptional excellence in the design and practice of architecture; and/or, whose work related to architecture, has demonstrated exceptional excellence in research or education.