This spring, the Canadian Centre for Architecture offers a fresh approach to the city and a diversity of perspectives. In the major exhibition Sense of the City, visitors can explore sensory perception in the urban environment and discover hidden qualities of the city. In the Octagonal Gallery, 125 Kilos of Books presents works ranging in size from 10 cm to 1 metre in an innovative exploration of the physical history of architectural books. In time for the growing season, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Ecological Landscapes follows in the Octagonal Gallery, featuring the work of the celebrated Canadian landscape architect and her pioneering vision of socially conscious and environmentally sustainable design. In addition, Thursday evening lectures, family activities, and guided tours complement the exhibitions and promise to make spring a stimulating season!

Sense of the City
Until 10 September, Sense of the City is a major exhibition dedicated to the theme of urban phenomena and perceptions which have traditionally been ignored, repressed, or maligned. Challenging the dominance of the visual in the urban environment, the exhibition proposes a re-thinking of latent qualities of the city, offering complex analyses of the comforts, communication systems, and sensory dimensions of urban life—thus advancing a new spectrum of experience and engagement. Guided tours of the exhibition are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm, and Thursdays at 7:30 pm.

125 Kilos of Books
Celebrating the designation of Montréal as UNESCO World Book Capital City for 2005-2006, a selection of printed works dating from the 15th century to the present from the CCA's collection explores the significance of size in relation to the history of architectural books. The exhibition is presented in the Octagonal Gallery from 23 March to 30 April. Curator Gerald Beasley discusses 125 Kilos of Books on Thursday, 23 March at 7 pm in the Paul Desmarais Theatre. Admission is free.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Ecological Landscapes
From 11 May to 30 July, the CCA in collaboration with the Goethe-Insitut Montréal presents an exhibition in the Octagonal Gallery on the work of landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. Featuring photographs taken by Etta Gerdes and material from the newly completed Oberlander Archive at the CCA, the exhibition demonstrates Oberlander’s pioneering vision of socially conscious and environmentally sustainable landscape design. On Thursday, 11 May at 6 pm Cornelia Hahn Oberlander discusses her work in the Paul Desmarais Theatre. Admission is free.

Hear, Smell, and Touch the City
From 17 May to 5 June, elementary school students present their sensory experiments and impressions of Montréal in drawings, models, and tactile maps. This exhibition in the Shaughnessy House is the outcome of a new school program inspired by Sense of the City.

Families Activities
My Snow City, a program offering a visit to the exhibition Sense of the City followed by building activities in the CCA’s Baile Park, concludes in March on Saturday and Sunday 4, 5, and 11, 12. Using snow as a construction material, families can create labyrinths, mazes, and the foundations of an imaginary city. The activity is open to children aged 5 to 12, accompanied by an adult and costs $6 for adults and $4 for children. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 514 939 7026.

Throughout the spring, the CCA invites children aged 3 to 10, accompanied by an adult, to Families at Play. This activity provides a special opportunity to explore architecture through games and selected toys from the Educational Services collection. On 25 and 26 March, and 29 and 30 April, play sessions are offered at 10:15 am, 1 pm, and 2:45 pm at the cost of $5 for adults and $3 for children. Beginning 7 May, play sessions will be offered every Sunday (except 28 May, 25 June, 2 July, and 3 September) at 10:15 am and 2 pm for a duration of 2 hours. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 514 939 7026.

Montréal Museums Day
In celebration of Montréal Museums Day, now in its 20th year, a special Families at Play session, Public’s Choice, is offered all day on Sunday, 28 May; no reservations are required. Admission to the activity and the CCA is free throughout the day.

Lectures
Starting 13 April, a lecture series entitled <>Sensing the City II explores surfaces and sensory phenomena of the city. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Sense of the City, the series features 5 speakers whose work appears in the exhibition. Jean-François Augoyard, director of research, Cresson CNRS (National Council for Scientific Research) in Grenoble, France, opens the series with Les effets sonores : une expérience quotidienne on 13 April; on 20 April, environmental psychologist and Principal of Tillett Lighting Design (New York City), Linnaea Tillett presents Light and Fear; on 4 May, Louis Dandrel, musician and founder-director of the acoustic architecture and design studio Diasonic, Paris, offers Voyage sonore à travers les métropoles; on 18 May, landscape architect and Principal of Büro Kiefer (Berlin) Gabriele G. Kiefer discusses Playing with Asphalt; and on 25 May, Norman Pressman, Professor of Planning and Urban Design at the University of Waterloo, describes The Idea of Winterness. Lectures are held on Thursdays at 7 pm in the Paul Desmarais Theatre. Admission is free.

Mellon Lectures
Two public presentations of scholarly research are offered in the 2006 CCA Mellon Lectures series, intended to encourage advanced research in architectural history and thought. Kurt W. Forster, CCA Mellon Senior Fellow and Vincent Scully Professor at Yale School of Architecture, presents Day at the Office, Night at the Opera with Karl Friedrich Schinkel on Thursday, 30 March. André Guillerme, CCA Mellon Senior Fellow Professor of History of Technology at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers in Paris, presents Autophiles et autophobes : la congestion urbaine dans les grandes villes au début du XXe siècle on Thursday, 6 April. The lectures take place at 6 pm in the Paul Desmarais Theatre. Admission is free.

The Canadian Centre for Architecture is an international research centre and museum founded on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. Based on its extensive collections, CCA is a leading voice in advancing knowledge, promoting public understanding, and widening thought and debate on the art of architecture, its history, theory, practice, and role in society today.