Governor General's Medals in Architecture — 2018 Recipient | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Governor General's Medals in Architecture — 2018 Recipient

Fort McMurray International Airport
Fort McMurray,
AB
Award Category: 
Governor General’s Medals in Architecture

office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers inc. (omb)
Project commenced as predecessor firm mcfarlane green biggar Architecture + Design Inc.

Lead design architect(s): 

Steve McFarlane, FRAIC, Michelle Biggar, Rob Grant, Beth Denny, Nicholas Standeven

Occupancy: 2014
Construction Budget: $88 million

Constructed in response to the burgeoning economy in 2011, the Fort McMurray International Airport replaced a tiny terminal with a three-storey, 15,000-square-metre facility. The hybrid mass-timber, steel, and concrete building makes an architectural statement in a region of spectacular beauty, extreme climate, pioneering culture and mundane architecture.
Designed as a portal to and from the region, particularly for the large, transient oil sands labour force, the airport offers a calm and luminous presence with generous amenities and easy navigation. The linear building, organized procession, and evocative materials usher users between the ground and air in a heartfelt expression of place.

Jury Comment(s): 

"Constructed in response to the burgeoning economy in 2011, the Fort McMurray International Airport replaced a tiny terminal with a three-storey, 15,000-square-metre facility. The hybrid mass-timber, steel, and concrete building makes an architectural statement in a region of spectacular beauty, extreme climate, pioneering culture and mundane architecture.

Designed as a portal to and from the region, particularly for the large, transient oil sands labour force, the airport offers a calm and luminous presence with generous amenities and easy navigation. The linear building, organized procession, and evocative materials usher users between the ground and air in a heartfelt expression of place."

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Photo: Ema Peter

Photo: Ema Peter

Photo: Andrew Latreille

Photo: Ema Peter

Photo: Ema Peter