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Ottawa, June 30, 2004 – The Canada Council for the Arts has awarded the Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture to atelier BUILD, a young architecture firm in Montreal. Thanks to the prize, practitioners of architecture Michael Carroll and Danita Rooyakkers of atelier BUILD will be able to enrich their knowledge of architecture in the urban environment and increase their visibility at the international level. The Canada Council for the Arts Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture is valued at $50,000 and encourages the development of artistic excellence in contemporary architectural practice.

Atelier BUILD is the first recipient of the new Professional Prix de Rome. Previously, the prize consisted of a one-year stay in an apartment in Rome. This new version allows winners to make shorter visits spread over a two-year period, and to choose destinations that best serve the interests of their practice. These changes were made in consultation with the Canadian architectural community.

Atelier BUILD was chosen by a peer assessment committee appointed by the Canada Council. This year, the committee was made up of Catherine Venard (Halifax), David Theodore (Montreal), Blanche van Ginkel (Toronto), Shafraaz Kaba (Winnipeg) and Antonio Zedda (Whitehorse).

Atelier BUILD’s projects are located on marginal, interstitial (narrow) sites within Montreal’s unique urban fabric. As well as paying attention to the specific local context, atelier BUILD’s design strategies address the larger issues of urban, cultural and ecological sustainability. Atelier BUILD will focus on the Dutch and Japanese, two distinct and mature cultures that have been, in recent decades, on the cutting edge of innovative contemporary architecture. The Professional Prix de Rome will enable atelier BUILD to get a more informed perspective of the world through traveling the globe, experiencing diverse cultures and conversing with architects, critics, artists and scientists. 

Atelier BUILD’s journey begins in September of 2004 in Venice with the 9th International Architecture Exhibition entitled, Metamorph curated by Kurt Forster. This exhibition is followed in October by Bruce Mau’s exhibition in Vancouver, Massive Change: The Future of Design Culture produced by the Institute without Boundaries, and presented at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The first residency will be in Japan in 2005, followed by another in the Netherlands in 2006.

Atelier BUILD
Atelier BUILD was founded in 1995 by Michael Carroll and Danita Rooyakkers. The studio is based on the belief that the processes of design and construction must comply with the economical considerations in order to work together and create an architecture of lasting integrity. Within their design process a healthy balance is constantly being negotiated between generic building practices and a custom design sensibility.

Danita Rooyakkers, of Dutch heritage, is the founder and ceo of the development/construction company, BUILD inc., as well as co-founder and partner of atelier BUILD. Ms. Rooyakkers obtained her professional architectural degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax. Aside from Montreal, Ms. Rooyakkers has worked in London, the Netherlands and Nova Scotia.

Michael Carroll is an adjunct professor at McGill University’s School of Architecture. Born in Newfoundland Mr. Carroll completed his professional architecture degree at Dalhousie University and worked for

Brian MacKay-Lyons in Halifax. He later completed a post-professional degree in architectural theory and history at McGill University. Before settling in Montreal he worked in Lima, London, Seville and Vancouver.

Atelier BUILD has designed several urban infill projects for Montreal’s inner city neighbourhoods. These projects include Thin House, Twin House, Back House and Box House. More recent projects include Super 8, an eight-unit micro-loft development and Éco-Cité Habitat 1, one of the first ecologically designed condominiums in Canada, complete with geo-thermal heating, green roofs and passive solar design. In 2002 atelier BUILD’s installation code: zero was part of the group show Laboratoire at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. You can visit atelier BUILD’s web site at www.build-inc.com to view projects completed to date.

Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture
The $50,000 Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture is awarded annually to a young architect or practitioner of architecture, an architecture firm or an architectural design firm that has completed its first buildings and demonstrated an exceptional artistic potential. The prize allows the laureates to travel around the world to hone their skills, develop their creative practice and strengthen their presence in international architecture culture. Applicants must define destinations and activities that will best support the development and recognition of their practice. Proposed activities can include visits to outstanding buildings, participation in biennales, conferences, colloquia, competitions and architecture workshops, and meetings with editors, critics and curators of architecture. The project can involve multiple trips to a number of destinations, spread over a two-year period.

The Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture is one of several initiatives of the Canada Council for the Arts which contribute to the development of Canadian architecture. The Canada Council recently renewed its programs of assistance to architecture to enable the public to better understand and appreciate contemporary Canadian architecture. For more information on these programs, contact Brigitte Desrochers, Architecture Officer with the Visual Arts Section of the Canada Council for the Arts, at (613) 566-4414, or 1 800 263-5588, ext. 5109, or by e-mail at brigitte.desrochers@canadacouncil.ca.

General information
The Canada Council for the Arts, in addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts in Canada, administers and awards over 100 prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences and engineering. Among these are the Killam Prizes, the Molson Prizes, the Bell Canada Award in Video Art, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts and the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. Other prizes and awards in the visual arts include the J.B.C. Watkins Award, the Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography, the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in Fine Crafts, the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award and the York Wilson Endowment Award. The Canada Council collaborates on the administration of the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

For more information about these awards, including nomination procedures, contact Janet Riedel Pigott, Acting Director of Endowments and Prizes, at (613) 566-4414, or 1-800-263-5588, ext. 5041, or by e-mail at janet.riedel@canadacouncil.ca. You can also contact Danielle Sarault, Acting Endowments and Prizes Officer, at (613) 566-4414, or 1 800 263-5588, ext. 4116, or by e-mail at danielle.sarault@canadacouncil.ca.

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