معرفی
Anne Cormier is a Full Professor at the School of Architecture within the Faculty of Planning at Université de Montréal, where she served as Director from 2007 to 2015. She is a founding member of Atelier Big City since 1987, an architectural studio focused on developing innovative intervention strategies and exploring the potential of public spaces through competitions, idea calls, exploratory studies, and direct commissions. Her work has earned numerous distinctions including the Prix de Rome from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Grand Prix d'Excellence from the Ordre des Architectes du Québec.
She holds an architecture degree from McGill University and studied urban architecture under Jean-Louis Cohen at the Unité Pédagogique d'Architecture Paris-Villemin in France. Her professional experience includes teaching invitations at Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Toronto, and University of Calgary. She has served on the Bureau of the Ordre des Architectes du Quebec (1993-1995), editorial boards of journals ARQ (1993-present) and Trames (1990-95), and currently serves on the OAQ Competitions Committee (since 2009) and the Advisory Committee on Urban Planning, Design and Real Estate of the National Capital Commission (Ottawa) (since 2008).
Cormier's research focuses on social housing as a space for creation, innovation, and criticism in Canadian city centers and contemporary architectural projects. Her work combines relevant thematic research with inventive use of materials and assemblies, guided by Atelier Big City's slogan 'Make architecture a public policy,' emphasizing architecture's public dimension. She is deeply involved in documenting and analyzing contemporary architectural design approaches, particularly in competition settings, with a focus on Canadian and Quebec cultural contexts.
Her recent publications demonstrate consistent engagement with social housing, urban architecture, architectural competitions, and the relationship between architecture and public policy. The recurring themes across her work include the exploration of social housing as a creative space, the integration of architecture into urban environments, and the critical examination of architectural practice through competitions and design processes. Her publications span architectural theory, social housing, urban design, and architectural competitions, reflecting her commitment to making architecture a public policy.
Her scientific recognition includes:
- Prix de Rome du Conseil de Arts du Canada
- Grand Prix d'excellence de l'Ordre des Architectes du Québec
- Prix Margolese National Design for Living (2017)
- Multiple Governor General's Medals
- Canadian Architect Excellence Awards
Cormier has supervised PhD students including Shannon Pirie (2016) on 'Finding the idea of home,' and has secured significant research funding including SSHRC Partnership Grants for 'Quality in Canada's Built Environment: Roadmaps to Equity, Social Value and Sustainability' (2022-2028) and 'Potentiels de la qualité architecturale' (2022-2027). Her work bridges academic research, professional practice, and public engagement, contributing significantly to architectural discourse in Canada and internationally.
She is actively involved with LEAP (Laboratoire d'étude de l'architecture potentielle), where her research focuses on social housing as a space for creation, innovation, and criticism in Canadian urban centers. The laboratory's work examines contemporary architectural projects through four research axes: reasoned digital documentation and analysis of architectural projects, critical history of contemporary Canadian architecture, development of research-creation works, and development of pedagogical devices for architectural design teaching and reflective practices in planning.
