Kasian principal William (Bill) Chomik, Architect, AAA has been awarded the Tom Sutherland Award in recognition of his design expertise, community service and leadership in the field of architecture.

The Tom Sutherland Award was created in 2017 to recognize a member of the Alberta Association of Architects (AAA) who has exemplified the leadership qualities and commitment to community service of the late Tom Sutherland. Chomik was recognized as the recipient of the 2021 Tom Sutherland Award at the AAA’s 2021 Annual General Meeting.

In his acceptance speech Chomik said, “to be judged as having the qualities of leadership and service in both the profession and the community at large as Tom possessed is, to say the least, humbling.”

Chomik was first registered as an architect with the AAA in 1985 and has worked on more than 700 buildings over the course of his career. He has gained a reputation as the most knowledgeable planetarium architect in the world, with the Calgary Science Centre planetarium being the first of the 25 he has designed around the world.

He has received many awards, including a Governor General’s Award for Architecture and a City of Calgary Mayor’s Urban Design Award, alongside international recognition, receiving honorary fellowships with the American Institute of Architects and Federación de Colegios de Arquitectos de la República Mexicana Ac.

Throughout his career Chomik has also accumulated an extensive record of community service, including serving as a community member of the University of Calgary Senate since 2015 and chair of the City of Calgary Urban Design Review Panel from 2005-2007.

“His work has not only bolstered Kasian’s reputation as one of the top architectural and design firms in North America, but he has also raised the bar for justice centres, science centres, arts facilities, and buildings around the world. Locally, Bill has provided extraordinary service to the community, while serving on many charitable and public boards,” said Don Kasian, president.