Three projects have been shortlisted for the 2019 RAIC International Prize for socially transformative architecture.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) received submissions from 12 countries across six continents. 2019 marks the third edition of the biennial prize, which was founded in 2013 and is open to architects from anywhere in the world.

One Canadian firm – Hariri Pontarini Architects, of Toronto, ON – was selected for the Baha’i Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile. The Edificio E, Lecture Building in Peru by Barcaly & Crousse (Lima, Peru) and the Thread: Artists’ Residence and Cultural Center by Toshiko Mori Architect (New York, USA) are the two other shortlisted projects.

“We see in these exceptional buildings how architecture can strengthen community, bring together diverse peoples, lift the spirit, and exist in harmony with the environment,” said RAIC president Michael Cox, FRAIC. “Each of these projects offers lessons that can be applied elsewhere, and we hope they will inspire architects around the world as they design for human well-being.”

The RAIC, the RAIC Foundation, and distinguished Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama created the RAIC International Prize (formerly called the Moriyama RAIC International Prize) in 2013. Their goal was to share Canadian architectural values with an international audience and celebrate architecture that is socially transformative. One of the most generous architecture prizes in the world, it includes a monetary award of CAD $100,000 and a sculpture designed by Canadian designer Wei Yew.

In addition to the main prize, three scholarships of CAD $5,000 each will be awarded to three students of Canadian schools of architecture on the basis of a written essay.

The prize winner will be unveiled at a gala in Toronto, Canada on October 25, 2019.