The University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) announced it is relaunching its Margolese National Design for Living Prize.
The $50,000 award — an estate gift to UBC by the late Leonard Herbert Margolese — is open to any Canadian making a profound impact on the built environment.
In 2018, SALA paused the prize to review its terms and significance. With the relaunch, SALA hopes to attract nominations from a broader array of disciplines.
“Society is facing urgent and interconnected global emergencies. Now, more than ever, it is becoming clear that designers are empowering people to lead safer, more independent, accessible and meaningful lives. With the Margolese Prize, we intend to inspire practitioners and students everywhere by honouring Canadians who are shaping our future cities and landscapes,” said SALA director Ronald Kellet.
Eligible areas of focus include but are not limited to:
- Affordable housing and social infrastructure
- Community design and public space
- Ecological design and biodiversity
- Climate change and resilience
- Human health and well-being
- Food security and water quality
- Social equity and environmental justice
- Mobility and transportation
- Disaster and pandemic relief
- Universal design and accessibility.
The nominations should demonstrate tangible and far-reaching impact and benefit, reflect the power of design to enhance social, cultural or economic well-being, and inspire others or lead to replicated similar initiatives.
Nominations for the prize will open from February through March 2021, with shortlisted candidates notified and asked to submit applications, which will be due in June 2021. Winners are announced in September 2021 with an award ceremony and presentation in October.
Nominations must include the name, email and phone number of the nominator, name of the candidate, and up to 500 words describing the candidate’s contribution to the built environment.
Previous Vancouver prize winners include the late architect Bing Thom in 2013 and landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander in 2015. The prize was awarded six times from 2012 to 2017.
