Winnipeg Design Festival
Work / Play
This lecture presents a number of projects from the last few years. The lecture is divided into two parts: the first a series of building and competition projects commissioned by clients; and the second a series of research projects which, in the main, have been self-initiated. The title of the lecture Work / Play is intended to reflect the duality in the nature of these two types of projects in terms not only of intention but also of circumstance, and, perhaps more interestingly, reflect the ambiguous distinction between Work and Play when both are driven by passion.
John founded Patkau Architects with Patricia in 1978. He is responsible for directing the activities of the firm, with Patricia, for providing design leadership throughout each project from inception to completion.
John is one of North America’s foremost designers. His contributions to the practice of architecture have been recognized by numerous awards including the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal for lifetime achievement and Membership in the Order of Canada for significant contribution to Canadian culture. Internationally, he has also been made an Honorary Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 1996, John represented Canada at the Venice Biennale. The many accolades of Patkau Architects include Governor General’s Medals for Winnipeg’s Millennium Library and the University of Manitoba’s ARTlab (with LM Group).
John has held distinguished professorship positions at Yale University, Harvard University, Washington University, and the Universities of Calgary and British Columbia. He has been a plenary speaker at several architectural symposia and a guest lecturer at over 50 institutions, including Yale, Harvard, University College Dublin, Manchester Master Series, University of California at Los Angeles, Architecture League of New York, Colegio de Arquitectos de Catalunya, Architectural Association, London, and Royal Institute of British Architects.
John holds a Master of Architecture, a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts, all from the University of Manitoba.
