The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) is looking ahead by celebrating the woman behind it all. Phyllis Lambert founded the centre in 1979. To celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 24, the centre will launch a series of programs over the next year. “Photography plays a major role in architectural culture and architectural practice, and Phyllis recognized, explored and acted on this at a time when very few people or institutions were collecting photographs in a serious way,” CCA curator Katie Addleman says. An exhibit titled “Neighbours” is up first. It will run from Nov. 5 until May 2027. The CCA says it will go beyond buildings and explore the many people who live in them. An additional photography exhibit and a project titled “Out of the Box: Gillian Hopwood and John Godwin” will open in April 2027 and November 2027, respectively. It’s a nod to Lambert’s lifelong goal of building community. “One of the problems I’m concerned about is the lack of connections,” Lambert says. “It’s not just the centre of the city that’s important. It’s the whole of the city […] Montreal is a city of communities,” the founder and architect explained. The CCA will also launch a biweekly conversation series titled “Speaking of Tomorrow.” Participants will discuss urban planning, the environment, and the future of cities starting on Jan. 24. With a memoir set to release the same month, Lambert also hopes to give readers a window into her philosophy. In an excerpt from her upcoming book, Lambert writes, “you must put up a building that expresses the best of the society in which you live, and at the same time your hopes for the betterment of society.” A film exhibit titled “Laws,” beginning in March, will explore what happens when architects design both the buildings and the rules. It’s those ideas that continue to push Lambert to fight for a better Canada, and she says she hopes to see younger generations do the same. The CCA is also set to publish a book titled “CCA Oral Histories” in May 2027.
