Douglas Cardinal

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.

Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, QC

First Nations University of Canada in Regina, SK

Telus World of Science Edmonton

York Region Administrative Centre in Newmarket, Ontario

Douglas Joseph Cardinal, OC (born 7 March 1934, Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian architect.

Born of Métis and Blackfoot heritage, Cardinal is famous for flowing architecture marked with smooth lines, influenced by his Aboriginal heritage as well as European Expressionist architecture^[1][2]

In 1953, he attended the University of British Columbia; he later attended the University of Texas at Austin, from which he graduated with a degree in Architecture in 1963.

Professional life

Among the many projects Cardinal has completed in his career are the following:^[3]

• St. Albert Place & City Hall, St. Albert, Alberta;
• Leighton Artist Colony, at the Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta;
• Provincial Building, Ponoka, Alberta;
• Grande Prairie Regional College, Grande Prairie, Alberta;
• St. Mary's Church, (1968) Red Deer, Alberta;^[4]
• Canadian Museum of Civilization (1989) in Gatineau, Quebec, which faces Canada's Parliament Hill from directly across the Ottawa River.^[5]
• Edmonton Space And Science Centre, (1984) Coronation Park, Edmonton, Alberta, which has since been renovated and rebranded as the Telus World of Science^[6]
• First Nations University of Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan
• National Museum of the American Indian (1993-1998), Washington^[7]
• York Regional Administrative Centre, Newmarket, Ontario

Cardinal was one of the first North American architects to use computers to assist in the design process. His curvilinear designs reflect the landscape around them, so that people making use of the building can retain a sense of the land that surrounds them.

In 1993, he was hired by The Smithsonian Institution as the Primary Design Architect for the National Museum of the American Indian, or NMAI. The NMAI is situated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and directly faces the Capitol of the United States of America. After contractual disputes, Cardinal was removed from the project in 1998 before it was completed, but he continued to provide input into the building's design.

In 2008, his firm was hired by the Kirkland Foundation to design a museum/convention center in Union City, Tenn. The Discovery Park of America was to be a unique structure housing a multi level museum with artifacts from across the nation as well as provide a place for large conventions/meetings for the community. Early in 2009 the firm's contract was terminated with the owner, and all construction activity was halted, due to undisclosed differences between the two parties.

References

1. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia
2. ^ The Canada Council for the Arts
3. ^ Doyle, Richard I. (2001). Renaissance II: Canadian creativity and innovation in the new millennium. Intercept Ltd. pp. 38. ISBN 978-0660183978. http://books.google.com/books?id=9WrhJnmXdBIC&pg=PA38&dq=Douglas+Cardinal#v=onepage&q=Douglas%20Cardinal&f=false. 
4. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 
5. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 
6. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 
7. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 

External links

• Architect's web site
• Canada Council 2001 Governor General's Award for Visual and Media Arts
• Washington Post
• Douglas Cardinal Archiving Project

Persondata
Name	Cardinal, Douglas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	7 March 1934
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death