Douglas Cardinal
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Image:National Museum of the American Indian.jpg
Douglas Joseph Cardinal, OC , B.Arch , R.C.A. (born March 7, 1934, Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian architect.
Born in Alberta of Métis and Blackfoot heritage, Cardinal is famous for flowing architecture marked with smooth lines, influenced by his Aboriginal heritage.
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:
- St. Albert Place & City Hall, St. Albert, Alberta;
- Leighton Artist Colony, at the Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta;
- Grande Prairie Regional College, Grande Prairie, Alberta;
- St. Mary's Church, Red Deer, Alberta;
- Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec, which faces Canada's Parliament Hill from directly across The Ottawa River.
- Markham (Civic Centre) Town Centre, Markham, Ontario
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 last site of the National Mall in Washington D.C., which directly faces the Capitol Building of the United States of America.
Awards
Cardinal has received many awards and honours for his work, such as the Canada Council Molson Prize for the Arts in 1992, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1995, and the Caledonian Prize Lectureship in Edinburgh in 1997. In 1990, he was made an officer of the Order of Canada.