From the forthcoming OAA 2026 Awards Book: As partners in life and practice, Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe are among the few Canadian architects who have gained international recognition for the excellence of their buildings and landscapes. Since establishing Shim-Sutcliffe Architects in 1994, they have excelled at every stage of their careers, receiving 14 Governor General’s Medals and Awards for architecture, as well as an American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award and many other accolades. Shim and Sutcliffe have demonstrated to their peers and to the world at large that contemporary modernism can be not only highly sophisticated but also intimate, welcoming, and warm.
Jury’s Comments
“Their legacy is unparalleled. They reached a pinnacle few architects can achieve in creating places that are poetic, thoroughly considered, perfectly tuned to human habitation.”
“The quality of design speaks to their ability to understand context and vernacular. Their partnership combines the precision of a technician and the insight of a teacher.”
“Even their simplest and most modest projects are always elegant, still great architecture. This is the true test of the architect—creating beauty for modest means.”
Photo Credit (Above): Younes Bounhar