Lara McKendrick has joined the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) as its new president. The Ottawa-based architect brings 25 years of experience to the role, including as founder of Lara McKendrick Architecture Inc. (LMA), a firm specializing in adaptive reuse, custom residential projects, and deep energy retrofits.

“I am so excited for this opportunity to help lead our governing board of directors,” she says. “This is the final year of the OAA’s current Strategic Plan, which includes Climate Action and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as the two main lenses through which we view all the work we undertake. I was fortunate to be a Councillor when OAA Council and senior staff crafted this plan. As President, I will continue to pursue the worthy priorities and projects currently underway.”

McKendrick’s work is guided by a first-principles approach to sustainability, creating healthy, flexible, durable, and beautiful spaces. Before establishing her own practice in 2011, she worked with several prominent Ottawa firms, honing her expertise in institutional, commercial, and residential architecture.