Congress Delegates in the Great Hall of the Squamish Lil-wat Cultural Centre, designed by Formline Architecture (formerly Alfred Waugh Architect) with construction administration architect Ratio Architecture. Photo by RAIC
The RAIC was thrilled to host its first in-person Congress on Architecture in Whistler, BC, on World Architecture Day in early October, 2023. Launched in 2021, the Congress has, to date, been hosted in a virtual format only, primarily due to pandemic-related restrictions. Riding high on the energy and success of the first in-person RAIC Conference in three and a half years (held in Calgary just a few months before), the organizing team was empowered to deliver an engaging two days for delegates. 
The organizing group, including members of the RAIC Climate Action Engagement and Enablement Plan Steering Committee along with RAIC staff, wanted to plan something that was meaningful and directly impactful to the development of the RAIC Climate Action Plan. The result was a showcase of 35 diverse voices, sharing knowledge and experiences challenging the community to accelerate climate action. The gathering unfolded in three events, starting with the Congress on Architecture, followed by an evening at the Patkau Architects-designed Audain Art Museum, and culminating in an open-access Low Carbon Education workshop. Set on the shared unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation and Lil?wat7úl (Lil?wat) Nation, the event opened under the canoes in the ...