Architect and planner Blanche Lemco van Ginkel is the winner of the RAIC?s 2020 Gold Medal, the institute?s highest honour.
L?architecte et urbaniste Blanche Lemco van Ginkel est lauréate de la Médaille d?or de l?IRAC en 2020. Il s?agit de la plus haute distinction de l?Institut.
TEXT Tanner Morton

PHOTOS Blanche Lemco van Ginkel fonds and van Ginkel Associates fonds, CCA, Montreal (unless otherwise noted)
The RAIC Gold Medal is the highest distinction the Institute can bestow. It recognizes the significant and lasting contributions of an individual to Canadian architecture. In 2020, the honour is awarded to architect Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, FRAIC, a champion of modernism and urban design in Canada. Lemco van Ginkel is also a pioneer for women in architectural and educational institutions in Canada. Through ambitious work such as the preliminary design for Expo 67, the socially minded preservation of Old Montreal, and her foundational research on women architects, her career has left a profound impact on Canada as we know it today. Blanche Lemco was born in 1923 in London, England. As a teenager, she moved with her family to Montreal. She was one of the first women to enroll in McGill University?s school of architecture, entering on scholarship, and received a professional Bachelor of Architecture in 1945. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor?s Medal in recognition for attaining the highest academic standing among her cohort. Lemco started her profe...