Kristen Gagnon

Symposium organizer and PhD Candidate, Carleton University

Organisatrice du symposium et doctorante, Université Carleton
Architectural criticism is in a state of flux and malleability as it attempts to adjust and remain relevant within the changing context of mass communication.
The shift toward digital platforms and outlets, while affecting media in general, has allowed for new and emerging methods of communicating architectural ideas to the public. This transition to online communication also allows the lay critic the same access to readership as the professional.
A recent case in point is Mirvish + Gehry Toronto, a major mixed-use development project in the arts and entertainment district of Toronto. Not only has it been discussed extensively by the established critical architectural guard, but it has also been thoroughly analyzed through a very public discourse and debate. As such, public or popular criticism is now at a pivotal point in its history, as it decides if, and how, it will include and engage those outside of the field of architecture and traditional media. Whichever way criticism proceeds, what cannot be understated is the valuable role it can and should play as the threshold between the profession of architecture and the public understanding and appreciation of our built environment. For while we spend the majority of our time in and around buildings and designed spaces, there is still a significant lack of education about the importance a...