Carol Bélanger
Carol Bélanger is a Canadian architect who currently serves as the City Architect of Edmonton, Alberta.
Personal life and education
[edit]Bélanger is from a French Canadian military family that moved around to several places, including Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Germany.[1][2] He received a bachelor's degree from University of Manitoba and a master's degree from Dalhousie University.[3]
Bélanger was previously married to architect Naomi Minja, with whom he lived first in the Edmonton neighborhood of Highlands before moving to Glenora in a house that Bélanger and Minja designed together. Bélanger and Minja have two sons together.[4] As of 2022, Bélanger lived with his partner Dustin Ostrowerka in a house Bélanger designed in the Edmonton neighborhood of Glenora.[2]
Career
[edit]Bélanger spent 15 years working in the private sector before joining the city of Edmonton in 2005.[5] He was appointed to the role of City Architect in 2009.[6] In this role, he has revamped the procurement process for public buildings such as recreation centers and libraries, which is widely credited with raising the standard for public architecture in Edmonton and setting new standards for Canada.[7][8] He was aided in this goal by an agreement among Canada's Western provinces that required bids to be tendered freely.[3] Under his leadership, the city implemented a new qualifications-based selection process in which fees were determined using Consulting Architects of Alberta fee schedules.[1][9] They also held an anonymous design competition for five park pavilions;[9] one of the winners, the Borden Park Pavilion by gh3*, won a 2018 Governor General's Medal in Architecture—the first awarded in Edmonton since 1992.[1][10]
In 2017, Bélanger was honored with a fellowship from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).[5] In 2023, Bélanger won an Advocate for Architecture award from the RAIC for his role in reversing the decline in investment in Edmonton's public buildings.[6][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bozikovic, Alex (2015-11-21). "Thanks to one unorthodox architect, Edmonton is undergoing a design revolution". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ a b Schachtel, Cory (2022-08-16). "Not Just Another Glenora Infill". Edify. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ a b Messenger, Scott (2015-05-11). "The City According to Carol". Edify. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ MacLean, Mairi (2005-11-03). "At home with Carol Belanger and Naomi Minja: Cherished rooms...". Edmonton Journal. pp. F1 Front.
- ^ a b Kent, Gordon (2017-05-24). "City architects among honourees; Institute fellowships celebrate excellence in design, academics and public service". Edmonton Journal. pp. A6.
- ^ a b "2023 RAIC Awards: Carol Bélanger". Canadian Architect. 2023-04-18. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ Stolte, Elise (2016-02-06). "Public buildings with pizzazz". Edmonton Journal. pp. B1.
- ^ Bozikovic, Alex (2024-11-22). "The problem with public architecture in Canada". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ a b Lam, Elsa (2019-07-01). "State of the Nation". Canadian Architect. No. July 2019. pp. 9–25.
- ^ Stolte, Elise (2018-05-07). "Borden Park Pavilion wins Governor General's award for outstanding architecture". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "2023 RAIC Advocate for Architecture". Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. Retrieved 2025-03-24.