Our founding partner, Siamak Hariri, received an Honorary Doctorate of Architecture from Ryerson University at this year’s Spring Convocation. Siamak, along with seven honourees from other faculties, were celebrated for being “champions of change” in their respective fields. “Each embodies Ryerson’s vision for every student: a life enriched by the pursuit of a great and abiding passion.”
Siamak’s distinguished career includes nationally and internationally recognized buildings. He has won over 50 awards, including the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, and with his Partner David Pontarini, the 2013 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Architectural Firm Award. One of Siamak’s earliest projects, the Canadian headquarters of McKinsey & Company, is the youngest building to receive City of Toronto heritage landmark designation. More recent public and private projects include the Schulich School of Business at York University, the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, and the Integrated Health Sciences campus, with the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy and the McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in downtown Kitchener. Siamak’s work embodies abiding commitment to architecture’s essentials and he brings to every creative project a profound interest in light, form, site, material, and craft.
We would like to wish him congratulations on receiving this distinct honour.