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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Northwest Territories Association of Architects celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre, Sunday afternoon and, looking back over a decade, there is no doubt the organizers see that great progress has been made for the profession in the North.

Northwest Territories Association of Architects executive director Deleigh Rausch shows a mini-activity book that was given to children at last weekend's Amazing Family Sundays event. It marked the 10th anniversary of the association and exposed some of Yellowknife's youngest citizens to the field of architecture. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

The anniversary was presented to the public as a theme for the Amazing Family Days that are regularly hosted by the museum for children.

Some of the city's youngest citizens got to learn directly from local architects – and aspiring architects -- about some of the basic foundations of the practice. Children were seen drawing houses, making models out of playing cards and doing other activities.

Members of the association of architects also shared with children some of the tools used in architecture, demonstrated computer models and explained what the job is all about.

Association president Rod Kirkwood said that the last 10 years has been extremely important for the development of architecture in Yellowknife and the North, largely because the association was established. The creation in 2001 of the Northwest Territories Association of Architects as a self-regulatory professional association made it easier for those already in the practice to attract interns, or those apprenticing to become architects, to serve their required field work in the North. If a person wants to become an architect in the North, they must be a registered member of the organization.

Kirkwood said the structural changes to how architecture is practised has made a significant difference.

"It has been huge," he said. "Three or four years ago there were no intern architects and if there were, they were interning elsewhere in the country. We have been around for 10 years and it has taken us a while to get all of the pieces in place."

Interns in the North get fantastic opportunities to work directly in the practice, which might not otherwise be available in bigger cities in the south, he said.

Dan O'Neill, an intern architect working toward his required hours, is from San Francisco and is focusing his energy on work for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Kirkwood said that O'Neill is one of the real talents that the association was able to recruit.

"Yellowknife is great and I like that you get a big-city type of industry and market, but it is a small town," O'Neill said. "You get the best of both worlds here and you don't have a lot of towns with 18,000 people and having this many architecture firms and this much business going on."

Intern architect Kimberly Fuller recently graduated with a Masters degree from Dalhousie University and was grateful to come to Yellowknife for the working opportunity.

"I'm working on a hamlet office in Qikiqtarjuaq," she said. "The opportunities to work on projects like this are great when you are just coming out of school."

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