28 Facts About Douglas Cardinal

Douglas Cardinal is considered one of Canada's most influential contemporary architects.

Douglas Cardinal's mother worked as a nurse and was well educated.

Douglas Cardinal's parents met in 1926, in the early 20th century, women had limited rights and status.

Douglas Cardinal grew up just a few miles outside the small city of Red Deer, Alberta.

Douglas Cardinal wanted to create buildings responding to nature and the organic rhythm of life, which was unprecedented in the 1950s.

Douglas Cardinal wanted a change of scenery due to racism towards Indigenous people in his home country so he decided to head south, stopping in Arizona and Mexico, and later settling in Texas.

Douglas Cardinal wanted to study people and did not feel that the buildings around him were designed around people.

Douglas Cardinal's philosophy was inspired by architect Rudolph Steiner, whom Douglas studied at the University of Texas.

Douglas Cardinal appreciated his organic way of responding to the landscape with the use of natural materials, such as stone and brick.

Douglas Cardinal opened his private practice in 1964, and the same year he was commissioned to design St Mary's Church in Red Deer, Alberta.

Douglas Cardinal found that the use of computerized design would fit his unusual designs and the use of shapes.

Douglas Cardinal found 3D programs very useful for laying out the exact dimensions of buildings.

In 1970s Douglas Cardinal developed his trademark architectural style with organic curvilinear forms.

The archbishop of the church has already appointed another architect for the job, but Merx insisted on hiring Douglas Cardinal and realizing his vision.

Douglas Cardinal started his first project in 1967 and it turned out to be so challenging that he doubted if he could survive its completion.

Douglas Cardinal combined all of his philosophical and cultural ideas and created a church that represented his many beliefs towards the nature and organic forms, that is unique and unprecedented for its time.

Douglas Cardinal opened the Great Hall towards the river, making it the only building in the area that is responding to it.

Douglas Cardinal wanted to acknowledge his appreciation for the Parliament by using the same limestone as the one used in the building.

Douglas Cardinal wanted the space inside to feel alive and dynamic, and not limit its form to the programmatic requirements.

Former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau encouraged Douglas Cardinal to create a museum where people embrace their different backgrounds and learn from each other.

Douglas Cardinal then lost his team on the project and was not fully paid for his previous work.

Douglas Cardinal was part of a similar group that included some of Canada's most influential architects, such as Moshe Safdie, Raymond Moriyama, Eberhard Zeidler, Arthur Erickson, Ray Affleck and Ron Thom.

In 2005 Douglas Cardinal was awarded The Distinguished Artist Award from the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta for "creating an indigenous style of Canadian architecture, characterized by gracious organic forms, which continually challenged the most advanced engineering standards".

Douglas Cardinal has been married four times and has eight children.

Douglas Cardinal was defended by the archbishop lawyer Anthony Jordan and was not found guilty.

Douglas Cardinal accompanied him on a road trip 1957 to Texas and they later got married.

Douglas Cardinal's son Bret is an architect and has worked with his father for 25 years until he started his own architecture firm.

Douglas Cardinal married Marylin Zahar in 1973, with whom he had two children - Lisa and Jean-Marc.