Vancouver-based Patkau Architects and Janet Rosenberg & Studio won two major 2026 Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) awards for Kìwekì Point in Ottawa: a Design Excellence Award and the prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Design Excellence in Architecture.

Kìwekì Point is a transformative collaboration between architecture and landscape, reimagining a spectacular limestone bluff in Canada’s capital. The design restores connections to the city through the Pìdàban pedestrian bridge and embraces the Ottawa River with a continuous perimeter walkway and biodiverse planting.

Anchoring the site is Whispering Point, an iconic architectural outlook, cantilevering outward to capture sweeping panoramas, while a robust liner of laminated yellow cedar fins below creates a warm, human-scaled shelter.

By recontextualizing historic monuments and integrating Algonquin storytelling within this new topography, the project establishes a resilient, inclusive beacon of reconciliation.

“The 2026 Design Excellence Awards showcase exciting examples of the quality work being performed by members of Ontario’s architecture profession, as well as the clear impact our built spaces can have on our communities,” said OAA president Lara McKendrick. “This year’s winning projects highlight a diverse range of building types and innovative approaches. By mandating the submission of Energy Use Intensity metrics for all candidates, the OAA is pleased to actively advance climate stability and ensure sustainable design remains a core priority for the profession.”

All 10 Design Excellence winners were honoured at the 2026 Conference in Waterloo.