Summary: Architect Will Alsop discusses his work and creative design process in conjunction with the CCA exhibition Will Alsop: OCAD, An Urban Manifesto. The exhibition features the British architect’s preparatory work for the Sharp Centre for Design at the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) in Toronto and reveals specifically the role of painting in his design process. Since completion, Alsop’s OCAD has become not only a popular icon but a catalyst inspiring the transformation and revitalisation of Toronto’s urban spaces. On view at the CCA in Montréal from 13 June until 5 October 2008. Will Alsop studied at the Architectural Association in London and worked in the office of Cedric Price before establishing his own practice in 1981. His work is guided by the principle that architecture is both vehicle and symbol of social change and renewal. The philosophy extends from the design of individual buildings to broader principles of urbanism and city development. The formal inventiveness and technical variety of his work was recognised with the prestigious 2000 RIBA Stirling Prize for his design of the Peckham Library, London (1996-99). Other projects include the Ferry Terminal, Hamburg (1989-93), Cardiff Bay Visitor’s Centre, Wales (1990), and Hôtel du Département des Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille (1991-94). Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal, 2 October 2008
