Discover the partnership websiteLiving Atlas of Quality
The database on quality, excellence awards, and lived experience in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and urban design in Canada.
The ArchiQualiData database is a joint project of the Canada Research Chair in Architecture, Competitions, and Quality (Dr. Jean-Pierre Chupin), based at the Université de Montréal, in collaboration with 16 member teams of the research partnership funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant #895-2022-1003).
More information about the SSHRC Partnership on Quality can be found on the public forum Living Atlas of Quality.
The ArchiQualiData database brings together three complementary sources of data, documents, studies, and resources, all available in open access:
A systematic documentation of award-winning buildings and places in the Canadian context, gradually complemented by sites identified as embodying quality through shared lived experiences. The maps thus bring together both 'official examples' and 'personal examples.'
A map of testimonials from users of buildings and public places who have agreed to share at least one “positive experience of quality in the Canadian context.” This map refers to a list of exemplary entities, whether award-winning or not.
Resources on quality issues and enhancement solutions, roadmaps produced by cross-sector teams as part of the partnership, and case studies focusing on exemplary buildings and places.
A roadmap to quality presents key elements such as the initial problem, overall objectives, resources, process steps, and proposed short-, medium-, and long-term actions. There are many gray areas in our current definitions of quality: accessible quality, adaptive reuse, participatory processes, resilient parks, inclusive schools, integrated biodiversity, etc. Following a bottom-up process, these stakeholder teams conduct analyses and consultations in specific contexts, addressing issues that challenge current definitions of quality in architecture, landscape, design, and urban planning. The research highlights the importance of collecting lived experiences to break down silos while updating expertise.
Unless otherwise indicated, photographs of buildings and public spaces come from personal, professional, or institutional archives. Reproduction may only be authorized by the respective rights holders. The researchers of the Canada Research Chair in Architecture cannot be held responsible for omissions or inaccuracies, but welcome relevant information to make necessary corrections in upcoming updates. info@ccc.umontreal.ca