Longtime Ottawa architect Lara McKendrick named president of the Ontario Association of Architects
When she was a little girl, Lara McKendrick knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: an architect. Now, not only has she made that dream come true, after 25 years in her field, Lara’s the new president of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). The OAA is the provincial regulator of the architecture profession.
Lara has been a licensed architect since 2003 and she’s the founder of Ottawa’s Lara McKendrick Architecture Inc., laramckendrick.com, specializing in adaptive reuse, custom residential projects and deep energy retrofits. Her work is guided by a first-principles approach to sustainability, creating healthy, flexible, durable and beautiful spaces.
Before establishing her practice in 2011, Lara worked with several prominent Ottawa firms, honing her expertise in institutional, commercial and residential architecture. A graduate of Carleton University’s School of Architecture, her passion for the field developed early.
“I wanted to be an architect even when I was five years old. At one point, I considered engineering, but architecture won out after I attended school in Europe,” she shares, adding that her motivation to run for OAA president stemmed from a desire to give back to her profession.
“I initially ran for council because I was at a point in my career where I had more control of my time and saw it as a way to do some work for my profession,” she says. “I’ve learned that the OAA is not some overlord in isolation. For architects and licensed technologists, this is our profession and our regulator—it is up to us to get involved. We rely on volunteers.”
Among her goals leading the OAA’s council, Lara wants to help foster stronger connections between the architecture profession and the communities it is entrusted to serve.
“We know that architecture is an integral part of our quality of life and the well-being of society. Beautiful, low-carbon, durable, resilient, adaptable, inclusive architecture is a community-builder,” she says.
“There is so much to be done on solving the housing crisis, building communities that are truly inclusive and resilient, adapting to the ever-changing tools of our industry, including AI, and helping the next generation of architects and licensed technologists find their way,” she explains. “The OAA can be a hub to support and connect our members in this.” oaa.on.ca
