WINNIPEG - May 7, 2008 – The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts announced on Tuesday their selection of Winnipeg’s Millennium Library as a recipient of the prestigious Governor General’s Medal in Architecture for 2008. The Governor General’s Medal in Architecture recognizes outstanding achievement in recently built projects by Canadian architects. David Kressock of LM Architectural Group (Winnipeg) and John Patkau of Patkau Architects (Vancouver), the Millennium Library’s two design architects, will be honoured by the Governor General at Rideau Hall on October 16, 2008.

“As the preeminent architectural award in Canada, the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture represents a wonderful accomplishment for our firm,” said David Kressock, principal architect with LM Architectural Group. “An award of this significance reflects the collaborative support of our consultants, the City of Winnipeg, and the Winnipeg Library Foundation. This third award for the Millennium Library – along with the 2004 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence and the 2006 Prairie Design Award – further recognizes the Millennium Library as a true signature statement for Winnipeg.”

“We’re extremely proud of our library – both for its beauty and the way it serves our community,” said Glen Laubenstein, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Winnipeg. “Congratulations to LM Architectural Group / Patkau Architects for their stellar design, and thanks to the thousands of donors and partners who made the Millennium Library possible: it is your award, too.”

The partnership of LM Architectural Group / Patkau Architects developed the design, highlighted by the addition of a fourth floor, the renovation of the existing three floors, the construction of the reading terraces and the expansion of the main lobby of the Library as a place for community gatherings. The design includes a passive solar curtain wall, which transforms the building’s southeast face that looks onto the adjacent public park. The renovated and expanded Millennium Library opened in November 2005.