Catherine McBain
Catherine is an existing buildings specialist with 5 years of international experience in the heritage conservation field. Catherine’s role oscillates between Project Management for various firm projects and gaining experience as a registered OAA Intern Architect. She actively seeks opportunities to situate her work at the intersection of heritage and sociology. Originally from Québec City, Catherine has called Paris, Athens and now Ottawa home.
Exploring social resiliency and inclusive narratives of place
I am particularly passionate about historic urban fabric and the collective memory embedded within existing places, including buildings, landscapes and the urban experience. I have a keen interest in restoring, adapting and re-imaging heritage buildings to communicate an evolving story that all existing buildings have to tell.
My work continues to explore the intersections of social resiliency and cultural sustainability in architecture. In my career, I hope to contribute to an expanded definition of heritage value that lies within the intangible elements of historic places—challenging the existing frameworks that dictate the profession of architectural conservation.
My M.Arch thesis focused on exploring relationships between collective memory and architectural space within former Residential Schools in Canada, a project that continues to challenge the way I think and approach existing places. I strongly believe in community collaboration and designing places to be equitable and inclusive, recognizing the discrepancy between those using, and those designing our cities and buildings.
Interest
marketing strategies within architecture
As the social media and communications team lead @ TRACE, I am constantly looking at new ways to promote, advertise and communicate our team’s portfolio and values through various marketing strategies. I believe the best outcomes come from communicating our mission and vision values in every blog, content post and getting involved with our local community.
Interest
advancing the industry: BIMxHeritage
Starting my career in architecture within the last decade has introduced me to a wide range of digital tools to assist in conserving and working with, existing buildings. A summer internship in Athens, Greece working with geomatic engineers and surveyors helped me understand the value in a multidisciplinary approach to architectural conservation. I am constantly investigating new BIM tools and how they can help streamline workflows in architecture.
Catherine's Publications
Publication, Conference Proceedings | “Laying the Foundation: The Use and Evolution of Concrete as Ottawa’s Primary Building Material.” Construction History Society, Proceedings from the 10th Annual Conference, Cambridge, UK
Publication Feature | Dezeen Magazine, 12 Student Projects from the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism
