Architect Marianne McKenna, OC, the visionary behind The Royal Conservatory’s iconic Koerner Hall, has been awarded the 2025 Gold Medal for Architecture by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). The honour, the highest given by the RAIC, recognizes individuals whose career contributions have had a lasting impact on Canadian architecture. McKenna received the award alongside her KPMB Architects co-founder, Shirley Blumberg at a ceremony in Montreal earlier this month.
This distinction affirms what audiences, artists, and the Conservatory community have long known - that Koerner Hall is not only an architectural triumph, but a space that embodies the artistic and human values at the heart of The Royal Conservatory’s mission.
Since opening in 2009, Koerner Hall has captivated audiences with its superb acoustics and sculptural elegance. With its signature undulating wood canopy (known as the Baillie Veil), it is both visually arresting and acoustically sublime. It is an environment that invites deep listening and transforms every performance into an intimate experience. Its design reflects McKenna’s exceptional ability to balance restraint and exuberance.
Among the many tributes to her work, one of the most poignant comes from acclaimed actress and longtime friend Meryl Streep:
“Of her many and varied designs, one stands out, for me, aesthetically, materially, and even spiritually. Koerner Hall, at the Royal Conservatory of Music, is Marianne’s gift made manifest. The exterior causes no ruckus with its neighbors—behind an elegantly updated, deceptively well-ordered facade, lies the exuberant, sensuous beating heart of creativity. Inside, the curved and soaring wood-beamed ribs of the concert hall (as if from Jonah’s point of view inside the whale) unfurl sound in an unparalleled, artistic triumph.
Sitting next to her in the seats behind the orchestra one afternoon, we heard Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, and I looked over at my friend and thought: this is Marianne—beautiful and restrained on the outside, inside, full-throated passion and artistic expression. SO CANADIAN. I am in awe, and still learning from her. Congratulations to my splendid pal!”
McKenna’s connection to The Royal Conservatory spans decades, beginning with a personal and unexpected motivation. In an interview with Canadian Architect, she recalled:
“When my son was four, he began doing his violin lessons there. He came home with regular stomachaches, and when I asked, he said, ‘Have you seen the washrooms?’ Anyway, we began with renovating the washrooms and just continued working.”
This story exemplifies McKenna’s hands-on and people-focused approach to architecture — creating spaces that serve the needs of those who use them, from the smallest details to the grandest performance halls.
Beyond the Conservatory, McKenna’s architectural influence extends across Canada and the United States. Her portfolio includes significant cultural projects such as The Jenny Belzberg Theatre at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, and currently a new Dramatic Arts Building at Yale University. Her academic projects include the Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and a campus expansion for The Brearley School in Manhattan. These landmark buildings reflect her ongoing commitment to fostering community, creativity, and learning.
The Gold Medal is a fitting recognition of a career defined by excellence, and of a space that continues to inspire all who enter it.