Douglas Cardinal - Professional Life

Professional Life

Among the many projects Cardinal has completed in his career are the following:

  • National Museum of the American Indian (1993-1998), Washington

  • Museum of Civilization (1989) in Gatineau, Quebec, opposite Parliament Hill

  • First Nations University in Regina, Saskatchewan

  • Edmonton Space And Science Centre, (1984) Coronation Park, Edmonton, Alberta, which has since been renovated and rebranded as the Telus World of Science

  • York Region Administrative Centre in Newmarket, Ontario

  • Cultural Institute Oujé-Bougoumou, Québec

  • St. Albert Place & City Hall, St. Albert, Alberta;
  • Leighton Artist Colony, at the Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta;
  • Provincial Building, Ponoka, Alberta;
  • Grande Prairie Regional College, Grande Prairie, Alberta;
  • St. Mary's Church, (1968) Red Deer, Alberta;

Cardinal was one of the first North American architects to use computers to assist in the design process. His curvilinear designs reflect the landscape around them, so that people making use of the building can retain a sense of the land that surrounds them.

In 1993, he was hired by The Smithsonian Institution as the Primary Design Architect for the National Museum of the American Indian, or NMAI. The NMAI is situated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and directly faces the Capitol of the United States of America. After contractual disputes, Cardinal was removed from the project in 1998 before it was completed, but he continued to provide input into the building's design.

In 2008, his firm was hired by the Kirkland Foundation to design a museum/convention center in Union City, Tenn. The Discovery Park of America was to be a unique structure housing a multi level museum with artifacts from across the nation as well as provide a place for large conventions/meetings for the community. Early in 2009 the firm's contract was terminated with the owner, and all construction activity was halted, due to undisclosed differences between the two parties.

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