“We’re not a museum that puts things out and says, ‘This is architecture.’ We try to make people think.”

The Canadian Centre for Architecture is an international research institution operating from the fundamental premise that architecture is a public concern. It was founded in 1979 by Phyllis Lambert as a new type of cultural institution, with the specific aim of increasing public awareness of the role of architecture in contemporary society and promoting research in the field.

We produce exhibitions, publications, and a range of activities driven by a curiosity about how architecture shapes—and might reshape—contemporary life. We invite architects, scholars, and the wider public to engage with our collection, deepening our understanding of the past and giving new relevance to architectural thinking in light of current disciplinary and cultural issues.

The CCA was conceived to fulfill several functions: to collect, as a museum and research library; to archive and document; to support research, as a study centre; and to create and disseminate knowledge through exhibitions, publications, and public programs. It was part of a new generation of specialized institutions—like the Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt (1979), the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam (1988), and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles (1984)—that testified to a renewed interest in the discipline of architecture.

The CCA began operations in an office tower in downtown Montreal while our current building was under construction. It was accredited as a museum in 1984 and opened its doors on 7 May 1989. Since then, we have organized over two hundred exhibitions, published over one hundred books, presented over five hundred lectures and conferences, and hosted over fifteen hundred researchers at all levels.

Canadian Centre for Architecture
1920, rue Baile
Montreal, Quebec
H3H 2S6
Canada

General information
+1 514 939 7000
info@cca.qc.ca

Bookstore
+1 514 939 7028
books@cca.qc.ca