Provide a brief summary of your practice experience.
I have been working in Ottawa, in private architectural practice, since I graduated from Carleton University’s School of Architecture in 1996 and I have been a licensed architect and member of the OAA, in good standing, since 2003. After working for three different Ottawa-based practices, in 2011 I started my own practice and incorporated in 2012 as Lara McKendrick Architecture Inc.;
Over the last 30 years I have worked on a wide variety of projects; of varying scale, construction type, use, client type and project delivery method. The one common thread is that 99% of these projects have been renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings and sites. Most of these existing buildings and sites do not have any heritage designation. They are simply places that people use and through careful and thoughtful renewal they were given new life and remain valuable parts of the community fabric. I am grateful to be able to work on both private projects and community projects and with clients that value the expertise architects offer.
Provide a brief summary of your previous governance experience (boards, councils, committees, advisory groups, etc.).
Early in my career I volunteered with ORSA’s annual Ottawa Architecture Week (OAW). More recently, after a decade of volunteering with community organizations outside of our profession, I have been a member of the OAA council for two terms.
During my first three-year term I served on the complaints committee, finance and audit committee (and its precursor the budget committee), subcommittee on building codes and regulations (SCOBCAR), and building committee. In addition to committee work, I was an interlocking director to the ProDemnity Insurance board for two years and society liaison for SLVSA.
In the first year of my second term, I was elected by my fellow councillors as a vice president and chaired both the communications and public education committee (CPEC) and the building committee while continuing to serve as the society liaison for SLVSA. During this same year I was also a member of the regulatory committee.
In the second year of my second term, council elected me as SVP Treasurer and in this role, I served as an interlocking director on the board of ProDemnity, chaired the finance and audit and governance committees while remaining the chair of the building committee.
2026 is my sixth year on council during which time I have had the privilege to be the President of OAA council. In addition to chairing council meetings and my other duties, I have participated in both PACT and finance and audit committee meetings, and I am a member of the governance committee.
Why are you interested in serving on Council at this time?
In my first year on council, I had the opportunity to contribute to the creation of the OAA’s current 5-year strategic plan. With this effort the OAA council and staff set key priorities and the lenses through which the OAA has focused its efforts to achieve those priorities. All based on core values and a mandate aligned with the Architects Act. This aligns with my initial interest in serving on OAA council, namely:
- Contributing to our profession’s action on sustainability, carbon reduction, and fight against climate change. This is the existential issue of our time and one in which we, as architects, play an important role. I want to help make our role a positive one.
- Supporting diversity and inclusivity within our profession. Ontario’s population is diverse and this is the public our profession serves and whose interests we protect.
- Supporting members in upholding professional standards. We need to stay current and competent as we grapple with local and global issues.
- Promoting public appreciation of architecture. High quality, beautiful, public architecture is essential to the well-being of our society.
Now, as the OAA embarks on a new strategic planning exercise, I want to continue serving on council for a third and final term. To provide continuity between what has been accomplished and what will be planned and to see through to completion initiatives in which I have been involved. I sincerely hope that you give me that opportunity. Thank you for your consideration.
What do you believe are the key challenges or priorities for Council over the next one to three years?
While the leadership and staff of the OAA do the day to day work, it is the job of OAA council to steer and strategize. Council brings the lens of our profession to view the issues at hand and on the horizon.
We find ourselves in very challenging times in this age of AI transformation, continuing climate emergency, escalating political tensions, and critical housing affordability crisis. It is important that the OAA sees the issues through a purposefully strategic lens and remains part of the ongoing public conversation. Although the OAA does not play an advocacy role for the profession, it is a trusted partner to many other organizations and is a strong and steady voice for architecture in the protection of the public interest. By remaining in the conversation, the OAA can carefully amplify or support those who can and should be the advocates for our profession.nbsp;
Through all this, the Ontario Architects Act needs modernization to better serve both the Ontario public and architects. OAA council plays a key role in this ongoing work by steering towards good governance decisions and right touch regulation. It is important that this work not be delayed.
It is also very important that we continue to engage with the communities we serve, foster real reconciliation, include a diversity of voices and engage all generations in the effort to help our communities be better. It is through our own engagement that we will continue to have a strong, recognized, self-regulated profession in Ontario.
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