Catherine McBain

Background

About Catherine McBain

I am an Intern Architect with 5 years of international experience in the heritage conservation field. 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.