The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada has named Dan S. Hanganu its 2008 RAIC Gold Medalist, the highest honor for a member of the architecture profession in Canada. Founder of his namesake firm, Dan S. Hanganu Architects, Hanganu is recognized for his impressive contribution to Canadian architecture.

Hanganu has more than 50 architectural awards under his belt and a list of high-profile Canadian projects including the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, the Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Church, the UQAM Design Pavillion, the Cirque du Soleil studio, and the Hautes Études Commerciales school.

“Dan successfully transcends the professional and academic worlds as well as having an extensive body of internationally published articles and project reviews,” the Gold Medal Selection Committee notes. “He understands the impact that architecture can have on people…”

A resident of Canada since 1970, the Romania native earned a degree in architecture at the University of Bucharest in 1961. On Saturday, June 28 Hanganu will speak at a lunch during the Conference and Festival of Architecture in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Presented by the RAIC and the Architects’ Association of New Brunswick, the conference and festival runs June 25-28.