Jury-GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN / Published on January 10, 2021
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Carol Craig
Principal
Kinnikinnick Studio Inc.
Edmonton, Canada
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE – PEOPLE OF DESIGN VERSION!
What prescient youthful memory relates to your present career?
My fascination with the contrasting landscapes that my parents grew up in: My father from the Gaspe, Quebec – the constantly moving ocean, parcels of fenced land, groves of trees, and swathes of lupins.
My mother from southern Alberta – big blue sky, golden fields, red barns and an incredible never ending view.
What are three basic rules you learned from your mentors?
■ Listen.
■ Think before you act.
■ Check over and over that you are doing what you need to do to create a great place, not what you want to do.
Any music playing while you work?
Our world is full of distractions. I love the quiet, it helps me focus while I work. Music, in particular jazz, takes me to another place.
Do you work in PJs or three-piece suits?
Neither, I love pattern and strong colours that are mixed to help create what I will wear for the day. My work wear is always in flux.
What is your current design state of mind?
Where do I go from here and how will I get there?
What past designer/architect inspires you the most?
Each of these inspires me in different ways:
What is your most marked design quality?
Understanding the client and the user and how to meet the needs of both (hopefully most of their needs!).
How would you like your designs to go down in history?
I do a lot of naturalization and landscape rehabilitation. I hope that over time, no one will know I was there.
What peer quality do you most value?
Truth in design – meeting the current and future needs of the user with opportunity for them to fine tune the sense of place along the way.
Which project is the epitome of your work?
Fulton Creek Marshland – after 30 years it is starting to look like it was always there.
Photo Credit: Ron Middleton 2016,
Edmonton, Canada
Fulton Creek Marshland – a constructed wetland and stormwater facility in SE Edmonton.
