2022 Lecture
The title of Professor Adams’ lecture is “Three hospitals. Two visionaries. One credo.”
In her words:
“This illustrated talk explores architectural innovation in three Canadian hospitals, in three cities, from three decades.”
“Engaging visual evidence, I demonstrate dynamic links between McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton (1972), Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre in Edmonton (1986), and SickKids Hospital in Toronto (1993), as well as connections to iconic buildings beyond healthcare, including revolutionary housing projects, shopping malls, science labs, and even factories.”
“The overarching argument is that architect Eberhard Zeidler’s design concepts transformed hospital design, reshaping healthcare buildings around the world. An additional focus is the special relationship of Zeidler and medical educator John Evans, which illustrates the distinct role of co-production in the case of McMaster.”
The work of Annmarie Adams bridges the worlds of architecture and medicine. She holds the Stevenson Chair in the Philosophy and History of Science, including Medicine, at McGill University in Montreal. Adams has served as both Director of the School of Architecture and Chair of the Department of Social Studies of Medicine. Her award-winning books include Architecture in the Family Way (MQUP, 1996); Designing Women (UTP, 2000), and Medicine by Design (UMP, 2007).
Her expertise has been much cited by the media, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Nature, WIRED, The Atlantic, Financial Times Magazine, Le Devoir, Canadian Art, and Elle Décor.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In 2022-23, she is on sabbatical to finish a spatial biography of cardiologist Maude Abbott.
She considers the McMaster Health Sciences Centre to be one of Canada’s most significant buildings. “[It’s]… a precious reminder of a time when architecture sprang from new ideas and anything seemed possible.”