Claude Cormier received his Bachelor in Agronomy at the University of Guelph in 1982, his BLA at the University of Toronto in 1986, his Master of History & Theory of Design at Harvard University in 1994. He has established an internationally recognized office in Montreal since 1995 that offers landscape architectural and urban design services. His practice extends far beyond the conventional realm of traditional landscape architecture, instead forging bridges between urban design, public art, and architecture. Claude’s landscapes are likewise anything but conventional, celebrating the artificial instead of the natural, and surreptitiously seeding reality with the surreal. What distinguishes Claude’s work is not only its inventiveness – but its tenacious sense of vision for the power of design.
His firm Claude Cormier et Associés has produced an iconic body of work that continues to gain recognition. The firm has been privileged to work on major public and private works in Canada and the United States. It has received over 88 awards.
In 2010, the Harvard University Graduate School of Design organised an exclusive retrospective exhibition of the firm entitled Erratics. In 2009, Cormier was Knighted to the Ordre National du Québec, the province’s highest distinction for individuals who have contributed to the development and leadership of Quebec. In 2015, the firm was invited by Phaidon Press to be featured in a publication as one of the top 30 worldwide Landscape architects in the world. The same year he was nominated as an honorific member of Canada’s Royal Academy of Arts. Claude was awarded a medal in recognition of his exceptional career by Université de Montreal in 2017. This year, his continued support to the University of Toronto was commended with an Arbor Award for outstanding volunteer work.
In 2024, Claude Cormier was inducted into the RAIC College of Fellows.
Articles
"Dogs, pink umbrellas and wedding photos: Claude Cormier’s artful places for people", The Globe and Mail (2022)
