Bruce Kuwabara

Bruce Kuwabara is one of Canada’s most celebrated architects, but those who know him best speak first of his imagination, generosity, strategic nature, and unwavering belief in the power of architecture to catalyze positive change.

A founding partner of KPMB Architects, Bruce’s career is defined not only by award-winning buildings across North America, but by his commitment to creating places that consider the world outside their walls. He often tells audiences that “every building implies a city” — a reminder to think beyond the scale of a single building and to consider the street, neighbourhood, and city to which it belongs.

This urbanist ethos, in concert with Bruce’s abilities as a designer, has earned him the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Gold Medal, and in 2012 he was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

As a Japanese Canadian, Bruce carries the story of his family and community with deep respect. That history has instilled in him a sensitivity to place, memory, and the value of pluralism — a perspective that has influenced the design of the Japanese Canadian Monument Park in Victoria, scheduled to open in the fall, and city halls in Kitchener, Vaughan, and Richmond. Each translates the principles of a working democracy, including respect for difference, into built form.

Bruce is perhaps best known for designing cultural landmarks like the TIFF Lightbox, the Gardiner Museum, and the Remai Modern. These spaces not only reflect his belief in art’s ability to foster self-reflection and cultural dialogue, but they have each shaped their urban contexts in profound, lasting ways.

Throughout his career, Bruce has also designed new homes for education and research with world-renowned institutions like the University of Toronto, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Boston University, and CAMH.

As Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Canadian Centre for Architecture and through his leadership with the University of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto, Bruce has championed design excellence, inclusion, sustainability, and our shared responsibility to build a better future for the next generation.

In honouring Bruce Kuwabara with the 2026 Sakura Award, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre — whose home was designed by Bruce — celebrates a visionary whose life’s work embodies the heart of our mission: to uplift culture, to nurture connection, and to build bridges across communities. His dedication, generosity of spirit, and belief in the transformative power of design continue to enrich our built environment and the human stories it holds.