Born in London, England, her family immigrated to Canada when Lemco van Ginkel was fourteen years old. After winning a scholarship, she attended McGill University, graduating with a degree from the university's School of Architecture in 1945. In 1948, she briefly joined Le Corbusier's studio, allowing her to work on the Unité d'Habitation project in Marseille, France. This experience exposed her to Modernist design concepts which she later introduced to other architects once back in Canada. Lemco van Ginkel continued her studies, graduating with a degree in city planning from Harvard University in 1950. In 1952, she registered as an architect, being only the fourth woman to do so in Quebec. Lemco van Ginkel was a member of the Modernist think tank Team 10 and was involved in the early stages of the group, when it still belonged to the CIAM. In 1953, she attended the CIAM congress in Aix-en-Provence where she met her future husband and partner, Dutch architect Sandy van Ginkel. In 1957, they founded Van Ginkel Associates, a Toronto-based architecture and planning firm. In 2014, Lemco van Ginkel received an honorary doctorate from McGill University for the impact she had on Montreal architecture and city planning. She was cited for being "a visionary, a mentor extraordinaire and a true citizen of the world."
Career
Practitioner
Lemco van Ginkel is recognized for combining urban planning with her architectural skills, with a focus on modernist design as evidenced by the use of bold and unadorned elements. During the 1950s and 1960s, her firm headed projects including Bowring Park in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which was presented at the 1959 CIAM congress in Otterlo. Other commissions included the central area plan of Montréal, the urban design of Midtown Manhattan, and the development of Pahang Tenggara, Malaysia. She and her partner were responsible for designing the master plan of the world fair Expo 67, an important cultural moment in Montreal's and Canada's history. She even recruited Moshe Safdie, who designed the iconic Habitat 67. The van Ginkels are also credited with saving Old Montreal from new development. A detailed report they prepared prevented the construction of an elevated highway project that would have cut through the area. They are also known for their conservation efforts regarding Mount Royal, leading a successful advocacy project to stop the development of the mountain park's south slope. As a female architect, Lemco van Ginkel was a pioneer, becoming the first woman officer and council member at the PQAA, the first woman officer and fellow at the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and the first woman president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. She was also the recipient of prestigious RAIC Gold Medal in 2020.
Educator
Lemco van Ginkel taught architecture at the university level in the United States and Canada. From 1951-1957, she taught at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by stints at Harvard University, Université de Montréal and McGill University. From 1980-1982, she was the dean of the faculty of architecture and landscape architecture at the University of Toronto, the first woman do so in Canada. She can be seen with Prof. James Murray and producer Ian MacNeill in Suburban Living: Six Solutions, a National Film Board of Canada film in which they conduct a critical evaluation of 5 European satellite newtowns and housing projects, including Harlow and Alton Estate in the UK, Unité d'habitation in France, Pendrecht in Holland, and Vallingby in Sweden, and contrast them with Canada's Don Mills. In the film, Lemco van Ginkel does not discuss her role in the Unité project, but offers her assessment of it: "It appeals to the spirit of man … a quality which is much too frequently overlooked in our buildings, particularly in housing."
Writer
Lemco van Ginkel regularly contributed articles to publications like "The Canadian Architect", "Canadian Art", "Architectural Design", and "Architecture Canada", as well as "Journal of the American Institute of Planners" and "Community Planning Review". She wrote about women working in the field, architectural education and modern city planning.
Awards and distinctions
Following is a list of awards and distinctions received by Blanche Lemko van Ginkel.
1956, Vienna Grand Prix, International Federation of Housing and Planning Congress
Lemco van Ginkel was the first woman to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 1973, and in 2020 became the third to receive the RAIC Gold Medal after Phyllis Lambert and Jane Jacobs. Alongside Phyllis Lambert, Cornelia Oberlander and Denise Scott Brown, she is one of four prominent female architects profiled in the 2018 documentary film City Dreamers.
