Originally posted by Canadian Architect April 23, 2020

The RAIC has announced that Charlottetown’s Nine Yards Studio is one of two recipients of the 2020 Emerging Architectural Practice Award.

The RAIC Emerging Architectural Practice Award was established to recognize the achievements of new practices—for the quality of their built work, service to their clients, innovations in practice, and public recognition. Eligible firms need to be practicing and licensed in Canada, and must have been established in the past 10 years.

Founded in 2017 by architects Silva Stojak and Shallyn Murray (MArch ’12), Nine Yards Studio (9Y) is a multidisciplinary design practice on Prince Edward Island, with a satellite office in Halifax. The studio’s name is inspired by the expression “the whole nine yards”; the practice is committed to the many facets of design and the proposition that great design can—and should—enhance our surroundings.

Nine Yards’ range of design services includes architecture, interior design, furniture design, graphic design, branding and custom art installations.

The firm’s founders have both been committee members on the board of the Architects Association of Prince Edward Island, for which Stojak served as President from 2016 to 2018. Both partners act as mentors; last year, they created the Nine Yards Studio Scholarship at the Dalhousie School of Architecture for Master’s students who show a commitment to their community.

Stojak received her architecture degree from the University of Sarajevo in 1987 and was a partner at BGHJ Architects before starting Nine Yards. She was named one of the top 10 Women Business Leaders by Atlantic Business Magazine and awarded the 2012 Lieutenant Governor Award for Excellence in Architecture.

Murray holds a Diploma in Engineering from the University of Prince Edward Island as well as a Master’s of Architecture from Dalhousie University. She is the youngest practicing architect on the Island, and currently sits on the planning board for the City of Charlottetown, as well as being a member of the sustainability-focused Vision 2050 board.

The firm hosts community-focused events, including a recent panel about the sustainable development of Charlottetown’s waterfront—a project which will be further developed in the coming year in collaboration with the City.

“Nine Yards Studio shows an admirable dedication to community through the promotion of architecture, craft, and design that is uniquely representative of the place in which they live and practice,” writes the jury. “The quiet elegance of their work is rooted in the context of Prince Edward Island. At the forefront, the realizations of the studio are extremely playful within a critical discourse. The studio is an active leader in the profession through their work with Building Equality in Architecture, Atlantic (BEAA).”

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Conference, PARTISANS and Nine Yards Studio will be honoured as award recipients at the RAIC 2021 Conference on Architecture in Montreal, Quebec.

The 2020 jury included:

• Diarmuid Nash, PP/FRAIC Chair of the Jury, Moriyama & Teshima Architects
• Rami Bebawi, MRAIC, KANVA, Quebec, QC
• Pat Hanson, FRAIC, gh3, Toronto, ON
• Jessie Andjelic, MRAIC, SPECTACLE, Calgary, AB
• Omar Gandhi, MRAIC, Omar Gandhi Architect, Halifax, NS
• Shelley Craig, FRAIC, Urban Arts Architecture, Vancouver, BC