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Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, former dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, has received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal in recognition of her significant and lasting contributions to architecture in Canada. 

Lemco van Ginkel, who became dean in 1977, is believed to be first woman to have led a school of architecture in North America. She taught at the Daniels Faculty until 1993.

Her notable achievements as an architect include studies of Old Montreal that helped preserve the city’s historic core amid highway construction, a design for Bowring Park in St. John’s, and a preliminary plan for Expo 67.

The award jury wrote that Lemco van Ginkel “has had a profound influence on architectural thinking, education and practice. She has been an inspiration to generations of architects, and has consistently furthered the architectural and planning discourse through publication and practice.”

In 2015, the Daniels Faculty established the Professor Blanche Lemco van Ginkel Admission Scholarship, in recognition of her achievements and leadership.