James Strutt, One of Canada's Best Known Architects, Dies at 84

"Inspired by American architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller, James Strutt's designs fostered the modernist age in Canadian architecture. He revered the former for incorporating nature into architectural design, and admired the latter for having invented the geodesic dome. In all his work, Mr. Strutt explored the beauty of geometry, structure and form in nature.

Best known among his designs are the Uplands Airport terminal building in Ottawa, Plaza de las Americas at Expo 67, the Canadian Nurses Association Headquarters in Ottawa, and a number of distinctive churches and private dwellings that dot the Gatineau Hills.

[M]ore importantly, Mr. Strutt solved a serious problem for air controllers. By sloping the glass sides of the control tower outward instead of vertically, he eliminated glare and provided a completely uninterrupted view of the runways. The concept was later used at the Halifax airport, which he also designed, and became standard on control towers across Canada.

James William Strutt died Nov. 8, 2008, in Ottawa of cancer. He was 84."