
Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1955-1993 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
3292 architectural drawings, 2.45 m of textual records and architectural drawings, 566 photographs, 2 drawings, and 1 certificate
3292 architectural drawings:
1933 originals
1356 reprographic copies
3 production master negatives
566 photographs:
496 prints
58 negatives
8 35mm col. slides
3 col. Polaroids
1 contact sheet
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Carmen Corneil was born 19 December 1933 in Niagara Falls, New York. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto in 1957. Following graduation, Carmen travelled to Europe and worked in the studio of renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto from 1958 to 1959. While working for Aalto, Carmen met Norwegian architecture student Elin Kirksæther, who was working for Aalto on a student scholarship. The couple married in 1959. Carmen and Elin Corneil moved to Toronto in 1960 and established their Toronto-based architecture practice Carmen Corneil / Architect. Carmen worked in the office of William J. McBain & Associates from 1960 to 1962, and the partners were briefly based out of Niagara, Ontario. From 1967 to 1996 Carmen taught at the University of Toronto department of architecture. Carmen also taught and lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Town and Regional Planning Institute (NTH), Trondheim, Norway. Carmen and Elin Corneil have four children. They reside and practice in Trondheim, Norway.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Elin Corneil (née Kirksæther) was born 23 July 1935 in Trondheim, Norway. She graduated from the department of architecture at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim in 1962. Elin interned in the studio of Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto. While working for Aalto on a student scholarship, Elin met Carmen Corneil, a Canadian architect. The couple married in 1959. Elin and Carmen Corneil moved to Toronto in 1960 and established their Canadian architecture practice Carmen Corneil / Architect. In 1962 Elin established the Corneils’ Trondheim-based practice. Elin taught at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, the Faculty of Architecture at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the Ontario College of Art and Design. She also lectured at the University of Toronto and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture. Elin and Carmen Corneil have four children. They reside and practice in Trondheim, Norway.
Name of creator
Administrative history
Carmen and Elin Corneil established their architectural practice in Toronto, Ontario (Carmen Corneil / Architect, OAA 1960) and in Trondheim, Norway (Elin Corneil, Sivilarkiteckt, 1962). From the early 1960s to 1990s the Corneils’ partnership was based in both Toronto and Trondheim, and solely Trondheim from 1996 when the Toronto studio was closed. Notable projects by Carmen and Elin Corneil include Massey College Competition, Carleton School of Architecture, Wayland Drew House, Expo 67 Bandshells, Girl Guides of Canada Headquarters, Vestmannaeyjar Plan and Municipal Works Projects, McMullen Cottage, and OPSEU Headquarters. Major awards include a Massey Medal for Architecture for the Wayland Drew House in 1967 and a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture for the Offices for OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) in 1992.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Fonds was donated to the Canadian Architectural Archives by Carmen and Elin Corneil in 1998.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of architectural drawings, project files, and photographs documenting the architectural works of Carmen and Elin Corneil between 1955 and 1992. The majority of the fonds consists of project records, including architectural drawings, notes, correspondence, minutes, specifications, reports, and photographs. Notable projects documented in the fonds include the Carleton School of Architecture, Wayland Drew House, Expo 67 Bandshells, Girl Guides of Canada Headquarters, Vestmannaeyjar Plan and Municipal Works Projects, Wintergreen Building, Icelandic Concert House, McMullen Cottage, and OPSEU Headquarters. The fonds also includes twenty-three student drawings by the Corneils and a small volume of professional records, including photographs of Carmen at the 1993 Governor General awards ceremony in Vancouver and the catalogue for the Corneils’ Storm Windows exhibition. The fonds has been divided into three series: 1. Student records; 2. Professional records; and, 3. Project records.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open
Conditions governing reproduction
The University of Calgary fulfills requests for materials in our collections in accordance with Canadian copyright laws. The University of Calgary does not hold the copyright for materials in the Carmen and Elin Corneil fonds, however the University of Calgary has been authorized to grant permission for the use of Carmen and Elin Corneil’s materials for specific uses. The University of Calgary Libraries and Cultural Resources may provide materials for individual study and research purposes under fair dealing and library exceptions in the Canadian Copyright Act. And, upon request, may authorize the use of materials for exhibition and publication. Patrons are responsible for ensuring they use copyright-protected works in accordance with applicable laws.
Language of material
- English
- Norwegian
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Includes archival material from accessions 260A/98.01
Note
Title based on contents of fonds.