Moriyama was born in Vancouver, British Colombia, in 1929. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto in 1954 and a Master of Architecture degree in civic and town planning from the School of Architecture at McGill University in 1957.
When discussing how he first got interested in architecture, Moriyama describes how, as a child in the Slocan internment camp during the Second World War, he started building a treehouse to escape from the harsh treatment by the Canadian government, which classified Japanese ethnics as "enemy aliens," as described by the Japanese Canadian Artis Directory.
When discussing how he first got interested in architecture, Moriyama describes how, as a child in the Slocan internment camp during the Second World War, he started building a treehouse to escape from the harsh treatment by the Canadian government, which classified Japanese ethnics as "enemy aliens," as described by the Japanese Canadian Artis Directory.
"In despair, I decided to bathe in the Slocan River on the other side of a little mountain away from the camp. The water was glacial, but it was better than hot tears. To see who might be coming, I built an observation platform. Soon, I found myself wanting to build my first architectural project, a tree house, without being found out by the RCMP. I used just an axe as a hammer, an old borrowed saw, six spikes, some nails, a rope, and mostly branches and scraps from the lumberyard. It was hard work building it by myself, and it was a lesson in the economy of material and means. That tree house, when finished, was beautiful. It was my university, my place of solace, a place to think and learn."
Raymond Moriyama
NOOR Cultural Centre, 1963. Architect Raymond Moriyama.
In 1958 Mr. Moriyama started his practice, Moriyama Architect and Planner. His first larger project as an independent architect was the Ontario Science Center, which was finished in 1964. Six years later, he joined with Ted Teshima in 1970 to form Moriyama & Teshima Architects.
Some of their notable projects include the original Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Ontario Science Centre, Science North, Scarborough Civic Centre, Toronto Reference Library, Bata Shoe Museum, National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, and the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa that received the Governor General’s Medal for Architecture.
Moriyama received numerous honors including the RAIC Gold Medal, International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and honourary degrees from eleven universities. He also received the Order of Canada, the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), and was promoted a Companion of the Order of Canada for his contributions to the field of architecture, and for inspiring a new generation of young architects through his designs of some of Canada’s most innovative urban structures.”
Cdn Embassy Tokyo, 1991. Architect Raymond Moriyama.
In 2003, Moriyama retired from his position, followed by Teshina in 2006, transitioning to emeritus partners and consultants in their firm. Since then, the office has continued to complete large-scale projects covering a variety of programs and functions. These include the Humber College Student Welcome & Resource Centre, which acts as a focal gathering place for students and residents of Toronto, the UTM Innovation Centre in Mississauga, Canada, and the Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus, designed in collaboration with Montgomery Sisam Architects.
