Architecture is for people. While buildings are admired for technical and aesthetic qualities, their primary purpose is to accommodate and celebrate human life. Architecture provides safe and suitable settings for people to live, work and play, while shaping daily life in ways that foster social cohesion and cultural vitality, inspire personal and collective imagination, and stimulate wonder and respect for the complex world we must share and sustain. People are not passive users and consumers of the built environment; they are living, breathing, striving and thinking individuals whose diverse backgrounds and capabilities, dreams and desires, actively make Canada what it is. Architecture has the potential to enhance human life on many levels, enabling Canadians to live more socially enjoyable, inspiring and meaningful lives.