P e r s p e c t i v e s

Ontario Association of Architects

The Journal of the

Ontario Association

of Architects

Volume 13, Number 2

Summer 2005 $5.00

10

By Gordon S. Grice OAA, FRAIC, with notes contributed byHonours and Awards Task Group members Carl Knipfel, CherylGiraudy, Patrick Saavedra and John Ota.

Earlier this year, on a chilly February day, the OAA headquarters once again warmed with the excitement ofthe Annual Design Awards juries. Around 8:30 in the morning, about a dozen-and-a-half people — distinguishedjudges, OAA staff members and Honours and Awards officials — gathered in the dining room, filled their coffeecups, and launched into the day-long jurying process.

Judges this year were presented with the largest number of entries (168) recorded in the past three years.Of these, the ninety-two entries for the ArchitecturalExcellence Awards represent the largest number everreceived.Within this group, the strongest categories,Institutional A and B, together accounted for more thantwo-thirds of the entries and almost half of the awards.

By contrast, the Landmark Award category (previouslythe Twenty-Five Year Award) drew only two entries, neitherof which won the jury’s approval.The Intern category alsoattracted very few entries, but the jury applauded theextremely high quality of these submissions.

This year’s program included a few minor changes tolast year’s format. In addition to the Landmark Award namechange, the Good Design is Good Business Awards werereduced to two categories: Innovative Client Project, andEntrepreneurial Practice.The change rolls theEntrepreneurial Practice Award and the Innovative PracticeAward under the Good Design is Good Business awardheading.

This category recognizes the architectural skills of Ontario architects in significant projects affecting social, environmentaland community development issues in all regions ofOntario. Projects may be single buildings, groups of buildings forming a single project, additions, interiors,conversions, restorations, renovations or any form of builtarchitecture, but must have been completed since January1, 2000 and be in current use.

It was noted in the jury introductions that the OAA wasvery fortunate to have attracted the services of one companion and two members of the Order of Canada,this country’s highest civilian honour.Veronica Tennant hasjust been promoted to the status of companion while bothLarry and Eb are members of the Order.

Before the Jury began its deliberations, Eb Zeidler madesome opening comments. He remarked that architects can sometimes focus too much on the financial and constructionfactors of building projects and pay too little attention tothe emotional impact of their work. He made reference torecent scientific evidence indicating that emotional responsecan have a strong impact on physical health.

OA

A A

nn

ua

l A

wa

rds

The JudgesLarry Beasley, Co-Director of Planning, City of VancouverHilary Smyth, Assistant Editor, Canadian House and Home MagazineRashmi Nathwani, President, Namara Developments, formerToronto Property CommissionerVeronica Tennant, prima ballerina, author, producer/director.

Architectural Advisor : Eb Zeidler, partner, ZeidlerPartnership,Toronto

INTRODUCTION

ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

A topic that arose many times during the course of the daywas the commitment to sustainable building principles.Although the Awards program does not mandate it, the juryfelt that there should be some official indication that greensolutions are encouraged.

The jury also appreciated that both premiated schemesin this category — one urban, the other rural — make some concessions to green design principles.The first house uses recycled and re-useable materials. Both buildings have roof gardens.

There was some discussion about the fact that some presentations showed neighbourhood context, while others did not even include site plans. Both Eb and Rashmi felt that this information should be included in all submissions.

RESIDENTIAL A – SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE

11

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

In 1997, the OAA presented an Award of Excellence to anexquisitely detailed house at 548 Richmond Street West.The building may have marked the turning point for a neighbourhood that until then had been largely given over to shops, studios and warehouses.

This year’s jury was similarly impressed by another newhouse, wedged into the left-over slice of urban streetscape,adjacent to 548.This house at 546 Richmond Street West iscompact, light-filled and carefully detailed.

Larry Beasley praised the house’s commitment to greenbuilding characteristics and noted that it displays “serendipity. . . [having] turned a sow’s ear into a silk purse.” Defininginfill housing as “finding a site that others have not found, headded that “it is lost art that is being rediscovered.”

Veronica described the solution as “cheeky” and was

impressed that the solution was achieved within budget limitations.Rashmi found this to be a “good context solution”.

The original 2-storey block structure was built fifty-five years ago as a lumber company yard office. . . . .The goal was to renovate and add to a building on a narrow lot to create a delightful and healthy space that in its construction and operation utilized low-tech sustainable design principles, permitted a flexible live/work arrangement and added to the urban fabric.*

*All italicized passages are taken from the submission brief, unless

otherwise noted.

546 Richmond Street West, Toronto David Fujiwara Architect

AWARD OF EXCELLENCEPh

otos

:Mic

hael

Mah

ovlic

h

Three walls of the cabin are floor-to-ceiling glass, wrapped by an outer horizontal cedar screen. . . . A large cut-out in the screen allows a clear view of sunset from the bed.The gaps between the individual members of the screen increase randomly the further [their distance] from the main cabin, providing abstract views . . . of vegetation and the lake, and an arbitrary pattern of sunlight inside on the floor.

The brief was to create a small (18m2) private year-roundretreat adjacent to a summer cottage, where the ownerscould sequester themselves while surrendering the large cottage to overnight guests.The unusual solution promptedthe inevitable questions: How uncomfortable would it be tohave your view continually cut into horizontal strips and howon earth do you clean the glass?

Larry felt that the building provides for a “good experience, as the day unfolds” — an interesting, constantlychanging, fractured (“Morse code”) view of the landscape —not really intended [to be] — nor would it work well as — afull-time living space.The building is sensitive to the site and“quite beautiful”

Hilary loved “the prefab notion”.

The project prompted a discussion of functionality.The jurywas split on whether the wood screen was more decorativethan functional.

Sunset Cabin, Lake SimcoeTaylor Smyth Architects

12

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

“A building . . . on a busy street has an absolute responsibilityto do its part. If it doesn’t do its part, I don’t care how goodthe building is otherwise, it’s not up to the standard to celebrate.” — Larry Beasley

For many architects there is a special delight in salvaging abuilding or a building site that has been abandoned or overlooked by others. It’s the “silk-purse-from-a-sow’s-ear”phenomenon that has been explored in several of this year’ssubmissions. Infill housing represents a particularly useful butoften tricky form of this phenomenon, since not only must aleft-over site be resurrected, it must be made attractiveenough that someone will call it home.

The Dunn Avenue triplex transforms a thin slice of land,in an old established residential neighbourhood into the siteof three self-contained light-filled residential rental units.

Dunn Avenue Triplex, TorontoAltius Architecture Inc ., Architect

RESIDENTIAL B – MULTI-UNIT CONDOMINIUMS, APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND TOWN HOUSES

RESIDENTIAL A HONOURABLE MENTION

Phot

os:M

icha

el T

aylo

r an

d M

icha

el L

aFre

nier

e

Among the small number of submissions in this category, only one was felt to display thecharacteristics of good neighbourliness — having a clear residential feel, preserving thescale and context of the streetscape and providing an asset to the street life.The Morganoccupies its downtown street corner with adegree of comfort that is the result of a careful consideration of the neighbourhood.

The surrounding neighbourhood is characterized by solidity and mass with finely crafted detailing and The Morgan provides a contemporary interpretation of this tradition.

A kink in Richmond Street provides a widenedpedestrian plaza where a colourful sculpture of super-sized buttons andthimbles reminds us of thehistorical significance of thearea as Toronto’s garment district. But the distortedscale of the sculpture onlyserves to emphasize that therest of the building is verycarefully scaled in tiers thatclimb up from street level.

The building reveals a modernist design while thoughtfully complementing the traditional surrounding architecture of one of Toronto’s early twentieth-century industrial neighbourhoods.

Larry identified The Morgan as a “good urban building”. Ebcommented that the building, which is in his neighbourhood,“fits in” and added,“I like it every morning”.

13

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

Due to the fact that the interior width was only fifteen feet, the design was thought through mainly in section.In keeping with the existing pedestrian streetscape, the living spaces are all [oriented] toward the street. . . .Also in keeping with the area’s tradition of front porches, the living spaces open onto exterior balconies that overlook the street.

The Morgan, TorontoQuadrangle Architects Limited

RESIDENTIAL B AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Phot

os:J

onat

han

Savo

ie

Phot

o:To

m A

rban

Phot

o:E

lizab

eth

Jone

s

This submission represents a truly remarkable transformation of an underutilized and underwhelming building on the University of Toronto campus into what U of T Architecture Director George Baird describes as “the best building on St. George Street.”

The building underwent a major interior renovation, butprobably the most striking aspect of the work is a canopied,glass-enclosed, two-storey gathering space that brings thebuilding façade forward to the sidewalk.

To accomplish the client’s vision for “a building for lifelong learners”, this four-storey nondescript inefficient building needed to be completely reworked from inside the box to create a proper front door with an easy path of movement.

A series of ramps, stairs and windows integrate landscape into the project creating an intensely urban, dense development that adds to an already lively street edge.

Larry applauded the building’s success in “taking the existingbuilding and re-engaging the street urbanely.” He felt the buildinghad been “re-framed with a positive urban engagement. . . .That’s a pretty mundane building and to build something ontoit that actually enhances it without being contrary to it [presents] quite a problem.And it’s also nicely detailed.”

One of the more important elementsof any successful architectural solution,the jury felt, is the degree to which itnot only facilitates but even encouragessocial interactions.The Sachigo Lakeschool appears to accomplish thisobjective while also giving form to the

cultural identity of the community.

During the years of fur trade, people and goods travelled from Sachigo Lake north to Fort Severn on Hudson Bay. In more recent times, the Oji-Cree community of Sachigo Lake First Nation has looked south for goods and services, health care and high school education. It is hoped that providing both

elementary and high school programs, the high school success rate will improve with the community.

A Thunderbird motif helps to establish the idea of “TwoSchools, One Spirit”, linking the schools primary and secondary components visually and symbolically.

The Thunderbird is an important symbol for the community,representing qualities consistent with ideals of education: a soaring spirit, vision for the future and mutual respect.

Veronica praised the “pleasant interior” and said the project“deserves to be recognized for making a cultural integrationwith an institution.”

Sachigo First Nation K-12 School, Sachigo Lake, First NationSmith Carter Architects and Engineers Incorporated

University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, TorontoMoriyama & Teshima Architects

INSTITUTIONAL A HONOURABLE MENTION

INSTITUTIONAL A - SCHOOLS. CHURCHES, HOSPITALS, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES - UNDER $10 MILLIONHONOURABLE MENTION

14

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5Ph

otos

:Sm

ith C

arte

r an

d D

anie

l Wex

ler

The building’s design, construction and operation was mandated with a rigorous environmental agenda. It has been designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building rating system — LEED — at the silver certification level.

The jury frequently expressed dismay at the number of submissions that made either no attempt at or no mention ofgreen building concerns. So this project represented a welcome departure.The student centre is the only submission that carriesan environmental certification. LEED entails a comprehensive analysis that includes all aspects of a building’s environmentalimpact, including building materials, construction methods,performance and maintenance.

The student centre makes a striking entry point to theScarborough campus.

Image was a critical factor in designing the building to symbolize the new student population as well as the new gateway to the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. New building materials,soaring overhangs and expansive glazing generate a prominent and vibrant image.The titanium glows in varying colours depending on the time of day while reflecting and protecting the building from the hottest western sun exposure.

15

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Student Centre, TorontoSantec Architecture Ltd., Architects

INSTITUTIONAL A HONOURABLE MENTION

Phot

os:R

icha

rd J

ohns

on,w

ww

.inte

rior

imag

es.c

a

Phot

os:R

icha

rd J

ohns

on

It’s difficult not to be excited by this project — a hospital thatoffers patients and visitors with an uplifting, almost theatrical,

architectural experience.The building is uniquein many respects:

The project was the first hospital to incorporatewood as the main structural element, the first to provide direct-light skylights in the radiation treatment rooms, and one of the first hospitalsto achieve passive solar energy gains.

Thunder Bay represents a paradigm shift in hospital design by promoting a humanistic relationship between quality environments and the psychological well-being of its users.

Veronica praised the hospital’s generous use of daylight inareas that, in many hospitals, would be closed and utilitarian.

Larry found the solution extremely praiseworthy. Itexhibits the remarkable result of exceeding the client’s and thepublic’s expectations — when “more than minimum” isattempted and achieved.“These public spaces, for a hospital,are remarkable.This, to me, is right up there at the top. . . . I’vebeen seeing a lot of hospitals recently that are so mundaneand so utilitarian. . . . I just think this is such a smart thing tohave done to a hospital.”

16

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder BaySalter Farrow Pilon Architects Inc.(Farrow Partnership Architects Inc ., Salter Pilon Architects Inc .Successors)

INSTITUTIONAL B - SCHOOLS. CHURCHES, HOSPITALS, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES - OVER $10 MILLION AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts is a unique combination of sporting and cultural facilities: a Hockey Hall of Fame, celebrating the career of [local legend] Bobby Orr, and a Chamber Music theatre for Parry Sound’s Festival of the Sound. It is the focal point of the continuing transformation of the Parry Sound waterfront district into a tourist and cultural attraction.

You could be forgiven for wondering what might encouragethe combination of a classical music performance venue and a hockey museum in one facility. But the building says it all.

Here is a facility that expresses in its form and materials thespirit of Parry Sound, just as Hockey and the Festival of theSound do.

Rashmi pointed out that “It has the feeling of a theatrestage . . . so theatrical [even from the outside]”, but regrettedthat better photographs of the interior were not provided.Speaking from personal experience,“It’s the interior that is so stunning.”

Veronica who, as a performer and audience member,is also quite familiar with the theatre referred to theacoustics as “dream-like” and noted the appropriate reference to summer cottage vernacular with the use of “rustic materials”, making it “a part of the environment”.

Larry found this to be an example of “architecture asfacilitator”.Veronica agreed noting that with this project“architecture is a social catalyst”.

Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, Parry SoundKeith Loffler McAlpine Architects/ZAS Architects Inc . in joint venture

INSTITUTIONAL B HONOURABLE MENTION

Phot

os:F

arro

w P

artn

ersh

ip A

rchi

tect

s In

c./

Pete

r Se

llár,

KLI

K P

hoto

grap

hy

The Awards jury encountersmany submissions that arepurely theoretical, but very fewbuilt projects that give form tothe very idea of theoreticalthinking.

Riding the controversial line between public and private space, this private research institute attempts to subvert the usual hard thresholds established by private enterprise in the public realm.The site is . . . at the northern edge of Waterloo’s downtown core and the southern edge of the city’s central park. Adjacent to the primary pedestrian access between the university campus and the city centre, the site is a wilderness between clearly defined worlds.

The design is inspired by the nebulous spaces occupied by the subjects of theoretical physics, at once micro– and macro-cosmic, rich in information and of indeterminate form and substance.

The building is a gem in many ways.As Rashmi Nathwaniexpressed it, “At 400 bucks a square foot, you’d better do something pretty stunning . . .This is quite stunning.” Veronica liked the “softening light” and the fact that it is “clean withoutbeing cold” and offered a “conducive environment”. Larry found the solution to have a “very suave treatment of the exterior”.

In the presence of some exceptionally fine photographicimages (prompting Rashmi to quip:“I’m hoping that somebody will help me distinguish between good photographs and goodarchitecture.”) the jury offered the following caveat:“We’re wondering about its environmental performance.”

17

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, WaterlooSaucier + Perotte Architects

INSTITUTIONAL B AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Phot

os:M

arc

Cra

mer

Photos:Andre B

eneteau

With the architectural theatricality of theprevious project still fresh in their minds,Camera provided the jury with an unexpected contrast: a theatre building withunderstated architecture.

Located in the heart of Toronto’s emerging Queen Street West arts district, Camera is a multi-purpose space combining a comfortable lounge and café-bar with an

innovative fifty-one seat digital screening room. Camera is a counterpoint to the mega-theatre — a relaxed environment with good food and drink and a small-scale screen showing rare films.

As in the Parry Sound project, the jury applauded the community agenda of the project — Larry called it “architecture as catalyst”. Not at all theatrical in its architectural expression, it provides an elegantand comfortable space for a variety of theatre-related activities to occur: in additionto the bar and screening room (and not part ofthis submission) the ground floor, contains aphotograph gallery and film distribution office;on the second floor is an editing suite.

The jury also praised the way in whichCamera, in a fairly unassuming way, integrates with thestreetscape and street activity.

Inside and out the building has a robust nature, to blend with the rugged feeling of the Queen streetscape. Camera’s interior mix of old and new, light and dark, smooth woods and tactile furnishings, create a sense of drama as well as a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Eb Zeidler called the project a “wonderful revitalization”.

18

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

Camera, TorontoHariri Pontarini Architects

COMMERCIAL A - OFFICE BUILDINGS, RETAIL, RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES - UNDER $5 MILLIONHONOURABLE MENTION

Phot

os:V

olke

r Se

ding

/Har

iri

Pont

arin

i Arc

hite

cts

Phot

os:B

en R

ahn

/A F

ram

e

The limited requirements of this project’s “functionality” precipitated a discussion on theimportance of utility in the awarding of Plachtaprize. Does a thing have to be highly functional tobe recognized, or could it simply be a screen, anopen space, a celebration of something or other?

The submission brief states simply that theGarden Pavilion aspires to the simplicity of thetraditional Japanese teahouse:

Built solely as a ritual space for the tea ceremony, it served as a means of escape from the everyday world.

This new garden pavilion aspires to the same simplicity, integrating itself into its site while, at the same time, contrasting it with the natural order of the site . . . . Similar to the traditional teahouse, the pavilion is designed for both social engagement and private contemplation. It is used for sitting and dining, as well as for workshops, concerts and other activities.

Larry commented on the project’s simple beauty and the wonderful waylight penetrates the structural elements. He enjoyed the way it captures atranquil “moment with nature” and was impressed with its “sheer artistry”and the “counterintuitive way wood is used”.

Veronica was equally impressed with the way the design “plays withlight”, and noted that it “takes a small experience and turns it into something spiritual”.

Sculpture, shelter and functionality — the garden pavilion defines thebasic requirements of architecture in a gracefully unique way. In Rashmi’swords,“The Plachta Award winner is absolutely uplifting.”

19

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

An important aspect of any performance theatre — not apparent to audiences, but critical to the functioning of the theatre — is the back-of-house component: offices, studios,rehearsal halls, workshops, staff facilities, etc.At the Shaw Festival Theatre, the need for these facilities was becoming critical.

An addition with an area almost equal to the existing theatre building was required to meet the current production needs of the Festival.The challenge was to provide a facility of this size,while maintaining the existing scale and ambience of this popular venue and its historic setting.

The new addition to the Festival Theatre takes an extremely difficult problem and delivers a gracious and elegant solution.

A conventional two-storey structure . . . would have blocked the views form the main theatre lobby and terrace. It was therefore decided to develop a scheme that placed most of the accommodation below ground, so that the landscaping could be replaced and the theatre lobby prospect preserved.

Veronica called the addition “a really serene place”. She particularly appreciated the provision of a large rehearsal hall,noting that it “integrates well with the existing” and adding:“When I was at Shaw Festival, they had no really good rehearsalspaces at all.”

Rashmi noted that there were other collateral improvements:as “as a by-product, the parking lot got immensely improved”.

Donald & Elaine Triggs Production Centre, Niagara-on-the-LakeLett/Smith Architects

— honouring architectural excellence for projects in Ontario that cost nomore than $5 million.All projects that are entered into the ArchitecturalExcellence Awards category and meet the criteria are eligible.

MICHAEL V. AND WANDA PLACHTA AWARD

Garden Pavillion, TorontoPaul Raff Studio and Sasquatch Design

COMMERCIAL B - OFFICE BUILDINGS, RETAIL, RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES - OVER $5 MILLION AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Phot

os:S

teve

n E

vans

At the end of the jury day, judges were asked to comment ontheir experience.

Eb: “It was amazing how much you all [the jury] got to the key of architecture — that it isn’t the construction or economicconstruction or sustainable construction, but it’s everything.Everything makes a building.You can have a building but if itdoesn’t fit in the environment, it isn’t right. I think you can bevery proud of what you have chosen. I can only say it was a veryremarkable experience. People sometimes feel . . . maybe laymendon’t understand architecture, but they do. It’s a different thing tocreate it than to appreciate it.”

Eb also praised the diversity of the submissions, noting thatthere are so many different “lines of architecture” as comparedwith periods in the past when everything reflected the same kindof architectural schooling.“Beauty has many faces”

Larry: “What I find very fascinating is the amount of regenerationreflected by these projects, whether it’s infill or re-establishing thecontinuity of the street, or taking a poorly performing buildingfrom an urban design point of view and transforming it . . . . It’sexciting for me to see that kind of creative emphasis on urbanism and on the city, as compared to pavilions in the park.

“I am unhappy with the fact that there is not more genuineand widespread consciousness of green building technology andgreen building performance. It has just got to come.The profession has a responsibility to society on this topic and needs to be leading the way more. . . . In a sense, it’s what I would expect a designer to bring forward as the joyful part of the project.

“Another aspect is the way a number of people have transformed an institutional program to make more of a community contribution [e.g.Thunder Bay hospital and First Nations school].I think it’s marvellous when someone takes a program and goesbeyond the client’s expectations and creates something for thecommunity.When you can do that, that’s . . . a moment of architecture magic.

“I also like the idea that beauty is OK.”

Veronica: “I think what I enjoyed about the process was that ourresults were really found in a native architecture rather than theintellectual enjoyment of it. As we were whittling down, it wasalways ‘How does it fit into the community?’ ‘How does it speakculturally about what it was asked to do?

“Also really fine aesthetic architecture doesn’t have to beobscenely expensive.” I found it really stimulating.

“I’m really glad our choices weren’t all urban and thatthey’ve come from places that are ‘not Toronto’. . . . It’s so nice tosee commitment to good architecture outside of Toronto.”

Rashmi: “It has been a tremendous learning experience for me.Just to resonate what Eb said, we come from different walks of life and everything we [selected was unanimous.] We have differentreasons, different perspectives, but collectively, we came to thesame decisions, which was very much an eye-opener for me.

“A second thing that was very important for me was thatalthough the client pays for the building, you have to serve thecommunity and the customers of the building [Rashmi calls these‘the three Cs’].

“The quality of the submissions is superb.”

This category recognizes clarity and uniqueness of expression of an architectural idea, and encourages excellence in design presentation,architectural imagery, and design projects connected with architecture. Intern architects, students at the three Ontario schools of architecture and Syllabus students are encouraged to participate.

20

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

The JudgesJean-Pierre Lacroix, President, Shikitani Lacroix GrandesignDrew Mandel, intern, Drew Mandel Design

Architectural Advisor: George Kapelos,Associate Professor andChair, Department of Architectural Science, Ryerson University.

CONCLUSION

IDEAS & PRESENTATION AWARDS

Enhance Your Outdoor Living Space

Office & Yard 25 Langstaff Rd. E., Thornhill, ON L3T 3P7, Yonge & Hwy. 7/407Manufacturing Plant: 12350 Keele St., Maple, Ontario

Call Today! 416-222-2424 or 905-886-5787 ● Pick-Up/Delivery: Fax: 905-886-5795www.beavervalleystone.com

Visit One of Canada’s Largest Outdoor Displays

Quality Landscaping Products for the Contractor & Do-It-YourselferA Wide Selection of Natural StonePrecast Concrete Products

• Interlocking Stones • Retaining Walls• Masonry Products • Aggregates • Accessories • Bulk/Bag Road Salt

Your One Stop Shop For Pond and Waterfall Kits and Accessories

Affordable residential services for all areas of your home and cottage.Fast and reliable service within your budget with over 25 years of combined experience.

Servicing the GreaterToronto Area and cottage

country with care.

Call David Horowitz at 416-525-2005 ● Toll Free: 1 866-843-3756

Remodeling Kitchens & Bathrooms

Additions ● Basements ● Carpentry ● KitchensBathrooms ● Custom Closets ● Interior Modifications

Creat iveRenovation

21

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

IMAGE

Dead Sea Spa/Water PavillionRonen Bauer, student, University of Toronto

— architectural graphics,including orthographicdrawings, perspectiveimages, digital images,photographs, etc.Work may show an idea, a proposal or an existingstructure or landscape.

The Dead Sea Spa offered a rare example of two drawings effectively combined to create a strong singleimage. Each drawing is a complete composition andmight be considered as such, but taken together,generate an even stronger composition.

The jury found that the technique was beautifullyappropriate to the drawing: subtle, elegant, tasteful,compelling and able to furnish an enigmatic quality to the subject.Also, the lack of perfect symmetry and thesuggestion of context help to set the structure firmly in the landscape.This is a drawing that not only communicates the idea of the architecture, but also helps to create a narrative around it.

Readers of Perspectives magazine may recall that thisimage appeared on page 14 of the Winter, 2004issue as part of a discussion of architectural presentation consultants.The image appears to be a delicate watercolour painting but is, in fact a collaged digital image. It includes some hand painting, some scanned-in imagery and various computer manipulations to produce a subtle anddelicate digital work that looks not at all digital.

Just as in the drawing above, the jury felt that this was an excellent choice of media and technique to convey the sense of the structure in its landscaped setting.

Bahá’í Temple for South AmericaHariri Pontarini Architects

The image category is always a good place to start.There is no text for the jury to wade through, only the direct visual impactof the photographs and drawings. Invariably there is a lot of deliberation and discussion. In recent years, the variety and quality of the submissions has been increasing.

“There was a lot of energy in the morning . . .We looked at a lot of stuff. . . .We started with the images and spent a lot of time there. . . and that was very stimulating. My critical observation was that there were maybe one or two hand-drawings in all the stuff. Everything else is computer.The domain is now completely taken over and in a way what it’s done is made it more difficult to get into the meat of the project, because . . . the layering creates this visually engaging panel that you need to ‘unpack’”.

— George Kapelos

IMAGE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

IMAGE HONOURABLE MENTION

Unbeknownst to the jury, the author of this amazing piece of industrialdesign was also a major contributor to the preceding image award winner.Both the drawing and the paper tray display the same subtlety and grace.Furthermore, the client for the paper tray (Camera) was in the process ofwinning its own architectural award in the next room.

This paper food tray was commissioned by Camera, a small and experimental cinema/bar on Queen Street West, co-owned by film distributor Hussain Amarshi and filmmaker Atom Egoyan.The goal was to create a disposable container that allows users to move freely with their food between the bar,the lounge and the cinema spaces.

A stylish and humorous twist on the paper tray of 1950s drive-in theatres,the tray’s elegant and clean lines take visual clues from Camera’s interiors (by Hariri Pontarini Architects).The tray is also designed for flat-packed shipping, easy storage and minimal folding, to minimize cost and staff effort.One hundred per cent recyclable, it is made of poly-coated paperboard, which prevents grease and moisture from penetrating the tray, while at the same time, holding sauces and dips.

The jury found the tray to be elegant and simple —an ingenious upgrading of a common everyday object, designed to fit the human beautifully.

22

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

After the purely visual realm of the Image category, the Artifact submissionsintroduce a small amount of text — just enough (sometimes too much,sometimes not quite enough) to explain the design intent, leaving the detailsof execution to be demonstrated by the images.

ARTIFACT

Paper Tray No. 2Designer : Liming Rao, intern, Toronto

— drawings and/or photographs — with some explanatory text — of furniture, sculpture, light fixtures, utensils, and small objects that have been fabricated.

Here is an ingenious solution to a problem that many of usmay have forgotten even existed: gymnasium walls are notvery resilient.They can cause a great deal of discomfort, eveninjury, to the many unfortunate student athletes who collidewith them daily.

Under an existing mezzanine a partition was required to enclose the gym equipment. . . .Tradition would offer concrete block or drywall. . . . However the need to divide gym space from storage space was mitigated by the games people played.

It was not only a wall but also a playing surface that would have occasional hard contact with bodies moving too fast. A wall made of rubber tubes, specially designed to provide cushioning upon impact becomes more than a divider.. . . It becomes at once a wall to divide and a quiet showcase of the life of the gym.

The jury praised the creative use of material —a very ingenious solution and a great architectural idea with simple materials.

Crash PadBartolotto Design Architect Inc

ARTIFACT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

ARTIFACT HONOURABLE MENTION

23

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

The project was the result of an invited competition entitled “Aurora Canadese” to create a tourist itinerary of Milan using sound, light and colour.The solution employs a network of installations throughout the city, each installation offering direction,amusement and comfort.

City Instrument proposes a new urban ritual. Eight city itineraries have been mapped to make a sound and light procession that converges in the heart of Milano: the Piazza del Duomo.The itineraries are marked by a sequence of musical benches that generate soundand project light., unexpectedly generated by the act of sitting.At once practical — Milanoreally needs more places to sit — and ritualistic, the bench itinerary adds a new layer of interaction within the . . . cultural map of the city.The bench engages the body directly,encouraging lingering: the time to catch the aural and visual minutiae of the city culture. . . .

— the presentation of theoretical schemes showing buildings,landscapes, planning proposals, or objects. Submissions may be for aclient, a specific site, a competition, or purely self-commissioned.

“I think the most challenging part was the morning and we ended up with four or five that were more-or-less equal in [this area] because it appeared that a lot of the work was student work or thesis projects. Some of the thesis projects were stunning.”

— George Kapelos

Because the Concept entries were all thought to be of an equallyhigh calibre — equally well presented and conveying fairly similarideas — the comments recorded by Perspectives note-takers John Ota and Patrick Saavedra refer to all the chosen submissions.

The submissions all displayed the following characteristics:● The storyboards of the ideas were generally good.This

category should contain the “wow” submissions (Jean-Pierre’s expression)

● The “big idea” was well conveyed.● The project was inspirational.● The project didn’t look like “a project”.● There was a good use of language and lots of energy.● As George pointed out, there was virtually no hand drawing;

the preponderance of computer images shows how medium has taken over expression.

Generally speaking, the jury found, in this category, substantiallymore layers of meaning, as well as a broad range of scale and concepts.

CONCEPT

The facility provides a sense of arrival and departure for passengerson the Lake Ontario international ferry. Glass is used to provide vistas for those within the building and a cinematic experience forthose outside looking in.

This proposal explores glass architecture as a phenomenal and cinematographic device in the design of an international ferry and cruise terminal. Located on the east side of the Eastern Gap of Toronto Harbour, the building articulates the boundary conditions between land and water, the edge of Toronto and Canada.The building signifies a clear shift in jurisdiction while glass subtly dematerializes the division.

City InstrumentPlant Architect Inc .

An International Port Terminal for TorontoDiana Saragosa, student, University of Water loo

CONCEPT HONOURABLE MENTION

CONCEPT HONOURABLE MENTION

The architecture for this structure to study insects is itself based on the structure of insects.

The aim of this project [located on Salt spring Island, British Columbia] is to reassess the relationship between landscape and built form. Interest in form and its spatial organization stems from the development and qualities of the exoskeleton of the insect.The project determines how these exoskeletons provide structure, determine and influence program, influence visual and physical interpretation and how they mediate with their natural surroundings.

24

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

Field Station for Entomological StudiesJeremy Richards, intern, Toronto

The project seeks to organize and resuscitate a particularly fractured West Toronto neighbourhood, using a method called “hyperweave”— treating the idea of “urban fabric” quite literally.

The Junction City Project is a speculative design for the “Junction”,one of Toronto’s most complex neighbourhoods, where landscape,history, culture and infrastructure collide in a highly charged and texturized fabric, fallen into urban neglect.This design is a new city centre for [a neighbourhood] that will accommodate upwards of 60,000 new inhabitants.The project [occupies] itself with creating anurban intervention that reflects the natural and human-made history of the site, generating a strong sense of place, culture and community,reintegrating the junction lands with Toronto’s urban fabric.

The Junction City ProjectLuc Jean-Paul Bouliane, student, University of Water loo

ArchitecturalPainting Specification Manual

Services

308–211 Consumers Road, Willowdale, ON M2J 4G8Tel: (416) 498-5556, (800) 461-3630

Fax: (416) 498-6757

• Architectural acoustics• Noise and vibration measurement and control• Environmental acoustics• Sound system design

Tel: 905-764-5223 Fax: 905-764-6813www.valcoustics.com solutions@valcoustics.com

CONCEPT HONOURABLE MENTION

CONCEPT HONOURABLE MENTION

25

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Sp

rin

g

20

05

Making the connection that many of the world’s religions rely on the phenomenon ofimmersion to provide a “transformative/transcendental experience”, this project consists ofa series of sanctuaries and landscape developments at the mouth of Toronto’s Don River.

The thesis suggests that the issue of whether architecture can foster a psychological condition of reconciliation is embedded in the diversity and temporality of its environment — a place where the Sacred is continuously renewed and rediscovered. As water shapes and reshapes the sanctuaries and site, over time, our perspective of another’s religion begins to evolve through experience and rediscovery.The River Sanctuaries provide a place to experience the religious diversity of Toronto in hopes of creating stronger bonds of understanding of one’s Self and collective identity.

The River SancturiesKen Lum, student, University of Water loo

The jury made the following general observations:(1) Digital presentation: At the end of the final group discussion, the subject of digital imagery inevitably wasraised.The discussion dealt with the tendency of digitalwork to virtually eclipse hand-done work. It was wide-ranging and mostly beyond the scope of this text, butmight be summarized in George Kapelos’s words:

“Yes, I feel that we’ve lost something, and I love to hand

draw, but I think there’s also something that we’re finding and we don’t know what that will be yet.”

(2) Presentations should communicate a “big idea” clearlyand uniquely conveyed.(3) The rules that the jury formulated to deal with theimage category apply equally to all categories: (A) communicate effectively, (B) capture the essence of an idea(C) use good composition.

CONCLUSION

CONCEPT HONOURABLE MENTION

26

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

Submissions must consist of a live Web site, designed for apractice, for an individual or as a student project.from notes prepared by Patrick Saavedra

Web sites are no longer merely optional. In this age of global marketing, they are an essential component of a firm’s identity. It is critically important that a Web site represent, in the simplest and clearest possible way, the spirit of the firm. It must be consistent, honest, inviting,informative and, like any work of design, it must be artfulwithout drawing attention to its artfulness.

The jury ideconsidered the following criteria in assessing the submissions:

● What is the firm’s “point of difference” (how does it distinguish itself from the infinite number of other firms)

● How is the firm’s identity communicated?● How does the Web site and the firm remain relevant?● Is there a consistency between the content and the

way it is delivered (does the medium suit the message)?

The jury felt that the Diamond and Schmitt Web site was byfar the best submission. It was extremely easy to navigate andprovided essential information quickly and painlessly. Mostimportantly, it gave a clear and positive sense of the officesstrengths and capabilities: the site was user-friendly, highly creative, employed a degree of humour and, typical of theoffice’s reputation in other marketing areas, the site was welldesigned and included spectacular photographs.

Project Team: Jack Diamond, conceptual designDonald Schmitt, conceptual designRobert Graham, project managementElizabeth Gyde, photography/imaging

Taxi Team: Steve Mykoln, conceptual designPaulette Bluhm, designMatthew Rogers, writerStephanie Wall, project management

P r a c t i c e

Ipe DeckingDurability & Quality

A&M Wood Specialty Inc.Fine Hardwoods & Veneers

519-653-9322 800-265-0624

www.forloversofwood.com

Noise Vibrationand AcousticsConsulting Engineers◆ Architectural Acoustics◆ Building Noise and

Vibration Control

2000 Argentia Road Plaza 1, Suite 203Mississauga, Ontario L5N 1P7(905) 826-4044, Fax 826-4940www.hgcengineering.com

HOWE GASTMEIER CHAPNIK LIMITED

www.dsai.comDiamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated

WEB SITE AWARD AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

28

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

This award recognizes an Ontarioarchitect who has demonstratedexceptional leadership in the profession, in education, or in community service.

Catherine Nasmith,Toronto

This year’s worthy recipient has a long and distinguished history of involvement in social and cultural causes related to architecture. In her letter of nomination,Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, CM, OAA,describes Catherine’s contribution.

Catherine Nasmith has made a substantial contribution to the discussion of urban issues such as architectural heritage, affordable housingand the environment. Over the past twenty years she has formed strategic relationships with other individuals,organizations and firms to further goals, project by project, to improve the urban environment.

A founding member of the Main Streets Advocacy Group, the Friends of Fort York, and the Garrison Creek

Community Project, Ms Nasmith also has been chair of the Toronto Preservation Board. She twice has been recognized by Heritage Toronto for her advocacy work on heritage issues.

Currently Ms Nasmith is acting as coordinator and project manager to a partnership of several organizations that are using online communication tools to link the affordable housing community across the province.She hopes to do the same for the built heritage community and, to this end, is publishing an e-bulletin entitled Built Heritage News.

As a practising architect, Catherine Nasmsith has received awards for architectural projects and for urban design. But at least, if not more,important has been her contribution to society through her volunteer work in the fields of architectural preservation and affordable housing. It is particularlyin recognition of her devotion to these worthy causes and for working for them pro bono that I believe that Catherine Nasmith has served her profession and the community and has demonstrated the leadership that warrants her being awarded the Order of Da Vinci by the Ontario Association of Architects. I have no hesitation in nominating her for this award.

Nomination seconder Joe Lobko, aschair of the Toronto Society ofArchitects, has had a chance to assessCatherine’s contribution first-hand.

. . . Catherine’s long-term efforts on behalf of her community are exemplary and unique [in] our profession. Her sense of volunteerism and commitment to the betterment of the communities that she is part of serves as a model for us all. All too often members of our profession remain disengaged from the public and social discourse that has such a profound impact on our built environment and the social conditions of our society. Catherine’s willlingness to energetically engage in public dialogue regarding so many important issues of the day is significant and worthy of our recognition.

Joe also mentions Catherine’s effortson behalf of the Doors Open programin Toronto and her role as co-chair ofthe Gardiner Lakeshore Task Force.

The OAA gratefully recognizesCatherine Nasmith’s contribution andproudly bestows on her the Order ofDa Vinci, 2005.

NEED HELP?WE ARE CANADA’S LEADING SUPPLIER OF

LABORATORY CASEWORK AND FUMEHEADS

5230 South Service Rd. Burlington, ON L7L 5K2Tel. 905-331-1877 Fax 905-331-1880

ORDER OF DA VINCI

T h e P r o f e s s i o n

SOUND ISOLATION CLIPThe RSIC-1 Sound Isolation Clip is a compact rubber /steel isolator that holds standard steel furring (hattrack) It is designed to break the transfer of bothstructural and airborne sound. It can be used in virtually any wall or ceiling assembly that uses drywall.Performance starts at a 20 point STC increase.

Superior STC Ratings for Walls & Ceilings

AcoustiGuard – WILREP LTD.Tel. (905)625-8944

website: www.wilrep.comemail: info@wilrep.com

30

Pe

rs

pe

ct

ive

s/

Su

mm

er

2

00

5

This category recognizes successful projects that haveachieved the business and architectural goals of client andarchitect in a creative and innovative way, through effectivecollaboration. Projects must have been completed sinceJanuary 1, 2000, must be currently in use, and may belocated anywhere in the world.

“Working from the afternoon on, we had fewer awards in the business area which was very surprising and disappointing because we felt that architects as business people should probably be more excited about submitting entries in that area. But we were able to identify a winner — . . . a project that we felt had perhaps not as strong an architectural result, but was very much a project that brought together a number of different [entities].The architect managed to bring together a land-owner, a developer, and the community.” — Jury Chair George Kapelos

compiled from notes prepared by Patrick Saavedra

If there were an overall theme to this year’s selected projects, it might be: “architecture working to promote thehealth and aspirations of a community” Larry Beasly calledit “architecture as facilitator”.Veronica Tennant and RashmiNathwani referred to “architecture as social catalyst.”

In Good Design is Good Business category, the Kitchener revitalization project shows how an entrepreneurial approach to an architectural revitalization project can benefit all.

Our architectural practice collaborated with two of our clients to produce an exceptional revitalization project.We introduced a local non-profit organization to the owner of an underutilized property in the urban centre of Kitchener.The Independent Living Centre [ILC] of Waterloo Region had been forced to move several times in its history and was searching for a permanent home. Summerco Properties Inc. [had] purchaseda former shoe factory in downtown Kitchener.They were interested in viable options and tenancies for . . . the building

The non-profit organization needed a permanent homeand the property owner needed a long-term tenant. By

bringing the two parties together, and designing a projectwith the goals of both parties in mind, the architects wereable to deliver a successful project that exceeded theexpectations of both parties.

The value of the property has increased by over half a million dollars as a result of the renovations. . . .The propertyis now seen as a distinctive and desirable urban address.

Through negotiation, the ILC was able to reach an agreement with Summerco Properties for a long-term lease at a rent they could afford. Furthermore this landlord was willing to make the necessary renovations and upgrades to provide offices that would be accessible to all individuals, regardless of their physical abilities.

The jury commended thesubmission on its excellentbusiness model andfeasibility study. In addition,the “matchmaking” aspect ofthe architects’ participationcould hardly have been

more successfully executed.There was a clear understanding of the needs of the client and a clear-headed approach to satisfying those needs. As Jean-Pierre Lacroix pointed out, this proposal providedthe added benefit that it “enhanced and stabilized thecommunity.”G

oo

d D

esi

gn

Is

Go

od

Bu

sin

ess

O n t a r i o P l a c e s

Building Revitalization and Head Office Design and Contruction, KitchenerJohn MacDonald Architect inc .

GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Phot

os:P

aul

Bla

ser