Building Inspiration
Hamilton
Major waterfront renewal is already underway in Hamilton, led by the efforts of the Molinaro Group and other local developers to create contemporary mixed-use properties along the historic waterfront.
The David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute is a six-storey building that provides 165,000 square feet of research space, built on the old Hamilton General Hospital site. (All photo by Banko Media)
New City Halls
Clock tower of Hamilton City Hall from the northwest. +VG Architects restored one of the best remaining International Style civic complexes in Canada. Photos by Jesse Colin Jackson
To preserve the distinctive character of previous Town Hall additions, the new building sits on the eastern boundary of the site. Like the historic Town Hall to the west, the new expansion defines an edge along the exterior of the block.
Artscape
More than a decade after its demise as a distillery, private developers purchased the former Gooderham & Worts Distillery in late 2001. Previous attempts to redevelop this national heritage site had failed to attract enough commercial artists and financing to be viable.
The Mississauga Library Project was an adaptive re-use strategy for the major renovation and addition to the Lakeview (pictured), Port Credit, and Lorne Park branch libraries, all dating from between 1956 and 1967.
Port Credit Library - 20 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga Public Library
Cactus Club at Coal Harbour
Cactus Club’s new flagship restaurant, Cactus Club at Coal Harbour designed by Acton Ostry Architects, weaves together interior design, architecture, and urban design in a unified manner that functions as a living part of both the city and the waterfront by framing the city's largest public urban space – the iconic Jack Poole Plaza that houses the Olympic Cauldron – with panoramic views of the urban cityscape and stunning natural setting. The interior design exploits and builds upon the ir
Exterior wrap-around patios offer exceptional views of Coal Harbour and the Olympic Cauldron. The restaurant takes on an arresting presence at night when the abstract rugged West Coast landscape glows through its transparent skin to reveal to the city a dynamic, light-filled, composition of angles and edges rendered in glass, wood and stone. (Photos by Michael Elkan)
Pfizer
The Pfizer Canada reconfiguration focuses on promoting the corporate identity of the company located on Autoroute 40 (part of the Trans-Canada Highway) just west of Montreal.
Official name of the project: Pfizer Canada inc. siège social Location: Kirkland, Québec Client: Pfizer Canada Inc. Architects: Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes Project architect: Anik Shooner, architecte associée Engineers: Bouthillette Parizeau et Associés, Marchand Houle et associés, SDK et Associés Contractor: MAGIL Construction Corporation Surface: 21 160 m2 Cost: $12.7 million Photographer: Stéphane Groleau
Pearl Restaurant
Based on the success of the original Pearl, on Toronto’s waterfront, the owners were interested in building a new offshoot identity to serve a new and younger demographic. It was key that this new identity make reference to the parent brand, but not literally.
Frosted glass and a custom laser-cut millwork panel in the shape of the Pearl logo at the front are both functional and strategic, creating a visual identity and enticing entry, while also providing a screen between the dining area and the chaos outside. (photos by Shai Gil Photography)
The new Art Gallery of Alberta is a dramatic visual arts center in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, designed by Los Angels-based Randall Stout Architects. Crafted of patinaed zinc, high performance transparent glazing planes and reflective stainless steel metal surfaces animate the building, exposing the activities within and engaging people and art at multiple levels on both the interior and exterior. Photo � Robert Lemermeyer
At night, the exterior stainless steel predominately reflects the dark night sky allowing the white interior surfaces of the borealis to become a dynamic, welcoming illumination of architectural elements. Lit from within, the atrium glazing becomes transparent, allowing visitors and bystanders alike to see the events and activities of the museum interior.
Art Gallery of Alberta
Corus
Corus Quay consolidates the company�s Toronto-based operations from 11 distinct locations and over 1,100 employees into one 500,000 square foot office building located on 2.5 acres of Toronto�s waterfront.
The Corus Quay base building was designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. and developed by Toronto Port Lands Company, formerly known as TEDCO and will be owned and managed by Build Toronto Inc. It is flanked by Canada�s Sugar Beach on the west side and by George Brown College and Sherbourne Common on the east side.
Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence, University Of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario The Algonquin College Centre for Construction Excellence is conceived as an undulating landscape that links the building with its natural surroundings. It is animated by brightly coloured sunshades and inclined grass slopes that lead to a rooftop amphitheatre � and still higher to the roofline.
Back to School
Mount Dennis Library
The newly renovated library is a first step to enhancing the public realm of the battered streetscape along Weston Road in North Toronto’s Mount Dennis neighbourhood. The cladding materials are rugged and gritty – weathered steel, clay tile and refurbished brick.
An outdoor reading garden which was previously the storage area for the garbage bins was also incorporated into the design.
The Room
Life is diverse, interconnected and at risk In May of this year, the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity designed by Reich + Petch opened at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto and has been celebrated as a resounding success. In September, it received an Award of Excellence by the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario. The Schad Gallery of Biodiversity is not merely an exhibition gallery showcasing Earth�s wondrous specimens, but a lesson for the future care of the planet. T
Live Displays The gallery features a live coral reef tank and a leafcutter ant colony. For the live coral reef to function properly, the 576-gallon salt-water tank requires an equivalent-sized reserve tank, extensive circulation, drainage pipe-work and a steel reinforced waterproof floor. Special lights simulate the natural diurnal cycles for a truly magical display. It took six months to establish the live corals and fish into a balanced system. Meanwhile the leafcutter ant colony has a number
Montague Residence
This condominium residence by architect David Anand Peterson reverses the conventional house by locating public living spaces on the second floor adjacent to the roof garden while bedrooms are below.
At night, the sauna’s accent lighting and interior chandelier work together to playfully join the spaces on either side of the glass. (Photography by Ben Rahn, A-Frame Studio)
Weslodge
Located in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district, visitors are greeted by high-gloss yellow exterior doors that lead into a space highlighted by rich wood, luxurious leather, gloss-black millwork and custom light fixtures.
This leather wall treatment extends to a second level private dining room highlighted by a mahogany table with seating for 12, veiled in heavy velvet curtains and wrapped with a traditional mahogany balustrade. (Photos by Eugen Sakhnenko, A-Frame Studio Inc.)
