At ERA we often gather on a Wednesday morning or a Friday afternoon to share progress on recent projects, issues affecting our cities, or to look at both historical and contemporary research in architecture, landscape, planning, design, technique, process, theory, etc. Recently these titles came up for discussion: Continue reading…
Recently ERA’s Graeme Stewart and Evergreen Cityworks‘ John Brodhead presented a webinar on Tower Renewal in partnership with the Social Innovation Generation and Cities for People. Continue reading…
Recently PechaKucha selected a Graeme Stewart talk as a “Presentation of the Day.” We thought, What better reason to repost the presentation? It’s a great crash course in Tower Renewal, an interdisciplinary program that is reshaping how we think about Toronto’s post-war residential apartment tower neighbourhoods.
This 7-minute talk covers half a century of Toronto’s history, right up to some of the exciting new initiatives taking place in and around the city.
PechaKucha is a simple presentation genre where presenters speak about 20 images for 20 seconds each. The method was devised by Tokyo-based architects Klein-Dytham as a way to facilitate dialog and idea generation between architects, designers, and other creative thinkers.
To see other presentations, please visit pechakucha.org.
For more on Tower Renewal, visit towerrenewal.com
This past November at Carleton University’s Forum Lecture Series, ERA’s Michael McClelland presented on how changing cultural values interact with how we practice architecture.
Seeking to expand the range of what we think of as architecture, Michael’s talk asks, What should architects do? According to him, they shouldn’t only make buildings, but conduct research, engage the public, study the world, respond to changing values, and… throw parties.
To read Spacing Ottawa’s review of the talk, see Spacing online.
Or, watch the video of the slide presentation below:
Recently ERA’s Michael McClelland collaborated with Ottawa-based architect James Ashby on an article on Toronto’s Ontario Place, for docomomoUS. The article reviews the history of this unusual site, discusses the significance of its iconic design, and reminds us of the opportunity we now have to enrich our understanding of how to approach modernist architecture as part of a cultural heritage landscape. Continue reading…
Recently at the annual Awards of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), both Bridgepoint / Don Jail and Sisters of St. Joseph / Taylor House were honoured with prestigious awards. Continue reading…
The Don Jail was just awarded a CUI Brownie Award for “Rebuild: Excellence in Project Development, Building Scale.” This project, which involved a huge team including +VG, KPMB, Stantec, Diamond Schmitt, HDR, Urban Strategies, and many others, transformed an 1864 historic Toronto jail into the new administrative offices for Bridgepoint Active Healthcare.
Kitchener’s Lang Tannery District, which we worked on with RAW Design, also received a people’s choices award. Thanks people!
And thanks very much to the Canadian Urban Institute, to our client, and to our project team. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
Learn more about the Don Jail project on our portfolio page.
A recent issue of C Magazine, themed “Location,” features documentation of an artwork by ERA’s Josh Thorpe and artist David Court. The work On Printed Matter was exhibited at the New York institution Printed Matter in 2011 and was recently republished in C’s inside-back-cover section “Artefact.” Continue reading…
Taylor House at Sisters of St. Joseph was just awarded a Heritage Toronto Award of Excellence. The William Greer Architectural Conservation Award recognizes conservation and craftsmanship in heritage. The jurors called it “a text book example”.
The summer edition of Ground Magazine features an article by ERA’s Michael McClelland and Brendan Stewart on the history and design of Toronto’s University Avenue.
When it was first designed in 1829 the Avenue was hailed as “one of, if not the finest in the Dominion.” Over the next century, the tranquil tree-lined promenade fell into some decline and became a desolate and under-maintained roadway.
In the early 1960s, however, the central boulevards were redesigned by Dunington-Grubb & Stensson. This striking modernist redesign has also been left to fall somewhat by the wayside. The article asks us to reconsider its value.
If we do indeed value this remarkable landscape, could restoration of the islands, coupled with new tree plantings and integrated pavements on the outer boulevards be considered? Could the islands be linked to each other by pedestrian crossings to restore the opportunity to promenade?
Further examination and discussion of this important project is warranted. We welcome feedback and ideas!
To read the full article, please visit Ground Online (see page 30 of pdf).
Photos: Lisa Kates
On September 28, the Friends of Allan Gardens (FOAG) hosted its first Urban Harvest Festival in one of Toronto’s most historic parks. Three hundred people joined us to celebrate autumn amid the colouring trees and early-20th century greenhouses of Allan Gardens. Continue reading…
Michael McClelland on Yonge; photo Dave LeBlanc
Recently Dave LeBlanc of the The Globe & Mail featured ERA Principal Michael McClelland in an article about heritage architecture and new development on Toronto’s Yonge St. Continue reading…
The NFB project A Short History of the Highrise recently won the “News and Documentary” category of the Emmy Awards. ERA and the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal (CUG+R) had the pleasure of working with director Kat Cizek on this project, which examines the current conditions and future potential of post-war high-rise living around the world.
Continue reading…
On October 3, 2014, in Charlottetown, PEI, the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) and Heritage Canada The National Trust (HCNT) announced their annual winners. ERA was privileged to work on three of the awarded projects. Continue reading…
Recently the Holcim Foundation Awards recognized 1 Spadina Crescent under the category “Heritage Reframed.” ERA is working with the University, NADAAA, and Adamson Associates to repair and refurbish the spectacular gothic revival building from 1875, and redevelop the site to accommodate a new addition designed by NADAAA to be occupied by the University’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Design.
Recently, Cottage Life Magazine published a feature on Ardshona Cottage, summer home to builder David Ballantine and his family. ERA worked with the family to refurbish their wonderful historic cottage and the surrounding landscape at Pointe au Baril, Ontario. Continue reading…
Toronto the Good 2014, our tenth annual public party, was a big success. We had attendance exceeding 1000 people, and, according to accounts, a good time was had by all. Beer and wine flowed, music spun, people danced, and a great deal of urban-minded mingling occurred. Continue reading…
Photo: Brent Wagler
As the scaffold has been coming down over the summer, Torontonians might have noticed a new-old building at the corner of Yonge and Temperance: the last remaining of a row of historic buildings once known as the Elgin Block. Continue reading…
On Wednesday, June 24th ERA joined hundreds of friends and community members at the East Scarborough Storefront to celebrate the launch of two new landscape features: the Sky-o-swale shade-water structure, and the MLSE/Jumpstart Sports Court. Continue reading…
Toronto the Good is a party thrown each year by ERA Architects and friends to celebrate Toronto and contemplate its history and evolution with fellow architects, designers, thinkers, and urban-minded people. Continue reading…
Tuesday Aug. 26 at 6 p.m., join us for CONTEMPORARY SITES: new ways of seeing and using Toronto’s cultural landscapes, organized by ICOMOS Canada and the Centre for City Ecology (CCE). ERA’s Michael McClelland and the CCE’s Annabel Vaughan will moderate discussion with a great panel of speakers: Continue reading…
Wednesday, August 20 from 3 to 6pm, join us and our friends at the The East Scarborough Storefront to launch two exciting new features in the landscape design. Continue reading…
Recent data shows that Gemini House, a green retrofit of an 1880s Second-Empire home, is a real success, with energy savings up to 72% reduced from current Ontario standards. For this project, ERA collaborated with University of Toronto and Ryerson University to transform a poorly performing heritage home into a model for sustainable design. The project challenges a common misconception that heritage architecture and sustainable design do not mix. Continue reading…
Monocle recently profiled Toronto’s City Hall, designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, positioning it as the city’s most distinctive piece of architectural design. ERA’s Graeme Stewart is featured in the discussion of how the building began, and how it has evolved as a central moment in the urban and civic experience of Toronto.
Charity Hicks and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam; photo Catherine Mombourquette
Sad news reached us this week that Charity Hicks, a well-known Detroit-based activist and leader, passed away July 8, 2014. Ms. Hicks was an advocate for democracy, grass-roots engagement, and environmental and social justice.
ERA had the privilege of witnessing a conversation between Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and Charity Hicks at the Detroit-Toronto Symposium in 2013, where Ms. Hicks spoke passionately and inspiringly on social, economic, and cultural change in Detroit.
A fundraising campaign is currently underway to bring Ms. Hicks back to Detroit for burial and to support her family during the immediate period of trauma. If you would like to consider contributing, donations can be made online.