Skip to content

ERA Architects

Projects

Adaptive re-use study in Bois-de-la-Roche

The agricultural estate Bois-de-la-Roche is a site of exceptional heritage value, with parts of its landscape and architectural elements recognized by municipal, provincial, and federal authorities. When senator and businessman Louis-Jospeh Forget established his estate between 1886 and 1908, the site already had several structures built on it. He added new buildings, some conceptualized by renown architects Edward and William...

Greenhouse at the Parkwood Estate National Historic Site. Parkwood Estate National Historic Site: Greenhouse Conservation

...A variety of custom wood, glass, and metal pieces were manufactured to match the original components. These character defining elements were ordered and produced after the greenhouses were dismantled to ensure as close a match as possible. The Greenhouse Conservation Project celebrates the use of these important structures while providing a National Historic Site with increased capacity for community programming....

Îlot Bonsecours – PHI Contemporain

...to identify its heritage values and the character-defining elements. The second objective was to understand the challenges involved in the adaptive reuse of the site and to identify the conservation guidelines and approaches for the site as a whole, as well for each building. The study was used as a reference during the international architecture competition “Phi Contemporary”, to guide...

View of the Commons area with new landscaping Evergreen Brick Works

...and intervened only when necessary to make the site safer and ready to be used. Minor interventions such as selective repairs to masonry, woodwork, and rooves; stabilizations and repairs to foundations and trusses; installation of water management features such as new flashing and rainwater leaders. Site-wide collaborations with Diamond Schmidt, DuToit Alsopp Hillier (DTAH), and Claude Cormier to unite heritage...

Parkwood Estate National Historic Site

Parkwood National Historic Site was built in 1916 as the home of the late R. S. McLaughlin, founder of General Motors Canada. The building, designed by architects Darling and Pearson, now serves as a historic house museum, with a collection that includes original furniture, paintings, and tapestries. ERA was retained to provide professional conservation services, including the restoration of the...

exterior view of building with columns Ruthven Park National Historic Site

The Ruthven Park National Historic Site consists of one of Canada’s finest Greek Revival mansions, which sits on 1,478 acres of property along the Grand River in southwestern Ontario. ERA was retained as the heritage architectural consultant on a conservation management plan team restoring Ruthven Park. We provided detailed assessments and historical studies of the buildings and coordinated archival, archaeological,...

Bleau residence – Adaptive re-use study

...uses for the redevelopment of the Bleau Residence, considering the site’s inherent constraints and opportunities, the requirements expressed by the stakeholders consulted and the desire to create an attractive hub for the citizens. In collaboration with l’Enclume, ERA reviewed the available documentation to understand the main conservation issues, the applicable regulations, and the vision for the Parc-nature de la Pointes-aux-Prairies...

Waterworks

...floors and a residential addition above. The development pedestrianizes the courtyard and drive aisle, which are partially reinstated, providing permeability through the site. The adaptive reuse of the complex, including the food hall, YMCA, and courtyard, provide an appropriate public amenity which activates the site commensurate with its central position in the city. The adaptive reuse with the recently rehabilitated...

Loblaws Groceteria at West Block

...By the 2010s, major conservation work was required to save the building. Working with the owners over many years, ERA and the rest of the design team reimagined the site as a combination of retail, office, and residential uses. The one-storey warehouse, extending below the Gardiner Expressway at the north end of the site, would be replaced with a pair...

East Scarborough Storefront East Scarborough Storefront

...collaborating with project leaders and initiators, Sustainable.TO and Architext, on a community-led revitalization plan for the Storefront site and surrounding neighbourhood. The program included renovations, expansions, and an upgraded landscape that connects the site to surrounding apartment towers and the adjacent Morningside Park ravine system. A youth engagement program called the Community Design Initiative, which provides mentoring to local youth,...

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons

One of the earliest European settlements in the Province of Ontario, Sainte Marie among the Hurons is a site of national heritage significance and international interest. The challenge of assembling a conservation plan for three fireplace ruins at this important historic site offered an opportunity to approach conservation by first asking how to best interpret and present these artifacts to...

Sheguiandah First Nation Community Court

...the NBA and the Toronto Raptors. https://www.eraarch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2.mp4   Through ERA’s unique collaborative design approach, ERA worked with local youth leaders to develop a court design that meets the needs of the community while reflecting the values and unique identity of the Sheguiandah First Nation. This included assisting the community through an artist selection process that brought Anishinaabe artist Emily Kewageshing...