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Planning and Development: A Joint MITACS Project ( by guest blogger Jeff Biggar)

by ERA Architects

...TAS design build, notes that merely looking at a building from the vantage point of the property line constitutes an insular approach to development. Instead, he advocates for a collective approach to development that looks outwards toward the street: at the sidewalks, benches, and people who use them. Put simply, a vision of building a city, not just buildings. Building...

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Append & tweak: Rethinking heritage in our suburbs

by ERA Architects

...within a bounded geography and then prescribing limitations to preserve them in their current state. Adopting a cultural landscape approach, however, can offer a more nuanced, flexible approach that attempts to document a larger range of resources, from culture, to natural resources, to heritage landscapes. As a case study, the article looks at Mississauga’s Lakeview neighbourhood, which was used as...

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North York Modernist Favourites, Volume One.

by ERA Architects

...most unique in the inventory – they feature very subtle hyperboloid elevations and plans, contrasting with their rectilinear neighbours. They have also been very well maintained, which retains their visual impact. The stark use of solid white balcony bands clearly define the form, while the black recesses create a building-scaled super-graphic of sorts, striking a distinct silhouette against the sky....

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Culture of Outports _ Burlington design/build

by ERA Architects

...the Burlington community and assisted by a range of craftspeople, ERA led the six architecture students in the design and construction of a small-scale intervention bred from site-specific conditions, drawing upon vernacular building techniques and traditional craft practices, and making use of local materials. More photos from the project are included below, after the jump. To follow the research, design,...

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BILD awards to Massey Tower

by admin

...as well as its careful integration it into the new fabric of Massey Tower, a 60-storey mixed-use development by MOD Developments. Constructed in 1905 for the Canadian Bank of Commerce, 197 Yonge is an excellent expression of the Beaux-Arts style popular in North America around the turn of the century. Built in brick and Ohio sandstone, the building features an...

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The city as garden

by ERA Architects

...move through the grounds.” Washington Square Park, New York. “Like many park squares in Manhattan, Washington Square Park is robustly designed to accommodate heavy use by focusing people on hardscaped avenues and plaza spaces, meanwhile protecting trees and allowing understory planting to create a garden-like setting.” Having reviewed these and several other projects, the question posed was, What can we...

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Tower Neighbourhood Renewal article in the APT International

by ERA Architects

...little value on the conservation of buildings from this period. The intent of the program is to use the rehabilitation of this postwar building type as the catalyst for creating stronger, more sustainable communities. Recognizing that such a large-scale renewal amounts to a 20-year program, this paper provides an update on current progress. The full article can be downloaded here....

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Urban Governance: A Joint MITACS Project ( by guest blogger Jeff Biggar)

by ERA Architects

...and interest around that idea. If taking risks on unknown outcomes is something government officials are often reluctant to do, then let others use resources to experiment with new ideas that may succeed or fail. We are witnessing activity of this nature by local non-profit groups. For example, Parks People advocates for new partnership options around park governance. The Friends...

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Letters to the Mayor: An outlet for expressions on city-building set amidst a developmental blank canvas

by ERA Architects

...of design problems. ERA’s founding principal, Michael McClelland responded to an invitation to participate with a focus on heritage conservation as an evolving practice that should prioritize design over decree, form over formula; shifting the emphasis to site-specific, use-oriented design. Produced by Design Exchange, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, this inaugural EDIT festival examines the theme of...

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Download North York’s Modernist Architecture

by ERA Architects

Download the full 2009 edition of North York’s Modernist Architecture in PDF format. This document contains the complete, unaltered original 1997 report and inventory, along with updated photographs and new contributions from Lloyd Alter, Geoff Kettel, Edith Geduld, Moiz Behar, Michael McClelland, Kim Storey, Leo deSorcy, Helene Iardas, Joey Giaimo, and William MacIvor. The PDF version presented here is substantially...

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Bridgepoint wins two PUGs

by ERA Architects

Bridgepoint Active Healthcare has won two PUG awards this year: Best Commercial + Institutional Building in Toronto, and the Paul Oberman Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Restoration Award. As part of the redevelopment of the site, the Old Don Jail was rehabilitated to function as the administrative building for Bridgepoint Hospital. Completed in 1864, the Don Jail was Toronto’s largest building...

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Landscape symposium: Toronto 2015

by admin

...how we treat 20th century landscape sites and how these sites can begin to figure into our stewardship of heritage. Many of Toronto’s designed landscapes, for example, have reached a point where their management, care, and use needs to be reexamined and championed if we wish them to continue to add value to our public realm. We thank Charles for...

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