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The Legacy Lives On: Hamilton’s Built Heritage Inventory as an emerging practice in historic urban landscape stewardship

by ERA Architects

...they inhabit could, in the future, be used by cities to identify a much broader range of conservation opportunities, better understand an area’s capacity to change and evolve, and reposition historic resources to serve as the springboard and foundation for new development….’ Article in CIP’s PLAN Canada Journal: http://www.kelmanonline.com/httpdocs/files/CIP/plancanadawinter2017/index.html Related content: https://www.eraarch.ca/2017/hamiltons-durand-built-heritage-inventory-project-incorporates-digital-innovation-to-develop-a-citywide-approach-to-heritage-planning/ https://www.eraarch.ca/project/hamilton-downtown-built-heritage-inventory/ https://www.eraarch.ca/2013/9295/ All images courtesy of ERA Architects....

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Casey House is Awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation

by ERA Architects

...the facility first arose. At its heart, the redevelopment of Casey House was a community-inspired and driven initiative, with stakeholders recognizing the importance of their generous contributions. Congratulations to ERA’s project team: Michael McClelland, Edwin Rowse, Scott Weir, Jessie Grebenc, Joey Giaimo, Luke Denison, and Mikael Sydor. Related links: https://www.eraarch.ca/project/239/ https://www.eraarch.ca/2017/a-hospital-with-heart-that-embraces-its-patients-celebrates-its-grand-reopening/ https://www.eraarch.ca/2017/capitalizing-on-heritage-awarding-conservation-materials-craftsmanship-and-construction/ http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/index.php/media-releases/lieutenant-governors-ontario-heritage-awards-presentation ​Project photos are courtesy of Vik Pahwa....

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Amendments to Heritage Policies in Toronto’s Official Plan

by admin

...Plan heritage policies on the City website: www.toronto.ca/opreview/pdf/opreview_proposed_heritage_policy.pdf 2) ERA’s initial comments and draft counter proposal: www.era.on.ca/pdf/ERA_OP_heritage_policy_comments.pdf 3) Draft Amendment No. 199 to Official Plan, just released and available on the City website: http://www.toronto.ca/opreview/pdf/version_opa_atclerks.pdf 4) ERA’s comments on Amendment, submitted respectfully on October 1, 2012: www.era.on.ca/pdf/ERA_OP_heritage_policy_comments2.pdf The key authors of this draft include Michael McClelland (Principal and Co-Founder at ERA),...

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Ward Cabaret

The Ward Cabaret: The sound of Toronto’s first cross-cultural community

by ERA Architects

...be involved with such an amazing production that depicts life in one of Toronto’s first cross-cultural communities. The Ward Cabaret is running December 12-23 at the Harbourfront Centre. Get your tickets on the Harbourfront Centre’s website or find out more at wardcabaret.com. Bonus offer: Buy one ticket, get another free when you use the code WeAreTheWard241. Active until December 6....

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Repurposed junk: A chicken coop

by ERA Architects

...garden, tending to our beehive, or building a chicken coop. The goal for the chicken coop was to use as many found materials as possible. We did have to buy hinges, insulation, and roofing, but most we were able to salvage: dimension lumber offcuts for the main frame, old flooring for coop siding, baseboards for the drawbridge stile doors (front...

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Heroic Has Arrived

by ERA Architects

It’s here! The much-anticipated book Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston, which focuses on Boston’s emerging concrete buildings of the 1960s and 1970s, is now available for sale. ERA had previously posted a blog in preparation for it’s release, and now we’re excited it’s finally arrived. You can buy the book at Amazon and Chapters. Heroic tracks Boston’s flourishing...

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Inspiring City Builders of Tomorrow: ERA & Jane’s Walk

by ERA Architects

...Central Technical School, where they shared research strategies, made connections between Toronto and students’ places of origin, and inspired conversation about students’ interests. After a presentation by Jasmine on how to access online information from the Toronto Archives, the students broke into small groups to decide upon stops in the walking tour they wanted to create and research. Three classroom...

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ACO Awards to Don Jail and Taylor House

by ERA Architects

...restoring many of its features and creating interpretive new solutions where restoration wasn’t feasible. Learn more about this project in our online portfolio. Bridgepoint won the Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse, which aims to recognize “projects that highlight and incorporate significant heritage structures in fitting and imaginative ways, thereby conserving them for future use and enjoyment.” The Don Jail...

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News & Events

ERA leads the conversation of digital transformation at the Beijing Urban and Architecture Biennale

by ERA Architects

...Urban Renewal: BIM and Adaptive Reuse online forum organized by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design. Curated and hosted by two architects in New York and in Beijing, the 3 hour, highly condensed international panel discussion brought over 1100 international online participants to investigate the relationship between BIM and adaptive reuse projects. Six internationally renowned architectural practices from four different...

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The Cinesphere at Ontario Place

Ontario Place and the value of cultural heritage sites

by ERA Architects

...its community. Many times, this kind of social importance is combined with a more traditional heritage value, and a site has design, historic and cultural significance. Ontario Place is one of these spaces. In 2014, Ontario Place was added to the List of Provincial Heritage Properties. At the time, the province approved its statement of cultural value that detailed its...

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The importance of a heritage designation

by ERA Architects

...(because it’s a designated heritage building), and under Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act, which concerns the demolition of rental properties. But the council also recommended that a demolition permit be approved under Section 33 of the Planning Act (which concerns residential properties, irrespective of whether they’re rental properties), subject to eight very strict conditions — one of...

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Three rows of thumbnail image squares show the overall colour palette of neighbouring buildings on a streetscape

Dressing The Webster

by ERA Architects

...the local waterfowl there, paints their stores a hot flamingo pink. Given the new store’s location in an HCD, that particular shade was not going to be permitted, so a happy medium in line with the local character had to be arrived upon and approved.  There is precedent within the District for painted brick, but the HCD guidelines stipulate “paint...

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