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ERA Architects

Stories

1953 aerial photograph from the City of Toronto Archives, annotated by ERA.

Alexis Cohen presents at the College Art Association (CAA)

by ERA Architects

...in the visual arts, and promotes these arts and their understanding through advocacy, intellectual engagement, and a commitment to the diversity of practices and practitioners. CAA (collegeart.org) Her paper, “An Incremental Urbanism: Zoning Infractions at Toronto’s Honest Ed’s and Mirvish Village, 1943-1963,” examines user-driven zoning infractions that led to the incremental creation of Toronto’s most beloved and iconic discount retailer...

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Marble Madness

by ERA Architects

...delays, the individual slabs were a real challenge to move once delivered (each weighing +200lbs, depending upon varying thicknesses), and the chipped, soiled, and broken condition of many of the slabs limit their re-use potential – though with a bit of effort it’s a unique opportunity to get to work with high-grade locally-sourced recycled material at an extreme bargain price....

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Publications & Exhibits

One Year of ‘The Signs That Define Toronto’ 

by Kurt Kraler

...Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District that allow for a broader range of historic sign types. Since the launch of the publication, The Signs That Define… project continues to live online through an active Instagram page. The page features additional stories and photos that did not make it into the book while also reaching a broader online audience. Be sure...

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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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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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Head Start

by admin

After a prolonged workterm at ERA, Jordan Molnar is headed back to Dalhousie to begin his M.Arch thesis. Before shipping off, he gave a Friday presentation and recruited feedback on his initial research – involving preliminary studies of an under-utilized commercial block in downtown Brampton. This sparked an interesting discussion, centering primarily on the questioned validity of the classic Main...

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Collaborate with entropy

by ERA Architects

At the Design Forum this morning, Will presented four European precedents for the large-scale adaptive reuse of industrial structures. 1847 Coal Mine and Coke plant Zeche Zollverein in Essen, Germany. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. 2001. The site attracts a half-million visitors each year. Winter skating along the former shipping channel at Zeche Zollverein in Essen, Germany. Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park,...

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Micro-enterprise on Toronto’s streets

by ERA Architects

...shipping containers. This formerly blank and uncared-for space is now a thriving market that hosts community events, provides inexpensive opportunities for local entrepreneurs, feeds hungry passers-by, and fuels the street with new energy. While examples of this type abound in cities throughout the world, they have been difficult to achieve in Toronto largely due to restrictive regulations. So it wasn’t...

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Toronto the Good 2010

by ERA Architects

...Micallef Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto NFB Filmmaker-in-residence Katerina Cizek The Thousandth Tower web documentary Wednesday May 26, 2010 _ 6pm to midnight free admission to the party _ catering by David Vallee _ cash bar York Quay Centre at Harbourfront Centre 235 Queens Quay West For more information please visit: http://www.era.on.ca http://www.readings.org Save the date – further details...

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