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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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A hospital with heart that embraces its patients celebrates its grand reopening

by ERA Architects

...the architects considered how to manifest unifying themes from the AIDS movement such as ‘embrace’ and ‘quilt’ by working the design concept from the inside out. At its heart, the redevelopment of Casey House was a community-inspired and driven initiative, with stakeholders recognizing the importance of their generous contributions. Link to Globe and mail article: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/torontos-new-casey-house-building-shows-the-medicinal-power-of-light-beauty-anddignity/article36767563/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com& Photos by ERA Architects...

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People per Hectare _ Installation Documentation

by ERA Architects

...the COMMUNITY CENTRED exhibition. Figure-ground map of Toronto, highlighting selected neighbourhoods for study, and their colour-coded composition by building type. Please note that this map is presented 7′ tall by 15′ long at the installation. Neighbourhood studies, arranged in order from lowest to highest population density 1. 12 ppl/ha 3298 people in 259 hectares. Running Brook Hills _ Miami, USA...

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Wall of books of many sizes and ages
Ideas & Issues

Diving Into the ERA Library—Part 1 

by ERA Architects

...Arlene Chan lays out a comprehensive account of the local Chinese Canadian community’s history with insight from early residents, news clippings, and personal archival records.  ERA has worked with Arlene in the past on The Ward anthology books and she is currently working on an essay about signage in Chinatown for another ERA publishing venture.   LINK: https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781554889792-the-chinese-in-toronto-from-1878  Hurricane Hazel, by...

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Micallef: Canada’s identity, modernist architecture

by ERA Architects

...our residences, universities, schools, malls, factories, and corporate headquarters, Canada is a nation stitched together with modernist fabric. Every urban area, it seems, has its share of brutalist concrete slab towers, curtain-glass minimalist icons, geodesic domes, and long elegant bungalows with exaggerated eaves. Though we might call out a small number of masterpieces as worthy of our attention, Canada in...

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Tower Renewal Partnership: revitalizing communities through research, advocacy, and action

by ERA Architects

...Public Health, United Way Toronto and York Region, the Government of Ontario, Evergreen, Toronto Atmospheric Fund, Metcalf Foundation, Atkinson Foundation and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. Our technical project partners include NBLC and Transsolar KlimaEngineering. To learn more about our work visit: www.towerrenewal.com. For more information contact: Graeme Stewart Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal [email protected] Hadley Nelles Maytree hnelles@maytree.com...

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ACO NextGen presents the possibility of a new take on an historic building

by ERA Architects

...the building as a landmark destination for both heritage architectural lovers and community dwellers alike abound. As Scott is quoted as saying, ‘Now is the perfect time to start dreaming….’ Link to Toronto Star article: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/11/09/bay-dundas-bus-terminal-looks-to-recapture-its-sense-of-grandeur.html Link to NOW magazine article: https://nowtoronto.com/news/toronto-coach-terminal-could-use-some-inspired-ideas/ Photo of original Bus Coach Terminal interior courtesy of City of Toronto Archives. Photos of current Bus Coach...

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Ideas & Issues

Three lessons from Europe’s independent cultural spaces

by Daniel Rotsztain, artist in residence

...cultural space  As mentioned above, the sheer complexity of transforming the Canada Malting Silos has left it towering over Toronto’s central waterfront, blank and unactivated: an opportunity presented by a challenge. Though not part of their network, TEH connected us with Jos Van Eldonk, an architect with Common Affairs who transformed the Suikerfabriek – a former Sugar silo in Halfweg,...

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Passive House Statistics

ERA at Passive House Canada Conference

by ERA Architects

...heating and cooling loads. The Ken Soble Tower Transformation will: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% Reduce energy intensity by 70% Reduce resource consumption through a 45% reduction in utility costs Improve indoor air quality for resident health and comfort Extend the life of the building and its systems for another generation The 2018 Passive House Canada Conference in Vancouver...

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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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Interior of University College Library from second floor balcony.
News & Events

University College: Revitalization and Accessibility 

by ERA Architects

...to the project to ensure that from cultural interpretation and design to technical execution the renovations were complimentary to the existing fabric. University College has a long history of innovation, now also reflected in its revitalization, expanding use to fulfill the needs for modern students and faculty.  photo: doublespace photography Here are five questions for Max Berg about ERA’s process,...

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