Stories
Bill Greer (1925–2023)
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I met Bill at what was then the Toronto Historical Board in 1981. Bill was the Chief Architect and I worked under his direction for seven years. I’m convinced that architecture is a skill that one learns from mentorship, and I acknowledge that Bill was my mentor. I’d suggest that Bill’s mentor was Buckminster Fuller,...
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A new look for ERAarch.ca
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We’re happy to share the new look for our website ERAarch.ca. Over the years, the range of work we’ve tackled and the expertise we’ve developed has expanded to the point where we felt our web site wasn’t properly reflecting what makes ERA unique. Over the course of the last year, we worked to refresh the...
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The Signs That Define Toronto: A new book from ERA and Spacing
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We are happy to announce the release of The Signs That Define Toronto. Published and produced with Spacing, ERA partner Philip Evans and architect Kurt Kraler team up with Spacing’s Matthew Blackett and 20 contributors to reveal the history, culture, and stories of the city through its unique signage. The book is packed full of...
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University College: Revitalization and Accessibility
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The University College is an architectural gem within the already famously picturesque University of Toronto campus. In a way, it’s the centre of the university, and when you look north up King’s College Road, your view terminates in what ERA’s Max Berg calls a “postcard building” from the 1850s. It has been home to a...
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Announcing the Frank Darling Book Project
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Disponible en français ci-dessous. Over the past six years I’ve been researching and occasionally lecturing at SSAC conferences on Canadian architect Frank Darling (1850–1923) and his ultimate firm, Darling & Pearson. A clear narrative has evolved that outlines his leadership in developing an official “Edwardian” architecture in Toronto and beyond, the firm’s tremendous output of...
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Une nouvelle vie pour l’ancien hôpital Royal Victoria à Montréal
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Read the English version of this feature below Depuis 2019, le bureau montréalais d’ERA Architectes contribue en tant que spécialiste en patrimoine à la requalification d’un des lieux emblématiques de Montréal, l’ancien hôpital Royal Victoria. La silhouette iconique de l’ensemble, perché sur le flanc du mont Royal, représente un repère visuel autant à partir du...
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Diving Into the ERA Library—Part 1
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Having access to unique and highly specific books about neighbourhoods, cities, and architecture is a vital aspect of the culture of ERA. Periodically, we will pull books off the shelves of ERA’s library to reveal some of the charming and forgotten publications that shed light on local history. Truth & Reconciliation: Calls to Action ...
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Dressing The Webster
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If you look closely enough, you’ll notice that every neighbourhood has its own unique colour palette, which helps define its character. Some are strictly uniform and monochromatic, while others are a wildly chaotic patchwork of distinct colours. Many of these shades and swatches stem from the materials used in a neighbourhood’s construction throughout the years....
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Three New Principals and Expanding Leadership at ERA
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ERA Architects is proud to announce our firm’s three new principals and the latest staff promotions and hirings. ERA is committed to connecting heritage to wider considerations of urban design and city building, while providing our staff with opportunities to grow their professional careers. PRINCIPALS We’re proud to announce Victoria Angel (Ottawa), Jan Kubanek (Montreal),...
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ERA annonce ses nouveaux associés à Montréal | ERA Announces New Leadership in Montréal
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ERA Architectes est fière d’annoncer la nomination de Ève Wertheimer et de Jan Kubanek en tant qu’associés à la tête du bureau québécois de l’agence. ERA Architectes œuvre au Québec depuis 2012 sur des projets de mise en valeur de l’environnement bâti existant, pour plusieurs clients des secteurs privés et publics. La nomination de...
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Canada’s Ken Soble Tower certified as world’s largest residential Passive House EnerPHit retrofit
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One of the first of its kind in North America, the 18-storey affordable seniors tower serves as a model for low-carbon, resilient future January 19, 2022 (Hamilton, ON) – ERA Architects (ERA) and PCL Construction (PCL) announce the Ken Soble Tower in Hamilton, Canada, has become the world’s largest residential building retrofitted to the Passive...
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2021: Honours & Awards at ERA
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As the days get colder and we head into the final days of 2021, ERA is looking back at the recognition and awards we’ve received this year for some very deserving projects, alongside some fantastic teams who are looking forward and building our cities and communities into tomorrow. The highlights from 2021 cover a range...
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The Missing Middle: Toronto’s Historic Building Typologies
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Last week, Toronto City Planning brought forward to Council’s Planning and Housing Committee an interim report, Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods: Multiplex Study. The initiative behind the report is exploring the potential to permit a range of low-scale housing types in Toronto’s low-rise neighbourhoods, as a key part of the solution to the city’s years-long...
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ERA leads the conversation of digital transformation at the Beijing Urban and Architecture Biennale
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Building Information Modeling or Building Information Management (BIM) is the foundation of digital transformation in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry (AEC). It is a highly collaborative process that allows architects, engineers, developers, contractors, manufacturers, and other construction professionals to plan, design, and construct a structure or building within one single 3D model. It can...
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ERA’s Graeme Stewart and Ya’el Santopinto named to the RAIC’s College of Fellows
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ERA is thrilled to announce that Graeme Stewart and Ya’el Santopinto have been named to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC)’s College of Fellows. This well-deserved honour is in recognition of outstanding achievement in architecture, and distinguished service to the profession and community. From the RAIC’s citations: Graeme’s career to date has largely focused...
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Dave LeBlanc for The Globe and Mail: The tower that once topped Toronto shines again
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Once the tallest building in the British empire, the Royal Bank building at 8 King Street East is a product of the skyscraper phenomenon that arrived in Toronto at the turn-of-the century. More than 100 years after its construction, the building has been renewed. ERA is wrapping up work on this project, which required the...
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Championing resiliency this Earth Day
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As we celebrate Earth Day, ERA is reflecting on the shift needed to meet Canada’s 2050 net-zero emissions targets. Our built environment plays an important role in creating a more sustainable future and ERA is committed to being a leader that champions climate solutions through our work. Here’s how: Adaptive reuse of changing infrastructures: High-impact...
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Gordonridge Community Multi-Sport Court wins national landscape architecture award
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ERA is thrilled to announce the Gordonridge Community Multi-Sport Court has won a Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) National Award of Excellence in the Residential Landscapes category. This unique community-led project is located at the heart of the Gordonridge Toronto Community Housing campus in Scarborough. The new court brings residents of all ages and...
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Revitalizing waterfront sites: Exploring the potential of Ontario Place
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Our iconic sites have a shared value, with a conceived opinion in the public realm. As residents, we understand and view these buildings with a collective lens made up of our past experiences formed individually and as a city. While some buildings easily come to mind, take Toronto’s Old City Hall or the ROM as...
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Celebrating community-led design with Gordonridge
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Working closely with communities to create place-based, local designs is integral to ERA’s approach. In September, we celebrated the completion of Gordonridge’s new multi-sport court. This project was a collaborative effort through-and-through, with our partners at MLSE Foundation and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, our client at Toronto Community Housing, and its users, the community at...
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Conservation of Paradise Theatre wins national and provincial awards
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Thanks to its careful conservation, and inclusive and accessible programming, Paradise is once again a space for the community to gather and celebrate. We’re thrilled to see this building reinstated as an important focal point for the local neighbourhood and are pleased to say the conservation community feels the same! Paradise Theatre has recently won...
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Historic farmsteads drive a new rural cultural economy
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Ontario’s smaller municipalities are facing a transformation. Many are making the transition from resource-based to diverse, creative economies, fuelled by population growth and an increase in local tourism in Ontario. As these municipalities look to prepare for growth, many farmstead owners are left with swaths of land ripe for adaptive reuse to add to the...
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ERA and Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong
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Conservation is a worldwide industry, one rooted in collaboration and shared learning. It’s vital we continue to share our expertise with one another, learning new innovations, techniques and approaches. ERA is thrilled to continue to be involved in these important conversations. The newly released Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong: A Technical Guidebook was developed...
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Pandemic effect: ERA Architects for Canadian Architect magazine
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As part of Canadian Architect’s Pandemic Effect series, ERA Architects’ Ya’el Santopinto and Graeme Stewart wrote about how the current pandemic is shining a light on the importance of prioritizing the retrofitting of existing mid-century towers. “Canada’s affordable apartment towers are the backbone of its purpose-built rental housing system, representing more than half of all...
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Remnants of Mid-Century Toronto
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Spacing’s new book celebrates Toronto’s mid-century architecture, from landmark buildings like City Hall to unique elements of the time, such as the zig-zag roofs that can be spotted atop many of the city’s churches. Edited by Spacing’s creative director Matthew Blackett and with photography by Vik Pahwa, much of the writing in the book...
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