Community Engagement

Dragon Centre Stories: Perspectives on Multi-Cultural Retail and Suburban Cultural Heritage

by Alexis Cohen, senior associate

Opened in 1984 in Agincourt, Scarborough, Dragon Centre was North America’s first indoor Chinese mall. Its developers — brothers Daniel and Henry Hung, originally from Hong Kong — adapted an old roller-skating rink into a mall serving the Greater Toronto Area’s growing Chinese-Canadian population. Combining Hong Kong’s dense commercial markets and the big box North...

Community Engagement

Eat More Scarborough Food Tour

by ERA Staff

Scarborough has long been a landing place for newcomers to Toronto. People from all over the world come to this sprawling borough to get a foothold and find community in a new megacity — often far from home in every sense of the word. One of the ways people find that foothold and community is...

Building for the community, with the community

by ERA Architects

As an architecture firm with values rooted in how we collectively shape and build better cities and their spaces, it’s important to us to engage deeply with the community on our projects. While much of our work starts with assessments of existing buildings, observing their condition and advising site owners on how best to proceed...

When Crazy Gets Creative

by ERA Architects

Crazy Dames Share their Innovative Approach to Community Engagement and Design Development Inspired by the work of Jane Jacobs and a desire to use the artist’s studio as a site for fostering creative engagement, Jennie Suddick, and Sara Udow founded Crazy Dames. Their focus is on enhancing the user experience of urban spaces, empowering communities...

Nothing is Impossible: NXT City defines its strategies for city-building through an inspirational presentation at ERA

by ERA Architects

On December 13th, NXT City visited ERA to engage staff as part of our Wednesday Morning Forum ‘Spark Sessions’, a series of talks presented at ERA’s office by people and organizations who are at the forefront of their respective practices, and pushing the boundaries of design, policy and development in our city. NXT City is...

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

by ERA Architects

How does one breathe new life into a building that was once grand but has since ‘lost its lustre’? The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario NextGen designers have put out a public call for ideas that will transform Toronto’s landmark bus terminal on Bay Street, culminating in an all-day on-site event on Saturday, November 11th. The...

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

by ERA Architects

Dignitaries from the city and province flocked to the grounds surrounding Casey House on a beautiful autumn morning to celebrate the reopening of Canada’s only stand-alone hospital dedicated to those living with HIV/AIDS. Founded by a group of volunteers in 1988, Casey House was Canada’s first stand-alone treatment facility for people with HIV/AIDS, and the...

New Vision Church Preaches to the Converted as ‘The Music Hall’ (with new video link)

by ERA Architects

Hamilton’s newest live music venue is ready to showcase talent from across the region and beyond. New Vision United Church, the 150-year-old building located at 24 Main St West, formerly known as Centenary Church, is in the process of being transformed to comply with music industry standards while retaining its primary function as a place...

Toronto the Good 2017

by ERA Architects

Toronto the Good is back, ushering in a new season at a new venue! It is an annual party presented by ERA Architects (and friends) to celebrate the city of Toronto, and contemplate its history and evolution with fellow architects, designers, and urban-minded people. For this instalment of our annual party we are supporting the...

Joseph Bloor: A Celebration to Honour a Prominent City-Builder

by ERA Architects

On Thursday, August 31st from 12:00 – 1:00pm at 117 Bloor Street East, Heritage Toronto will be hosting a plaque unveiling to commemorate Joseph Bloor. His surname harkens images of the city’s main cross-town artery and the path along which half of the TTC’s Line 2 traverses. What many do not know is that Joseph...

Update: RAC Zone Launch Event

by ERA Architects

On Wednesday, July 19th, leaders in the development of Toronto’s Residential Apartment Commercial (RAC) Zoning by-law gathered at York University to celebrate and explore challenges and next steps in empowering communities to utilize Toronto’s newest zone. The esteemed panel had representation from property owners, entrepreneurs, community members, academics and city builders with Graeme Stewart, Principal...

Launching the RAC Zone

by ERA Architects

Property owners, entrepreneurs, community members, academics and city builders will gather at York University in celebration of Toronto’s newest zone: the Residential Apartment Commercial (RAC) (www.raczone.ca). Moderated by Graeme Stewart, Principal of ERA and the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal, this event hosted by the City of Toronto will centre discussions on...

Coming Up: The Ward – Songs and Sounds of a Lost Toronto Neighbourhood

by ERA Architects

Michael McClelland invites Toronto residents as well as those from abroad to experience an eclectic evening honouring a largely forgotten musical legacy: ‘Dear Friends and Colleagues, I invite you to join us for this intimate cabaret-style concert, as it promises to be an unforgettable experience, one that was sold out through its debut presentation at...

Sabina Ali & Graeme Stewart Speak to ‘Modern Tower Blocks and the 21st Century City’

by ERA Architects

Harlyn Thompson Lecture Series – Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba Thursday, March 16, 2017 6PM Lecture Eckhardt Gramatte Hall University of Winnipeg Speakers: Sabina Ali – Chair, Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee Graeme Stewart – Principal, ERA Architects, Co-Founder/Board Member, Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal (CUG+R) and Co-Editor, Concrete Toronto: A Guidebook to Concrete...

Evergreen Brick Works Demonstrates How Revived Heritage Spaces Create Sustainable Cities

by ERA Architects

The 53,000-square-foot kiln building at Evergreen Brick Works is set for a conversion that will create a collaboration zone to aid in building sustainable cities, with a target of developing systems and technologies for reducing carbon emissions. To set the standard, project partners EllisDon, Brookfield Global Integrated Systems, CRH Canada, Levitt Goodman Associates Architectural Partners...

The (Lane)way Forward: Exploring the Potential of Under-Served Public Space

by ERA Architects

As Toronto’s population increases in density, it places more pressure on ever-shrinking resources, including public space. The use of laneways in the city to increase public space offers the opportunity to release some of this pressure. ERA’s Annabel Vaughan moderated a panel discussion on November 30th on just this subject. Organized by The Laneway Project,...

‘Tower, Slab, Superblock: Social Housing Legacies and Futures’ Sparks the Imagination on Postwar Design and Construction

by ERA Architects

Participants included: Geraldine Dening, Co-Founder, Architects for Social Housing, Simon Elmer, Co-Founder, Architects for Social Housing, Phineas Harper, Deputy Director, The Architecture Foundation, Paul Karakusevic, Founder and Partner, Karakusevic Carson Architects, Jean-Louis Cohen – Sheldon H. Solow Professor in the History of Architecture at New York University, Javier Arpa, Research and Education Coordinator of The Why...

New Visions for Social Housing in Canadian Architect Magazine

by ERA Architects

In the November issue of Canadian Architect author Jay Pitter investigates how spatial issues contribute to community challenges such as isolation, despair and violence in urban social housing communities. Using the community where she grew up in Toronto as a case study, Pitter explores the design deficiencies of the Corbusian “Towers in the Park” style...

Flags: Public Artwork Complete

by ERA Architects

A new public work by artist Josh Thorpe has just been launched at Maple Claire Park, Toronto. For this project, entitled Flag Field, ERA Architects provided landscape architectural and project management services. Flag Field consists of fourteen custom flags on flagpoles ranging from 25 to 50 feet high. Thorpe designed the flags as simple drawings...

“Kensington Market as Cultural Landscape” — A Jane’s Walk

by ERA Architects

During the Heritage and Democracy workshop, ICOMOS Canada will be sponsoring a series of specially curated Jane’s Walks. As part of the National Conversation on Cultural Landscapes (NCCL), an initiative of ICOMOS Canada, one of the walks will explore “Kensington Market as Cultural Landscape.” On Friday, May 6th, the walk will take you on an exploration...

Cities Alive Podcast – Zoning Out! Pt. 1

by ERA Architects

How do zoning laws contribute to – or prevent – the creation of complete communities? The Cities Alive podcast episode, Zoning Out! Part 1 addresses issues surrounding this question. Hosts Ross Soward and Danielle Davis invite guest speakers to talk about new trends in zoning that are allowing the formation of vibrant neighbourhoods. Today there...

TSA’s Urban Affairs Forum, “Generosity by Design”

by ERA Architects

Can architecture be generous? Do architects have an inherent civic obligation? Those were the questions up for discussion at the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) January 21st Urban Affairs Forum, titled “Generosity by Design.” Speakers included Robert Allsopp from DTAH, David Sisam from Montgomery Sisam Architects, Helena Grdadolnik from Workshop Architecture, and Philip Evans from...

A Delicious Thanks from the Church of the Redeemer!

by ERA Architects

On Sunday, November 22nd, the Church of the Redeemer held a dedication for the recent work done on the building. The congregation warmly thanked ERA for their commitment to the project, which involved work to both the exterior and interior of this notable landmark. The exterior project focused on rebuilding and stabilizing the Church’s iconic...

Regent Park’s Commemoration Strategy

by ERA Architects

How do you commemorate the heritage of a complex, evolving neighbourhood that is still in the throes of change? How do you interpret the vibrancy of a neighbourhood while considering the significance of its buildings, most of which no longer exist? ERA Architects is addressing these questions through the establishment of a Commemoration Strategy for...

The Future Ridgeway Community Court

by ERA Architects

Following the success of the ESS sport court, ERA has been retained to oversee the design and construction of a new sports court and outdoor community space in the Ridgeway neighbourhood of northwest Mississauga. A talented group of local youth at the Erin Mills Youth Centre successfully applied for and were granted funding through the...