Community Engagement
Jane’s Walk Yorkville, Sat. May 4th
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With Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and Architects Ken Greenberg and Michael McClelland Saturday, May 4, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at Yorkville Public Library (seen in photo), 22 Yorkville Avenue Yorkville, one of Toronto’s most historic and culturally rich neighbourhoods, has seen dramatic transformation over the past two hundred years and remains subject to further...
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Apr. 25 event: T.O.’s Priority Neighbourhoods
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ERA is pleased to be joining the University of Toronto’s Cities Centre and United Way Toronto for “Closing the Gaps,” a special event exploring how we can continue to work together to support Toronto’s Priority Neighbourhoods. This event will examine the journey since 2005, lessons learned, and steps moving forward. Thursday April 25, 2013 Innis...
Read MoreEglinton’s Future: Public Workshops
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ERA Architects is proud to be part of a team that includes Brook McIlroy, planningAlliance, and Public Work, among others, in the planning and designing the forthcoming Eglinton Crosstown rapid transit corridor. Join us for the first rounds of public consultation February 19th, 26th, and 28th (see www.thecrosstown.ca for workshop details). The largest transit investment...
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Fundraiser for Kenyan school a success
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Recently, ERA Architects sponsored a silent auction and evening of drinks and hors d’oeuvres to raise funds for the continued construction of Oleleshwa Primary School in Kenya. The January 2013 fundraiser garnered over $14,000, making the total raised-to-date over $50,000, not including labour and in-kind donations, which have also been significant. The project is one...
Read MoreCommunity Art Project at the Riverdale Hub
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Over the past few months, ERA has had the pleasure of working with the Riverdale Hub on a community revitalization strategy for the Gerrard Bazaar/Little India neighbourhood. The Riverdale Hub is an innovative model for community revitalization that integrates environmental sustainability and social enterprise in order to provide training for new Canadian women and create...
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Youth build decking for Scarborough shade structure
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Beginning in early July, six youth from the Kingston-Galloway-Orton Park community were hired for a five-week period by the East Scarborough Storefront to continue work on a series of community-oriented landscape improvements. These features were designed as part of the Community Design Initiative (C.D.I.) program, to which these youth have previously volunteered hundreds of hours....
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Construction and river valley tour, East Scarborough
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Photos: Holly Pagnacco Progress on the East Scarborough Storefront’s (ESS) soon-to-be grapevine pergola is running on time. We have just completed some 50 trellis modules which will form the roof structure for the grapevines to grow on. The youth spent weeks building these modules and have become confident measuring and cutting wood, along with many...
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Construction begins at the Storefront
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Over the past couple of years, ERA has been working with The East Scarborough Storefront (ESS) on the Community Design Initiative (CDI), where Scarborough youth are educated in architecture and design by mentors from ERA, Sustainable.TO, and ArchiTEXT. In the current phase, we are working to bring more shade and plant life to the site....
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Planting for an elevated bioswale in Scarborough
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On a recent pleasant day in June, ERA joined green roof expert Atom Cianfarani and a group of community youth to plant a nursery in preparation for the future construction of an unusual green-roof shade structure at the East Scarborough Storefront. Over the past year, we have been working with the Storefront, Sustainable.TO, ArchiTEXT, various...
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OCAD U visits ERA
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Recently, Toronto urbanist and OCAD U instructor Shawn Micalleff brought his “Cities for People” students to attend a presentation by ERA’s Graeme Stewart. Following some local history and international context, Graeme explained ERA’s position on Tower Renewal, a project we’ve been working on with United Way and the City of Toronto. Using a combination of imagination,...
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Community project in Brigus, Newfoundland
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Recently Alana Young and Andrew Pruss returned from Brigus, Newfoundland where they worked with a group of Ryerson students to study the interaction of culture, place, history, and landscape. This project was part of an ongoing initiative by ERA and Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal (CUG+R) called Culture of Outports, which investigates how architectural...
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Micro-enterprise on Toronto’s streets
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In early June, Working Habitat and Scadding Court Community Centre (SCCC) hosted a charrette exploring opportunities for small-scale enterprise and pop-up vendors in Toronto. The charrette introduced important lessons and concepts from Scadding Court’s experiences with Market 707. Located just east of Bathurst on the south side of Dundas, Market 707 is a cluster of...
Read MoreA successful Toronto the Good, 2012
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On Thursday, June 7th, we got together with Torontonians at Fort York to reflect on the city and toast its built and cultural environments, past and future. Close to 1000 guests joined us in enjoying great food, drink, dancing, and stimulating discussion about the place we live. Thank you very much, all who attended –...
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ERA goes to Brigus, Nfld.
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We are pleased to announce the second installation of our Culture of Outports project, developed in collaboration with the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal. ERA’s Andrew Pruss and Alana Young have just arrived in Brigus, Newfoundland, which, dating from 1612, is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. Over the next two...
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We’re celebrating: June 7th at Fort York
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When: Thursday, June 7th, 6:30–11pm; Where: Fort York, Toronto; How much: Free Entry, Cash Bar Each year we get together with Toronto Society of Architects, Spacing Magazine, and other partners to hold our Toronto the Good event, a chance to mingle, chat, and compare notes about what has been and what will come to be....
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ERA opens its doors
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Last Saturday ERA Architects participated in a Doors Open tour organized by Toronto Society of Architects. Doors Open is an annual opportunity for the public to visit places and spaces of historic, cultural, or architectural interest. This year ERA opened its doors and was very pleased to host a wide range of interested visitors, from...
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Doors Open at ERA: Sat. May 26, 2012
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Doors Open Toronto is an annual event that celebrates the city and its rich history of architecture and urban design, providing access to buildings that are otherwise inaccessible. This year, ERA Architects is excited to be taking part in the Architect’s Studiotour organized by the Toronto Society of Architects. We would be pleased if you’d...
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Jane’s Walk on Jarvis St.
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On Sunday May 6th, ERA principal Michael McClelland joined Toronto City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and 75 interested participants on a Jane’s Walk in Toronto’s downtown east. Named for legendary urbanist and author Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walks occur all over the world in the name of promoting urban literacy and community involvement in local urban environments....
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Jane’s Walk in Old York
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On Saturday May 5th, ERA principal Michael McClelland joined Ken and Eti Greenberg to take a group of 65 participants on a Jane’s Walk in the heart of Toronto. Named for legendary urbanist Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walks occur all over the world in the name of promoting urban literacy and the involvement of community in...
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East Scarborough Storefront: Wood Inventory Part II
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As we have mentioned previously on this blog, ERA Architects is collaborating with ArchiTEXT and Sustainable.TO on the exciting Community.Design.Initiative at East Scarborough Storefront. Over the course of an intensive 19-week mentorship semester we worked with community youth on the design of a kitchen garden and patio, a unique green-roof pavilion, a bee and butterfly...
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Allan Gardens: a new public space design competition
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E.R.A. Architects is pleased to announce its participation in Friends of Allan Gardens (FOAG), a group of neighbours and citizens concerned with actively promoting the vitality of Allan Gardens park. This volunteer group’s mission is to revitalize the park through creative strategies that will improve open spaces, nurture local culture and attract a larger and...
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East Scarborough Storefront – WOOD INVENTORY
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Starting in January 2012, ERA and partners ArchiTEXT and Sustainable.TO have been leading the 5th semester of the Storefront’s Community.Design.Initiative (CDI), a weekly mentorship program for youth in the Kingston – Galloway – Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood of East Scarborough. This semester the team is working with the youth to design a shade and naturalization...
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Oleleshwa Primary School phase 1 Complete
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Last week ERA’s Alec Ring and his collegue Karl Sarkis, who recently left ERA to complete his Masters, gave us an update on the construction progress of their inspiring design project for Oleleshwa Primary School in the village of Ewaso Ngiro, Kenya. While in Kenya in the spring of 2010 Alec and Karl, working with...
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East Scarborough Storefront
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Community Design – Image courtesy of Expect Theatre / Spark Productions The East Scarborough Storefront is a community agency offering multiple services in a tower neighbourhood in East Scarborough. Containing a community kitchen and garden, market, resource centre and access point to over 50 different agencies such as job search support and literacy service, the...
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Lime Mortars for Traditionally Constructed Brickwork
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ERA, in cooperation with Historic Restoration Inc., hosted one- and two-day workshops for Heritage Professionals and Masons, titled Lime Mortars for Traditionally Constructed Brickwork, lead by Dr. Gerard Lynch. The workshops, held at the Evergreen Brick Works, included both theoretical and practical components, and covered such topics as; binders in historic mortar, historic forms of...
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