ERA Initiatives

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...

Refreshing Allan Gardens

by ERA Architects

The Friends of Allan Gardens (FOAG) are leading efforts to ensure that this historic public garden remains relevant and integrated into its ever-evolving surrounds. ERA’s Tatum Taylor, who also sits on FOAG’s Board of Directors, has published an article in the Summer/Parks issue of Spacing Magazine that describes the process for renewal. In her words:...

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...

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...

Flashback Friday: A Jane’s Walk Down Memory Lane

by ERA Architects

ERA loves the Jane’s Walk festival. Not only do the walks encourage citizens to share stories, explore communities, and connect with neighbours, they also provide platforms for discussing important urban, suburban, and rural issues that affect communities across the world. The Jane’s Walk festival is a global event that is celebrated in over 200 cities,...

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

by ERA Architects

The Tower Renewal Partnership is an initiative working to transform Southern Ontario’s remarkable stock of post-war apartment towers into more complete communities, resilient housing stock and healthy places, fully integrated into our growing cities. Nearly one million people in the Greater Toronto Area live in approximately 2,000 concrete residential tower blocks which were built between...

Toronto the Good: A Jane’s Walk Launch Party

by ERA Architects

For our annual Toronto the Good Party, we are supporting the 2016 Launch of Jane’s Walk! This year marks the 10th anniversary of Jane’s Walk, a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by the ideals of the late civic activist and prolific writer Jane Jacobs. These walks encourage citizens to share stories, explore their...

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...

6th Canadian German Conference on Energy Efficient Retrofits in Buildings

by ERA Architects

In an effort to bring emerging green technologies and practices into Ontario, the Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Inc. held its 6th Canadian German Conference on Energy Efficient Retrofits in Buildings. In attendance were representatives of seven companies from Germany, alongside around 90 conference delegates, including representatives from industry, associations, and academic institutions,...

Harvest Festival in Thorncliffe Park

by ERA Architects

On Saturday, September 26th, the Third Not-So-Annual Harvest Festival took place in Thorncliffe Park. Hosted by not-for-profit Diasporic Genius (DG), the festival featured a pop-up Women’s Cultural Café, an initiative of the Thorncliffe Action Group (TAG). Diasporic Genius, TAG, and ERA Architects collaborated to design, build, and run this dynamic pop-up café. Thorncliffe Action Group (TAG)...

Master Shipbuilders: Book Launch and Signing!

by ERA Architects

Calvin D. Evans’ Master Shipbuilders of Newfoundland and Labrador: Volume Two, Notre Dame Bay to Petty Harbour magnificently captures the rich maritime history spanning the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador. This documentation of Canada’s coastal craftsmanship accompanies its well-received predecessor, Master Shipbuilders of Newfoundland and Labrador: Volume One, Cape Spear to Boyd’s Cove. Both volumes offer a...

Workshopping Ideas for the Upcoming Bell Island Build

by ERA Architects

Culture of Outports (CoO) uses research, design, and planning to help support liveable communities undergoing economic and cultural change after the closure of Newfoundland’s Cod Fishery. These communities are often struggling with ways to move forward following the decline in traditional livelihoods. For the past four years, ERA has collaborated with students and community members...

EU Research for Tower Renewal

by ERA Architects

As part of ongoing research related to the Tower Renewal project, ERA’s Graeme Stewart and Michael McClelland, with project partners Evergreen Cityworks and planningAlliance, recently toured the Netherlands and Germany. Touring built projects, construction sites, and meeting with planners, engineers, architects, city administrators, and even a Dutch Senator, the team witnessed Europe’s cutting edge in...

Metropolis: Tower Renewal Key to Toronto’s Liveability

by ERA Architects

This month’s issue of Metropolis Magazine ranks Toronto #1 globally for liveability; it is in good company with Tokyo and Helsinki, numbers two and three respectively. The feature article, written by Toronto Star columnist Christer Hume, outlines Toronto’s many virtues and points to Tower Renewal as a way forward for both enhancing liveability and addressing the...

ERA Steps Back in Time

by ERA Architects

As architects (and appreciators of all things historic) an office discussion regarding family heirlooms of tools, appliances, and other cool items (that predate most of our staff) has resulted in this great photo collection of household artifacts. Brendan Stewart has a block and tackle handed down from his great grandfather.. …and a rocking chair...

Congratulations to our new Associates and Principal

by ERA Architects

In recognition of their professional achievements, ERA Architects is excited to announce the appointment of five of our staff to the position of Associate. In addition, our current Associate Graeme Stewart has been appointed the position of Principal. Each individual has contributed to our core values of city building engagement, heritage architecture conservation, and democratic community...

ERA Heads to the Yukon!

by ERA Architects

From the Gold Rush to present-day film festivals, from traditional First Nation livelihoods to contemporary eco-tourism, the architecture and natural landscape of the Yukon has a plethora of stories to share.The Klondike region of the Yukon holds a central place in Canadian history due to these stories. The Klondike-Tr’ondëk site is now up for nomination for a UNESCO...

TCLF Presents, Second Wave of Modernism III: Leading with Landscape Conference

by ERA Architects

As part of The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s conference series, Second Wave of Modernism III: Leading with Landscape will take place this May. The conference will tackle numerous issues including those that deal with the city’s identity – what does it mean for a 21st century city to be historic and modern at the same time?...

Toronto the Good Celebrates the City’s Parks & Trees

by ERA Architects

Toronto the Good is a party thrown each year by ERA Architects (and friends) to celebrate Toronto and contemplate its history and evolution with fellow architects, designers, thinkers, and urban-minded people.This year Toronto the Good in partnership with The Cultural Landscape Foundation will present the Second Wave of Modernism III: Leading with Landscape conference. Join us...

Inspiring City Builders of Tomorrow: ERA & Jane’s Walk

by ERA Architects

This spring ERA helped Jane’s Walk with the School Edition Program, a five-week curriculum designed to create student-led walking tours in two schools’ neighbourhoods. The program helps kids to get engaged in thinking about – and interacting with – their built environment in new and exciting ways. ERA’s Sara Jazaeri and Jasmine Frolick joined a...

Scott Weir presents at Society of Architectural Historians

by ERA Architects

Last week ERA’s Scott Weir presented at the 68th Annual Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) Conference in Chicago held from April 15-19. The SAH conference brings together innovative thinkers from around the world to examine major currents in architecture and urban design with a mission statement “to foster the understanding and appreciation of architectural history...

The community that could: The Storefront shares its story

by ERA Architects

Recently the East Scarborough Storefront published a report documenting a number of aspects of their path to neighbourhood renewal. Since the Storefront’s approach has proven so successful, this report is very valuable for other communities interested in making some positive changes to the neighbourhood. Since the late 1990s, the East Scarborough Storefront has been facilitating...

Powers of Towers: New video starring Graeme Stewart and Sabina Ali

by ERA Architects

ERA’s Graeme Stewart and Sabina Ali of the Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee are featured in a terrific new video by Spacing. The video, which also includes interviews with ERA’s Michael McClelland, is entitled “Powers of Towers,” and profiles the efforts of Graeme and Sabina to transform Toronto’s aging suburban high-rise neighbourhoods into livable communities that...

Newfoundland field research (by guest blogger Kathryn Douthart)

by ERA Architects

For the past five years, ERA’s Culture of Outports team has been working with rural communities along Newfoundland’s coast to foster liveable communities through research, design, and planning. In the summer of 2014, Culture of Outports worked with Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that builds working relationships between academia and industry by placing research interns with organizations...