Technique & Material

Interior of University College Library from second floor balcony.

University College: Revitalization and Accessibility

by ERA Architects

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...

Three rows of thumbnail image squares show the overall colour palette of neighbouring buildings on a streetscape

Dressing The Webster

by ERA Architects

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....

News & Events

ERA leads the conversation of digital transformation at the Beijing Urban and Architecture Biennale

by ERA Architects

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...

Tower Renewal Solutions on CBC Radio

by ERA Architects

As aging apartment buildings begin to contribute to the housing crisis, (exposed this week in the infrastructure failure at 260 Wellesley, Toronto) the clear response is system-scale reinvestment — and it’s underway right now across Canada. Of particular note, the Ken Soble Tower Project is one of the most significant and precedent-setting tower retrofit projects...

Heritage at Home

by ERA Architects

ERA Associate and Architectural Conservation Lead, Jan Kubanek, has managed and consulted on immense, complex projects like the Government Conference Centre in Ottawa and Toronto’s Union Station—and like so many other Canadians has also faced the unforeseen complexities of his own home renovation. It’s hard to find a more capable person to offer advice on...

ERA at Passive House Canada Conference

by ERA Architects

Last week, ERA’s Graeme Stewart and Ya’el Santopinto joined City Housing Hamilton CEO Tom Hunter to present on the Ken Soble Tower Transformation at Passive House Canada’s National Conference in Vancouver. The Ken Soble Tower Transformation project kicks off a groundbreaking program by CityHousing Hamilton to use the ultra-low energy Passive House standard for the...

Toronto Set in Stone

by ERA Architects

A guest article by Brendan Stewart—Assistant Professor, Landscape Architecture, University of Guelph Stone plays an outsized role in defining many of Toronto’s most beloved and well-used public spaces. Of course there is something singularly enchanting about the material itself, but as important is how it is arranged and put together — the artistry and craft...

Creative Space & Urban Stone: Public Talk

by ERA Architects

Stone is the most fundamental material but over the last 50 years its creative use has declined in the public realm. Through a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship David F. Wilson aimed to discover how other creatives are exploring the space between tradition & current practice, travelling in the USA & Canada through the summer...

ERA & CaGBC: Sustainable Development

by ERA Architects

Late last month, on Thursday April 26th, the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Green Building Council met for their annual Spring Open event. Hosted at the newly opened EY Tower downtown, the event included a series of rapid and informative presentations known as the event’s “Building Blitz” —highlighting the newest and most sustainable buildings in...

Government Conference Centre: Progress on Heritage Interiors

by ERA Architects

The heritage interiors and finishes are coming to life at the Government Conference Centre (GCC) in Ottawa. Since the new year, the scaffolding has come down in the General Waiting Room (GWR, as shown here), revealing the rehabilitated suspended ceiling in its entirety and the recently painted imitation travertine wall finishes. The GWR is an...

62 – 64 Charles Street: The Lost Craft of Tuck-pointing Returns

by ERA Architects

Tuck-pointing was developed by the English back in the late 17th century and was practiced all the way up to the early 20th century. Historic preservationist/educator Michael Shellenbarger states in a 1993 essay titled Tuck Pointing History and Confusion the correct definition of tuck-pointing (based on historical precedents) is: …… a masonry jointing that uses...

In-House Experts: Barrier-Free Design and Heritage Buildings

by ERA Architects

At ERA we thrive on finding new uses for existing buildings and integrating the heritage fabric of our city into contemporary designs. One of the ways we approach conservation of existing fabric is through modifications to buildings and cultural landscapes that enable all users to enjoy our shared heritage. Many heritage structures are not barrier-free...

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...

The Lost Craft of Tuck Pointing

by ERA Architects

Pointing, repointing, tuck pointing, ribbon pointing, flush pointing, there are many techniques and they are all different. Tuck pointing is a style of jointing that was predominantly used on English brickwork from the late seventeen century and it continued in popular use through the early 20th century. Done properly, it is the most highly skilled...

ERA Principal Scott Weir Walks Designer Tommy Smythe Through a Few Current Conservation Projects

by ERA Architects

Scott Weir was invited to tour designer Tommy Smythe of The Marilyn Denis Show through some of ERA’s current conservation projects. The first project shown is the conservation of houses at 62-64 Charles St (project team: Andrew Pruss, Daniel Lewis and Julie Tyndorf) which is being undertaken in collaboration with aA, for Cresford Developments. Hunt Heritage is...

ERA Learns the Fine Art of Tuckpointing from a Melbourne-based Master

by ERA Architects

On March 15th 20 staff from ERA and members of the Architecture Conservancy of Ontario’s Next Gen group joined Antoni Pijaca, a heritage mason with over 30 years of award-winning tuckpointing experience for a workshop focusing on techniques and skills of the trade. English Tuckpointing is a brick-laying method used on homes, churches, schools and institutions. Materials...

Re-imagining Prairie Grain Elevators (by guest blogger Ali Piwowar)

by ERA Architects

This past Friday, I was invited to present my master of architecture thesis to ERA Architects. My thesis, titled “Living Heritage: Re-imagining Wooden Crib Grain Elevators in Saskatchewan,” explores the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the iconic wooden grain elevators across the Canadian Prairie. The number of elevators in Saskatchewan peaked in 1938 with...

Overcoming Challenges in Heritage Conservation at 100 Spadina Rd.

by ERA Architects

100 Spadina Rd. Photo by Andrew Louis. What happens when a building’s heritage conservation is complicated by new building codes that were non-existent at the time of its construction? This was the case for Park Property Management’s renovation of 100 Spadina Rd., one of Uno Prii’s designs erected in 1969. As highlighted in Dave Leblanc’s...

Toronto House Transformation

by ERA Architects

Throughout most of the dynamic city of Toronto, structures originally built as houses have been transformed for innovative use. These transformed houses often create spaces for businesses, organizations, and various other establishments; such alterations often generate some of the busiest streetscapes in Toronto. These streetscapes are where new ideas, communities, and initiatives have taken root. Adaptive reuse...

Iron man: Meet Joe Orsi

by ERA Architects

As part of our regular series of professional development sessions in the ERA office, we recently hosted a presentation by building conservation and wrought iron expert, Joe Orsi of Orsi Contini Consultants. Joe completed his blacksmith apprenticeship in the early 1970s, applying his knowledge to a range of heritage projects from there on, and eventually...

Gemini House exceeds expectations

by ERA Architects

Recent data shows that Gemini House, a green retrofit of an 1880s Second-Empire home, is a real success, with energy savings up to 72% reduced from current Ontario standards. For this project, ERA collaborated with University of Toronto and Ryerson University to transform a poorly performing heritage home into a model for sustainable design. The project...

“Dr. Brick” returns to Toronto

by ERA Architects

Dr. Gerard Lynch, master mason and acclaimed scholar in heritage masonry, has returned to Toronto to lead a new series of workshops hosted by ERA and Historic Restoration at Evergreen Brickworks. One of this year’s courses, Advanced Topics in Lime Mortar, focused on the importance of using traditional lime-based mortars when restoring or repairing heritage...

Heritage Masonry with Dr. Gerard Lynch, May 13 to 22

by ERA Architects

Masons, heritage professionals, architects, historians, and all interested parties: We invite you to join us for a new installment of Dr. Gerard Lynch’s extraordinary courses in brickwork, May 13 to 22 at Evergreen Brickworks, Toronto. Learn from scholar and master mason Gerard Lynch about traditional limes and mortars, traditional binders, historical forms of pointing and...

Ghost wall: casting a heritage façade in concrete

by ERA Architects

As part of the development of the Bay Adelaide Centre East Tower, ERA is working with KPMB, Adamson Associates, and Brookfield Properties to conserve and refurbish two facades of an impressive four-storey masonry building constructed in 1850 and heavily renovated in 1910. Part of the interpretation of the history of this site involves making moulds...

The Red Mason

by ERA Architects

Recently, as part of ERA’s ongoing interest in preserving and applying traditional building crafts, we were happy to be involved in heritage masonry workshops led by Dr. Gerard Lynch. Dr. Lynch is an internationally acclaimed historic brickwork consultant, master bricklayer, educator, and author. He is considered the world’s leading authority of gauged brickwork, and affectionately...