Canadian Architect January 2008 Edition by Annex Business Media

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ROBERT LEMERMEYER

MARTIN TESSLER

CONTENTS

15 WATER CENTRE

NEWS 2008 National Urban Design Awards call for submissions; Government of Canada announces investment to improve foreign credential recognition process for architects.

THE CITY OF CALGARY’S SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS POLICY DEMONSTRATES LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, AS EMBODIED BY THIS NEW BUILDING BY STURGESS ARCHITECTURE AND MANASC ISAAC ARCHITECTS. TEXT DAVID DOWN

22 CENTRE FOR URBAN ECOLOGY

35 PRACTICE J. Denis Seguin writes on the effectiveness of new project management software packages that are being adapted by large firms to direct complex, international projects.

TAYLOR HAZELL ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTSALLIANCE KEEP SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AT THE FOREFRONT IN THE DESIGN OF THIS STUNNING NEW FACILITY ON THE HUMBER COLLEGE CAMPUS. TEXT LESLIE JEN

27 HOUSE ON LAST MOUNTAIN LAKE

37 BOOKS Four recent Canadian publications to guide the profession on the development of our cities and landscape.

IN COLLABORATION WITH ORDA, LAURA PLOSZ AND TROY SMITH DESIGN A MODEST HOME IN SASKATCHEWAN BEACH THAT CONTEXTUALLY RESPONDS TO THE SUBLIME PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE. TEXT BERNARD FLAMAN

41 CALENDAR

31 TELUS HOUSE ATRIUM

A Work in Progress: Preserving Toronto’s Architectural Record at the City of Toronto Archives; Richard Florida leads Niagarapalooza: Rethinking Our Cities.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONCERNS ARE FURTHER ADDRESSED BY BUSBY PERKINS + WILL IN THIS ATRIUM ADDITION TO A VANCOUVER OFFICE BUILDING. TEXT MATTHEW SOULES

42 BACKPAGE The winners of Calgary’s annual Peepshow competition conduct a live architectural workshop in downtown Calgary.

EXTRACT FANS CATWALK AND HANDRAIL

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• MONO RAIL

JANUARY 2008, V.53 N.01

THE NATIONAL REVIEW OF DESIGN AND PRACTICE/ THE JOURNAL OF RECORD OF THE RAIC

•

TENSION ROD HSS COMPRESSION STRUCTURE STEEL STRUT STEEL PLATE PERFORATED WOOD PANELS W/ACOUSTIC BACKING

COVER THE CENTRE FOR URBAN ECOLOGY AT HUMBER COLLEGE IN TORONTO, BY TAYLOR HAZELL ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTSALLIANCE. PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM ARBAN.

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KEITH BRADSHAW

VIEWPOINT

EDITOR IAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, MRAIC ASSOCIATE EDITOR LESLIE JEN, MRAIC EDITORIAL ADVISORS JOHN MCMINN, AADIPL. MARCO POLO, OAA, MRAIC CHARLES WALDHEIM, OALA(HON.), FAAR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS GAVIN AFFLECK, OAA, MRAIC TREVOR BODDY HERBERT ENNS, MAA, MRAIC DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB

THE RECENTLY OPENED COPENHAGEN OPERA HOUSE DESIGNED BY HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS IS ILLUSTRATIVE OF A DESIGN CULTURE THAT IS FLOURISHING IN DENMARK TODAY. ABOVE

Interestingly enough, the month of January is named for Janus—the god of the doorway. As good little architects who probably ate too much over the Christmas holidays, we are now in the process of squeezing ourselves through the doorway into 2008 with firm resolve to improve our habits. What might our New Year’s resolutions entail? Better commissions? Finding wealthier clients? Or perhaps we might seek to reduce the carbon footprint of our projects so that our buildings don’t consume so much energy. Thankfully, many of the possible New Year’s resolutions that architects might adopt (beyond the commitment to eat less and exercise more) have already been compiled as national architectural policies in countries like France, Holland and Italy. But it is Denmark that has developed one of the most utilitarian, but equally visionary architectural policies: in May 2007, the Danish government published A Nation of Architecture— Denmark. Appended with the telling subtitle “settings for life and development,” the policy deftly outlines ten strategic target areas that include: greater architectural quality in public construction; promoting private demand for improved architectural design; increasing subsidized housing; maintaining heritage; establishing higher architectural standards in urban planning; and creating the best architecture schools in the world. In Canada, no level of government has expressly demonstrated any appreciation of architecture as a cultural asset, much less articulated with any clarity policies such as the Danes have achieved. Our governments view architecture as a trivial subject despite the fact that the construction industry comprises approximately 12 percent of the Canadian economy. In existence for roughly two years, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has developed its own Model Architectural Policy (MAP) focusing on four objectives: improving the quality of life for all Canadians, achieving sustainability, contributing to and enriching Canadian culture and heritage, and promoting innovation and research. Although the document is a non-governmental policy framework, it has since 6 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

been successfully adapted by Brock University and the University of Ottawa: both have used portions of the MAP to develop more coherent urban planning and design frameworks for their respective campuses. As an instrument of change, the Danish architectural policy was prepared through the collaborative efforts of various ministries such as Culture, Economic and Business Affairs, Social Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Transport and Energy. Working with various public landowners, the collaborative effort achieved a comprehensive architectural policy that appears to be working. One need only spend a few days in Copenhagen to see just how much attention is being paid to contemporary design and architecture in both public and private sectors. As Denmark’s policy handbook explains, “the precondition for retaining and developing society’s architectural values over time is a determined focus by decision-makers, operators and users on their respective responsibility to safeguard architectural quality.” Architects will increasingly be called upon to respond to diverse issues such as infrastructure, sustainability, the challenge of multiculturalism on community development, an aging population, and an increased demand for affordable housing. Not only can the architectural policies of Denmark or the RAIC’s MAP help articulate our profession’s value, thereby fueling our resolve to effect change, but such documents can assist governments in developing appropriate architectural policies and benchmarks for decision-makers—be they private developers or universities—to make informed decisions affecting society at large. We can learn from countries like Denmark while promoting policies like the RAIC’s MAP so that our governments will spend less energy on counting the number of doorframes being built— or doorways as in the case of Janus—and improve the abilities of the public and private sectors to cooperate for the sake of higher-quality buildings. Surely, the number of housing starts in subdivisions should not be the only measure of a healthy economy. IAN CHODIKOFF

ICHODIKOFF@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM

REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS HALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAA MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE WINNIPEG HERBERT ENNS, MAA REGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAA CALGARY DAVID A. DOWN, AAA EDMONTON BRIAN ALLSOPP, AAA PUBLISHER TOM ARKELL 416-510-6806 SALES MANAGER GREG PALIOURAS 416-510-6808 CIRCULATION MANAGER BEATA OLECHNOWICZ 416-442-5600 EXT. 3543 CUSTOMER SERVICE MALKIT CHANA 416-442-5600 EXT. 3539 PRODUCTION JESSICA JUBB GRAPHIC DESIGN SUE WILLIAMSON VICE PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING ALEX PAPANOU PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP BRUCE CREIGHTON HEAD OFFICE 12 CONCORDE PLACE, SUITE 800, TORONTO, ON M3C 4J2 TELEPHONE 416-510-6845 FACSIMILE 416-510-5140 E-MAIL EDITORS@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM WEB SITE WWW.CANADIANARCHITECT.COM Canadian Architect is published monthly by Business Information Group, a division of BIG Magazines LP, a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. The editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose. Subscription Rates Canada: $51.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $81.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (GST – #890939689RT0001). Price per single copy: $6.95. Students (prepaid with student I.D., includes taxes): $32.50 for one year. USA: $101.95 U.S. for one year. All other foreign: $101.95 U.S. per year. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls, NY 143045709. Periodicals Postage Paid at Niagara Falls, NY. USPS #009-192. US postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Architect, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Canadian Architect, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2. Postmaster: please forward forms 29B and 67B to 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Telephone 1-800-668-2374 Facsimile 416-442-2191 E-mail privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2 MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS PRESS MEMBER OF THE AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40069240 ISSN 0008-2872

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NEWS PROJECTS Iredale Group Architecture to design the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre.

Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC has selected award-winning BC firm Iredale Group Architecture (IGA) to design an environmentally innovative new building on its heritage site campus. IGA will begin work immediately on the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre, a building that will be the centrepiece of an initiative to transform the university into a living laboratory for sustainability, and one that will make key contributions to the province’s climate change action plan to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The Centre is envisioned as a “living building”— a standard that goes beyond the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards in that it will create zero greenhouse gas emissions and have a positive impact on the environment. Living buildings are usually constructed from natural local materials and include a variety of solar and thermal designs as well as on-site wastewater treatment systems. This project will also include restoration of the wetland that was on the Centre’s site 100 years ago. The Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre will house an extensive collection of donated originals and prints by Robert Bateman in addition to photographs by Robert and Birgit Bateman and archival material, sketch books and correspondence. Planning for the Bateman Centre will begin immediately with construction slated to start in fall 2008. The centre is scheduled to open in 2010.

AWARDS 2008 National Urban Design Awards call for submissions.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) have announced a Call for Submissions for the 2008 National Urban Design Awards. Urban design and architectural excellence play an important role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in Canadian cities. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, in cooperation with Canadian municipalities, wishes to promote public and private awareness of that role. For this reason, an Urban Design Awards program has been established to recognize individuals, organizations, firms and projects that have contributed to the quality of life and sustainability in our Canadian cities. There are six different categories of urban design projects. One award will be bestowed for each category. Additionally, in 2008, there will be two special jury awards selected from the

submissions received. Sustainable Development concerns a project from within any of the categories that the jury deems best demonstrates the principles of urban sustainable development while also exemplifying sensitive urban design. The Small or Medium Community Urban Design Award recognizes a project from within any of the categories, situated in an urban centre of fewer than 500,000 inhabitants, that demonstrates the value of urban design in a mid-size community. The Student Projects category will be administered through participating Canadian universities’ programs in architecture, landscape architecture, and/or urban planning. Entry forms and binders must be received before 4:00pm on February 15, 2008. An entry fee must accompany each submission that is not from a municipally administered local urban design awards program. www.raic.org/honours_and_awards/awards_urban/ urban-submission_e.htm Design Exchange Award winners announced.

At an awards dinner held on the evening of November 29, 2007, the Design Exchange announced the winners of its 2007 Awards program. The Design Exchange Awards (DXA) celebrate the success of Canadian designers in the areas of: Architecture, Fashion, Graphic Design, Industrial Product Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design. This year, 35 awards were handed out to designers in 12 categories for projects completed in Canada, the US and in international cities. The winners of the 2007 Design Exchange Awards are as follows. In the Architecture—Commercial category, the Umbra Concept Store by Kohn Shnier Architects of Toronto captured Gold. Silver was awarded to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts by Diamond and Schmitt Architects of Toronto. The Brampton Soccer Centre won Bronze, and was designed by Toronto’s MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects. In the Architecture—Residential category, the Courtyard House by Studio Junction Inc. of Toronto was honoured with a Gold award, while Silver was captured by Toronto’s Donald Chong Studio for the Galley House. Cindy Rendely Architexture, also of Toronto, won Bronze for the Ravine Residence. An Honourable Mention was given to the Laneway House by Kohn Shnier Architects of Toronto. In the Interior Design—Commercial category, the Multifaith Centre at the University of Toronto by Moriyama + Teshima Architects of Toronto won Gold, while Silver was scooped by figure3 and Christopher Wright of Toronto for the Umbra Premiere Retail Location. And once again, the Brampton Soccer Centre by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects won its second Bronze award. An Honourable Mention acknowledged IBM Canada, Workplace on

Demand by figure3 and Suzanne Bettencourt of Toronto. In the Interior Design—Residential category, Gold was given to the Woodlawn House by PLANT Architect Inc. of Toronto, while Silver was awarded to a private residence by Core Architects, Inc., also of Toronto. In the Interior Design—Temporary or Portable category, Gold was issued to KidZone by 3rd Uncle Design of Toronto, and Silver recognized the National Museum of Singapore Living Galleries by GSM Design Exhibits Inc. of Montreal. Bronze was taken by Eco-Suite, designed by Toronto’s Andrea Kantelberg of Kantelberg Design. In the Landscape Architecture category, Toronto’s PLANT Architect Inc. won another Gold award, this time for Foote’s Pond Wood. The UBC Sustainability Street project by space2place design inc. of Vancouver took the Silver award, and Cecconi Simone of Toronto won Bronze for the Carport. In the Urban Design category, HtO by Janet Rosenberg + Associates, Claude Cormier Architectes Paysagistes, and Hariri Pontarini Architects captured Gold. www.dx.org/dxa Second Holcim Awards competition to promote sustainable construction.

The second Holcim Awards competition to promote sustainable construction is open for entries until February 29, 2008. The Awards are an initiative of the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation to encourage and inspire a built environment that goes beyond convention to address the challenges of sustainability. The Awards are open to anyone involved with projects in the area of sustainable construction—architects, planners, engineers, project owners, etc. All building projects are eligible for the competition if construction had not started before June 1, 2007. The Holcim Awards competition also seeks visions and ideas at a conceptual level. This special “Next Generation” category is open for professionals younger than 35 years of age. Entries in the competition may be submitted in English only via a web-based entry form. www.holcimawards.org

WHAT’S NEW Government of Canada announces investment to improve foreign credential recognition process for architects.

In November, the Federal government announced its support for an initiative that addresses the difficulty of internationally trained architects obtaining credentials recognition here in Canada. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) will receive funding of over $400,000 through the Government of Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) program. The RAIC will work with provincial licensing bodies to develop a nationally accepted 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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system that will assess the educational qualifications and professional experience of internationally trained architects. In addition, they will develop a multilingual web portal to provide detailed information on the Canadian system of professional qualifications and on the Canadian architectural industry in general, as well as online learning courses to facilitate entry into the field. “The RAIC is thrilled with the support it is receiving from the Government of Canada,” said Jon Hobbs, RAIC Executive Director. “[The] funding will enable us to create a fairer, more transparent system for integrating internationally trained architects into our profession, and improve their access to labour market information and learning tools that are vital to their success in Canada.” RAIC College of Fellows Centennial Fund for Interns.

Interns or Intern Architects are the very future of the architectural profession and it is an absolute necessity that they are supported and honoured. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) are asking once again for a donation to the College of Fellows Centennial Fund for Interns, which recognizes those interns who have shown exceptional leadership and who have made significant contributions to the profession at an early stage of their careers. Never before has the architectural profession been so busy. Please

take a moment to share your good fortune with our future architects, and show your support by contacting Chantal Charbonneau at 613.241.3600 x214 or at ccharbonneau@raic.org. All donations to the RAIC Foundation are tax deductible. Bold Visions: The Architecture of the Royal Ontario Museum released.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) offers an intriguing look at its architecture—past and present—in its newest publication Bold Visions: The Architecture of the Royal Ontario Museum. Author Kelvin Browne presents the evolution of the ROM’s architecture from the beginning of the 20th century to the June 2007 opening of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. Bold Visions is available in the ROM Museum Store and bookstores across the country for $44.99 (softcover) and $64.99 (hardcover), plus applicable taxes. Design exhibition opens at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Canadian design is highlighted in a new exhibition, Canada in the Making, now open in Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport, as part of the Art and Exhibitions Program of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). Organized by the Design Exchange (DX), Canada in the Making features two mini-exhibitions, Cool Country, Hot Design and Radio Prime Time. Cool Country, Hot Design showcases contemporary Canadian design.

ABOVE DESIGNED BY W.J. DOIG, THE MIDGE MODEL 5708 RADIO WAS FIRST MANUFACTURED BY NORTHERN ELECTRIC IN 1950. THE RADIO IS PART OF AN EXHIBITION CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT TORONTO’S PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

Michel Dallaire’s plastic attaché case has become a design icon, with millions sold since its introduction in 1986. Anne Barros’ baby cutlery represents a union of form and function—beautiful objects that are safe and comfortable for babies to use. Radio Prime Time includes radios designed and manufactured in Canada’s heyday of radio production between 1940 and 1960. The radios will bring back memories for many passengers and show others that Canada has produced cuttingedge design for decades. The exhibition is on display until February 18, 2007 in the Skylight Exhibits located in the International Departures area of Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson.

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WATERSHED

A NEW BENCHMARK OF SUSTAINABILITY, THIS FACILITY FOR THE CITY OF CALGARY JUST MIGHT CHANGE THE WAY THE CITY COMMISSIONS ARCHITECTURE. THE WATER CENTRE, MANCHESTER YARDS, CALGARY, ALBERTA STURGESS ARCHITECTURE IN COLLABORATION WITH MANASC ISAAC ARCHITECTS LTD. TEXT DAVID DOWN PHOTOS ROBERT LEMERMEYER AERIAL PHOTOS KEITH WALKER PROJECT

ARCHITECT

ABOVE SITED ALONG 25 AVENUE, THIS NEW MUNICIPAL BUILDING RESTS LIKE A LANDLOCKED SHIP.

With its distinctive profile standing out boldly in the gritty light industrial Manchester area immediately southeast of Calgary’s downtown core, the new Calgary Water Centre is a watershed achievement for the City of Calgary on a number of fronts. In 2003, the City of Calgary adopted a Sustainable Buildings Policy which made it the first municipality in Canada to commit to ensuring that any new or renovated City-owned buildings will meet a minimum LEED Silver standard or better. This new building is the first City-owned operational/administrative building constructed under this 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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policy, providing an important opportunity to showcase leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship and to generate public interest in and support for sustainable buildings. In keeping with the City’s Triple Bottom Line (economic, social, environmental) policy objectives, and its commitment to the Melbourne Principles for Sustainable Cities developed through the United Nations Environmental Program, the Water Centre was designed to create minimal impact on the environment by reducing energy and water use, generating less waste, and providing a healthy and dynamic working environment for City employees. The building brings together for the first time 800 employees of ten divisions within Waterworks and Wastewater into one centralized operation in a building that will act as a showcase for water-efficient building and site design. As part of this rapidly growing city’s Corporate Workplace Centres framework, the project sought to reorganize workplace requirements by function, and, by moving them into a centralized location, realize cost and work efficiencies. The new location is situated near rapid transit, and supports better collaboration between city departments, as employees have faster and easier access to and from the downtown core with less traffic and parking-related stress. The open, linear building layout enables better co-operation and communication among employees while meeting exceptionally high standards for workplace health and safety. The site, at the northern edge of the City’s Manchester Yard operations complex, was remediated from its brownfield condition to meet the most stringent reclamation guidelines in Canada. A pre-existing master plan for the 85-acre yard proposed a conventional box surrounded by surface parking at this location, but the design team found inspiration in the both the past and the future of the site which led to an alternate design solution. Architect Jeremy Sturgess recounts that 25 Avenue, presenting a gently curving northern edge to the site, traces the original route of the Grand Trunk Railway from Medicine Hat. This historic significance suggested a more suitably civic street edge while the shape of the site provided the opportunity to optimize the solar orientation. The result is a long single-loaded plan realized over four storeys which creates a sheltering “garden wall” opening out onto a large green space to the south. Where surface parking might have otherwise been, this public garden is TOP WORKING RAIL YARDS OPERATE SOUTH OF THE PROJECT WHILE THE BOW RIVER, SADDLEDOME AND CITY CENTRE ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE TO THE NORTH. MIDDLE A DETAILED AERIAL IMAGE DEPICTS THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE OF THE SITE, INCLUDING THE INTEGRATION OF STORM-WATER MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES. LEFT THE NEW WATER CENTRE IS INDICATED IN YELLOW IN THIS AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH.

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designed with indigenous vegetation and innovative storm-water swales which extend the water resource theme into the landscape. As the flagship of the Manchester revitalization plan, the Water Centre will set the expectation for a high standard of architectural design, environmental responsibility and community involvement in the emerging reinvigoration of this area of the city. Across 25 Avenue, plans are underway for the Ramsay Exchange, which will replace 21 acres of former industrial land with a comprehensively designed, mixed-use neighbourhood incorporating smart growth and sustainable design principles. As this and other adjacent developments occur, the Water Centre will shift its role from a lonely standout in an industrial hinterland to the gatekeeper of a newly thriving part of Calgary’s inner city. In concept, Sturgess refers to the building’s distinctive sculpted shape as a blanket wrapping the space, turning a protective back to the north while opening to the south. Inside, the fullheight south-facing atrium visually connects all levels of the building’s open floor plan while a dramatically open concrete stair connects them physically. Purposefully open to foster teamwork through increased worker connectivity, each floor level cantilevers progressively further into the atrium facilitating visibility between the floors, providing additional shading, and altering the spatial character of each level. The strong architectural quality of the atrium is further enhanced by the careful placement of glazing tints on the south wall, where the gradation from light green to dark blue was carefully calibrated to meet heat load requirements while maximizing natural light. The resulting interior light has a rippling, watery quality which further underscores the building’s concept. Sturgess suggests that one of the great successes of the building is the simple and natural sense of orientation which this vertical “space of communication” provides. Overall, the building meets high standards for indoor air quality, controllability of ambient systems (light, temperature, operable windows and views) and occupant comfort levels. It includes a fitness centre and change facilities, cafeteria and bicycle pool. It is estimated that the 183,000square-foot complex will use 59% less potable water, generate 72% less waste water and be 57% more energy-efficient than a comparable building, achieving energy savings worth over $100,000 annually. Its water-efficient features include a rainwater harvesting system which will eliminate the need for potable water for irrigation and toilet flushing. The innovative mechanical design includes the use of radiant ceiling slab cooling in combination with under-floor ventilation, saving enough energy to prevent approximately 71 metric tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year. This outstanding effort at comprehensive sustainable design extends beyond the building

TOP THE SIGNATURE EXPRESSION OF THIS BUILDING IS CAPTURED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH ILLUSTRATING ITS METAL-CLAD ROOF AMBITIOUSLY PROJECTING SKYWARD. ABOVE A DECEPTIVELY RESTRAINED ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION IS OBSERVED WHEN APPROACHING THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING.

and out toward the landscape, firmly linking the project’s architectural concept to the site through the use of innovative storm-water management techniques highlighted by the integration of public art. North Carolina artist Thomas Sayre collaborated with Carlyle + Associates Landscape Architects on the design of the

Prairie Garden, which emphasizes the collection of roof storm water via distinctive rainwater leaders and handcrafted runnels that also define pedestrian areas. Various earthcast vessels “speak to the delicate balance between the natural rhythms of precipitation and the need of humans to collect, channel, and contain water.” 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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This project was developed as part of the UEP Public Art Master Plan which applies the required one-percent-for-art funding to an innovative program of art projects around the city which will celebrate the regional watershed and advocate water conservation. The ground plane, with a temporary toupée of turf, will evolve with the seasons as plugs of prairie grasses are successively planted. Now in the final stages of completion and occupation, the building has already garnered an RAIC Mayor’s Urban Design Award as well as considerable public and media attention. Through its ambitious environmental agenda, 18 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC

its considerable stakeholder involvement and substantial long-term economic benefits, it sets a clear precedent in meeting Calgary City Council’s leadership objectives for its own facilities. Moreover, the building is a civic landmark which is heralded as an illustration of the success of the Integrated Design Process and of the

fact that, in Sturgess’s words, “LEED does not hinder good architecture but in fact has made it justifiable.” CA David A. Down, AAA, FRAIC is a Senior Architect and Coordinator of Centre City Development and Heritage with the City of Calgary.

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OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM AN EXTERIOR WALKWAY RUNS UNDER THE LIP OF THE DISTINCTIVELY CURVED ROOF; STORM-WATER MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES SUCH AS THE COLLECTION OF ROOF STORM WATER VIA DISTINCTIVE RAIN-WATER LEADERS AND HANDCRAFTED RUNNELS CONTRIBUTE TO THE WATER-CONSCIOUS ARCHITECTURAL ATTITUDE OF THE PROJECT; AN EXTERIOR STAIR MAXIMIZES THE SLIGHT GRADE CHANGE AND VIEWS THROUGH THE SITE. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT NORTH-FACING OFFICES ARE AFFORDED GENEROUS LEVELS OF NATURAL DAYLIGHT; TWO INTERIOR VIEWS ILLUSTRATE HOW THE LINEAR SOUTH-FACING INTERIOR ATRIUM FOSTERS TEAMWORK AND CONNECTIVITY AMONGST THE FACILITY’S 800 EMPLOYEES.

CLIENT THE CITY OF CALGARY WATER SERVICES/WATER RESOURCES— RUSS GOLIGHTLY ARCHITECT TEAM KEITH ANNETT, LESLEY BEALE, DON BECKER, COURTNEY CLARKE, KIRSTEN DOW PIERCE, VANCE HARRIS, DEREK HESLOP, BOB HORVATH, THOMAS LEONG, VIVIAN MANASC, WES SIMS, JEREMY STURGESS, MIKE TURNER STRUCTURAL READ JONES CHRISTOFFERSEN MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL STANTEC CONSULTING LANDSCAPE CARLYLE + ASSOCIATES INTERIORS STURGESS ARCHITECTURE AND MANASC ISAAC ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR DOMINION CONSTRUCTION AREA 16,000 M2 BUDGET $41 M COMPLETION SEPTEMBER 2007

SUSTAINABILITY SECTION

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EVERYTHING’S GONE GREEN A NEW EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FACILITY FOR HUMBER COLLEGE PERFORMS AS A LIVING LABORATORY OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING, FOSTERING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND THE CREATION OF A GREENER CITY. CENTRE FOR URBAN ECOLOGY TAYLOR HAZELL ARCHITECTS LTD. PRIME CONSULTANT IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARCHITECTSALLIANCE TEXT LESLIE JEN PHOTOS TOM ARBAN PROJECT

ARCHITECT

22 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

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Located at the edge of a ravine within the Humber Arboretum on the north campus of the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, the Centre for Urban Ecology replaces the Nature Centre, a wood structure designed by Jerome Markson almost three decades ago. As a joint venture between Humber College, the City of Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the arboretum is characterized by trails and boardwalks that lead visitors through gardens, forests, meadows and wetlands. Within the arboretum’s larger goal of protecting and restoring habitat for native plants and animals, the Centre for Urban Ecology provides educational opportunities in horticulture and environmental stewardship, and promotes the advancement of technology in service of the preservation of the natural world. The impetus for the construction of the new facility was borne from the fact that staff and programming had long outgrown the existing Nature Centre, which was physically being destroyed by the presence of carpenter ants over the years. Consequently, the contract for the newly named Centre for Urban Ecology was awarded to the joint-venture team of Taylor Hazell Architects and architectsAlliance (aA), both firms with extensive experience in site development, conservation and sustainable building strategies. According to project leads Jill Taylor (of Taylor Hazell) and Pat Hanson (formerly of aA and currently with design firm gh3), the architectural goal of the project was to create a modern building signalling a change in values with respect to sustainable development and energy conservation, using materials and forms that would communicate architectural and engineering ideas to a wide range of visitors—in essence, creating a living laboratory. User groups include mostly school-age children, but the Centre does provide some adult education programs, as well as a broad range of programs for Humber College students in areas such as horticulture, architecture and environmental science. Public school groups comprise the vast majority of visitors, some as young as three and four years of age. As a facility committed to teaching by example, it was decided that the lessons communicated to this primarily junior audience had to be clear and memorable. LOCATED IN THE MIDST OF THE HUMBER ARBORETUM ON HUMBER COLLEGE’S NORTH CAMPUS, THE CENTRE FOR URBAN ECOLOGY INTEGRATES ITSELF WITH THE LANDSCAPE AS A FINE EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING. TOP RIGHT SCULPTURAL FORMS AND SPACES ARE CREATED AT THE REAR OF THE BUILDING BY ENGINEERED LANDSCAPE WALLS CAST WITH CIRCULAR RECEPTACLES INTENDED TO ACCOMMODATE PLANTINGS. RIGHT THE GRADE CHANGE OF THE CENTRE’S SITE IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE USE OF BACKFILL, INTENDED TO FACILITATE INSULATION AND RADIANT COOLING. OPPOSITE

01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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TOP THE THERMAL CHIMNEY RISES ABOVE THE STAIRWELL LEADING TO THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE URBAN ECOLOGY CENTRE, WHILE THE MAIN CLASSROOM ENJOYS A VIRTUALLY PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE SURROUNDING HUMBER ARBORETUM. ABOVE THE LOWER-LEVEL WORKING PROJECT ROOM WITH VIEWS OUT TO THE LANDSCAPED OUTDOOR CLASSROOM.

In furtherance of this goal, the design team worked with a joint committee including members of the board and the School of Environmental Science, reviewing various approaches to sustainable construction, heating and cooling prior to determining the primary elements of the design. As such, the building boasts a number of engineering features that have earned it LEED Gold status. Aside from the use of environmentally friendly and recycled building materials, a high-performance exterior glass wall helps define the building as a transparent pavilion in the arboretum, maximizing natural daylight and reducing the need for artificial lighting. A green roof mitigates the heat island effect while helping to manage stormwater and rain-water harvesting for landscape irrigation. High-efficiency mechanical heating systems complement a radiant floor-heating system, and passive cooling systems (such as the most dominant architectural feature of the projecting thermal chimney) reduce the reliance on air conditioning. An on-site biofilter system treats all waste water and sewage from the building, and water-conserving toilets were specified. Occupancy sensor controls means that energy is not wasted if no one is in the Centre, and a building automation system measures and relays information about energy consumption for study purposes. 24 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

Of exceptional importance to both Taylor and Hanson is that the project demonstrates the seamless integration of architecture and landscape—the former should not be achieved at the expense of the latter. While the experience on the top floor of the Centre is akin to floating above the landscape, the building is actually embedded into and enmeshed with its site through the use of backfill to form an earth wall that wraps the building on three sides. Apart from the benefit of providing greater insulation and radiant cooling, this clever manipulation of the landscape creates highly sculptural volumes and spaces, forming a sheltered outdoor classroom adjacent to the building’s west elevation. Planting was also an important consideration in this project. The entire landscape component, including the green roof, utilizes native species in a domesticated fashion. The west-facing courtyard is planted with a grove of river birch, which will grow to eventually shade the west façade, reducing summer heat gain. Planting was also executed on the structural retaining earth walls that protect the ravine edge. And the concrete portions of the engineered landscape earth walls were cast with circular depressions that will eventually be planted, creating a whimsical pattern and texture which also functions as outdoor public art. Together, these gestures create a modern landscape that contrasts with the domestic and demonstration planting of the arboretum. The approach to the building was carefully considered, and the arrival and program sequence was structured such that visitors would experience the landscape while reaching the building by foot: parking facilities are located some distance away. On the pedestrian path, glimpses of the Centre are apparent along the way, through the tress, and the glass skin permits views right through the building to the landscape beyond. The path rises to the front door—painted a glossy lipstick red to signal an unambiguous entry—located on the upper level of the building, a high point of the site. Once inside, visitors are provided with a privileged perch from which to survey the entirety of the arboretum landscape. In essence, this is a modestly sized building with a very simple program that is executed with a great deal of sophistication. On the upper entry level, one encounters the main classroom and an administrative office for several employees, while the lower floor accommodates a secondary classroom, washrooms, storage and a small staff kitchen. In the classrooms, teaching occurs against the backdrop of the magnificent landscape, the very subject of the education program. Wildlife such as deer and fox can be seen roaming around the site, as are the squirrels that compete for the feed set out for the many species of birds viewed from the classrooms and offices. Seasonal change is an exceptionally important aspect of the program, and teaching extends not only visually but physically into the arboretum through the experience of colour, sound, smell and temperature, providing a constantly changing dynamic for visitors to the building. Against these potent natural elements on site, the interior is kept spare and tightly organized, and the materials used in the building’s construction are kept deliberately neutral. The simplicity and clarity of polished concrete, glass and steel allow the flora and fauna outside the building to dominate, while on the interior, the artifacts used in the instruction process become the primary focus. According to the Centre for Urban Ecology staff, the building is a success by all accounts. Staff members enjoy the features thoughtfully designed for their needs, and are learning to appreciate the clean modernist aesthetic of the building. Visiting children happily stream through the interior spaces and into the arboretum lands to learn about their natural environment. With programming occurring year-round, the building is well used. School groups perpetually arrive in busloads throughout the academic year, and summer camps keep the place buzzing through July and August. An intended increase in the number of adult programs means the Centre will stay open later on some evenings. It can’t be long before the elegance and beauty of the building and its impressive site stirs interest in those wanting to rent the facility for social functions. CA

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7 1 6

8 2

SUMMER COOLING

SUMMER GREEN DIAGRAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

THERMAL CHIMNEY VENTILATION AIR BRISE-SOLEIL LANDSCAPE SHADING INSULATING EARTHMASS GREEN ROOF SKYLIGHT WARM PLANE SITE PLAN

50M

4 5 4 3 1

2 1

7 2

WINTER HEATING

WINTER GREEN DIAGRAM 1 2 3 4 5

DECIDUOUS PLANTING PERMITS SOLAR GAIN IN CONCRETE SLAB HIGH-PERFORMANCE GLAZING REDUCES HEAT LOSS RADIANT HEATING IN CONCRETE SLABS ABSORBS SOLAR LOAD THERMAL CHIMNEY PROVIDES CONTROLLED VENTILATION GREEN ROOF INCREASES INSULATION

1 9

2 1

UPPER LEVEL

1 ENGINEERED LANDSCAPE WALL/ SIERRA WALL SYSTEM 2 TERRACE 3 RAIN-WATER HARVESTNG TANK 4 BIOFILTER DISCHARGE

5 6 7 8 9

TRIPLE-GLAZED WALL LOWER GREEN ROOF THERMAL CHIMNEY RADIANT HEAT IN CONCRETE SLAB BRISE-SOLEIL

BIOFILTER SYSTEM 6 5 4

10 4

2 1 WATER REDUCTION + GREEN WASTE MANAGEMENT DIAGRAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

PLANTED ROOF RAIN-WATER HARVESTING TANK RAIN-WATER IRRIGATION SEPTIC TANK PUMP BIOFILTER PUMP DISCHARGE TO SHALLOW TRENCH

7 8

6 3

CLIENT HUMBER COLLEGE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED LEARNING, CITY OF TORONTO, TORONTO AND REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY ARCHITECT TEAM JILL TAYLOR, PAY HANSON, MARK WRONSKI, CHARLES HAZELL, FRANCIS WONG, JIM GRAVES, JOHN VAN NOSTRAND, WALTER BETTIO, DENI DIFILIPO, DAVID AGRO STRUCTURAL BLACKWELL BOWICK PARTNERSHIP—DAVID BOWICK, IAN MOUNTFORT MECHANICAL ENERMODAL ENGINEERING LTD.—RICHARD LAY ELECTRICAL ENERMODAL ENGINEERING LTD.—TIM DIETRICH CIVIL MTE LANDSCAPE GH3—DIANA GERRARD LEED DESIGN ENERMODAL ENGINEERING LTD. COST CONSULTANT VERMEULENS CONTRACTOR JD STRACHAN CONSTRUCTION LTD. AREA 4,800 FT2 BUDGET $3.4 M COMPLETION OCTOBER 2007

LOWER LEVEL 1 MECHANICAL ROOM 2 TRIPLE-GLAZED WALL 3 ENGINEERED LANDSCAPE WALLS (AS INSULATOR FOR PERIMETER) 4 BACKFILL FOR INSULATION AND RADIANT COOLING

10M

5 THERMAL CHIMNEYS 6 RADIANT HEAT FLOORS 7 LOWER CLASSROOM 8 GARDEN CLASSROOM 9 BIOFILTER TANK LOCATIONS 10 BIOFILTER DISCHARGE

01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE OVERLOOKING ONE OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MANY BEAUTIFUL LAKES, THIS FAMILY-BUILT RESIDENCE PROVIDES A VARIETY OF DELIGHTFUL VIEWS OF THE SURROUNDING PRAIRIE. HOUSE ON LAST MOUNTAIN LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN BEACH, SASKATCHEWAN LAURA PLOSZ AND TROY SMITH IN COLLABORATION WITH THE OFFICE OF RICHARD DAVIGNON ARCHITECT TEXT BERNARD FLAMAN PHOTOS ROBERT LEMERMEYER PROJECT

ARCHITECT/DESIGNER

It began quietly a few years ago: it may have been the provincial centennial celebrations of 2005, the price of oil zooming past $40 per barrel, or maybe even the launch of the television comedy Corner Gas, but somehow Saskatchewan has become cool. If that might be an overstatement at this point, it’s undeniable that there is certainly more interest in living in the province, expressed not only by the sons and daughters of current residents, but also by former residents who have relocated to Alberta and British Columbia. This attention has caused a massive leap in real estate prices to a point where even empty heritage properties appear to be viable. There is also a new optimism that has brought renewed appreciation of the expansive landscape of the prairie and of historic cities and towns. The most sought-after real estate is in the lake communities, both in the boreal forests of the north and in the ravines and valleys of the more arid south. The Saskatchewan and Qu’Appelle river systems along with their tributaries have always been an antidote to the vast prairie, and have offered respite and subtle beauty to everyone from First Nations communities to generations of artists and summer residents. It is in this landscape, in the community of Saskatchewan Beach near the hamlet of Silton on Last

ABOVE PERCHED AT THE EDGE OF A RAVINE, THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS HOME IS REINFORCED BY ITS SQUARE, SHED-LIKE FORM AND THE CLADDING OF BOTH ROOF AND WALLS IN CEDAR SHAKES.

Mountain Lake, that architects Laura Plosz and Troy Smith—in collaboration with the Office of Richard Davignon Architect—have designed a house for Laura’s brother Dave. How fitting for this story that Laura and Troy, both originally from Saskatchewan, now live and work in Alberta. The project became a true family affair; it was constructed by several members of Laura’s family including her parents Greg and Penny. Silton is known in architectural circles as home of the 1969 Massey Award-winning summer chapel by Clifford Wiens, visible across the ravine from the Plosz residence. Unfortunately, this masterpiece has not inspired the design of subsequently built cottages and houses in the community, which have typically defaulted to the standard suburban tract house model with vinyl siding, a large garage and irrigated landscaping. The Plosz residence represents a design direction that walks the middle ground between the two: where the Silton Chapel is a structural tour de force and touches the 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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ground ever so lightly on four concrete piers, the Plosz residence is utterly conventional with a concrete basement and wood stud construction. Yet it asserts itself through its modesty and uniqueness. While the 30’ × 30’ plan connects it to four-square farm houses built across the prairies, there is an evolution of this simple tradition—an evolution that is filled with subtle surprises in the careful way that the house occupies what locals called an unbuildable site, in the authenticity of the wood shakes used as both roofing and wall cladding, and in the placement of windows, composed from both exterior and interior perspectives. The way the louvered railing folds around two sides of the deck, echoed in the brise-soleil over the horizontal living room corner, are detailed architectural elements that convey a contemporary stylistic intention and moves the design of the house away from a purely historicist interpretation of a traditional building type. The composition of the windows is particularly striking from the interior. Upon entering the house, one notices a long view through the house to a window directly opposite, and to the lake

SITTING OUT ON THE TERRACE BOUNDED BY LOUVERED GUARDRAILS, ONE HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF SURVEYING THE VERY LONG AND THIN LAST MOUNTAIN LAKE.

LEFT

4 3 8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

SECTION A

MAIN ENTRY POWDER ROOM CLOSET/STORAGE KITCHEN DINING/LIVING DEN OPEN TO BELOW DECK COURTYARD BELOW

MAIN FLOOR

2 4

A 1

5 3 1 2 3 4 5 SECTION B

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SIDE ENTRY BATHROOM BEDROOM MECHANICAL COURTYARD

LOWER FLOOR

20’

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beyond. A compelling framed panoramic view of the lake is provided by the horizontal slot window in the living area, and a window at the end of the simple galley kitchen offers a view to the deck and floods the kitchen in bright midday sunlight. The cabinets, also constructed by the family, utilize birch plywood and plastic laminate and are inspired by the simple yet solid plywood kitchens found on the prairies dating from the 1950s and ’60s. A skylight over the stair brings natural light to the lower level where the bedrooms and service areas are located. The Plosz residence offers an alternative to the “one design fits all and every location” tract house. While its modesty makes it an unlikely candidate for widespread architectural recognition and publication, it displays a refreshing shift in the priorities of current residential design. The emphasis here is clearly on abundant natural light, authenticity of materials and a sensitive relationship to a very subtle and particular landscape. It also suggests that there may be a possibility for Canadian architects to once again participate in the design of modest middle-class houses, a common practice as recent as the early 1970s. Back then, the drawings often consisted of a few sheets of plans and details that communicated the entire design. Today, this would challenge the abilities of contemporary builders from both a construction and contractual viewpoint. Luckily, a few firms like Calgary’s Housebrand ABOVE THE SOUTH-FACING COURTYARD IS PROTECTED BY THE HEAVY ENCLOSURE OF A GABION WALL COMPRISED OF LOCALLY HARVESTED BOULDERS. LEFT A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATE THE VARIETY OF POSSIBLE INTERIOR VANTAGE POINTS IN THE HOME, WHICH PERMIT EXPANSIVE VIEWS OF THE LAKE.

manage to overcome these difficulties by controlling both the design and construction processes. The success of the Plosz residence depends as much on the perseverance and dedication of a family committed to building a quality home as it does on the skill and sensitivity of its designers. The result quietly takes a critical stance in relation to the accepted level of design in the community, and offers a house that respects its site while prioritizing light, space and view over sheer size. Silton has another good building. CA Bernard Flaman is the Heritage Architect for Heritage Resources, Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation, Government of Saskatchewan, Regina.

CLIENT DAVID PLOSZ ARCHITECT TEAM LAURA PLOSZ, TROY SMITH, RICHARD DAVIGNON STRUCTURAL TRL & ASSOCIATES CONTRACTOR GREG & PENNY PLOSZ AREA 1,380 FT2 BUDGET WITHHELD COMPLETION SEPTEMBER 2006

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OPEN-FACED THE ADDITION OF AN ATRIUM TO A RENOVATED VANCOUVER OFFICE BUILDING YIELDS AN INTELLIGENT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STRATEGY. TELUS HOUSE ATRIUM, VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA BUSBY PERKINS + WILL TEXT MATTHEW SOULES PHOTOS MARTIN TESSLER PROJECT

ARCHITECT

The housing of telecommunications equipment presents an intriguing and altogether exceptional urban condition. Buildings devoted to this program are the only large and effectively industrial structures that exist directly inside the centre of the modernist city. Historically, the efficiencies associated with locating telecommunications machinery in close proximity to high densities of end users led to the building of telephone switching buildings within the Central Business District. Remarkably, these buildings are usually indistinguishable from neighbouring office towers despite the fact that, being devoted to machinery and equipment, they contain little or no office space. These technological towers are camouflaged to disappear within the fabric of corporate space. In recent years, technological transformation has effectively shrunk the required space for telecommunications and therefore presents opportunities to capitalize on the newfound spatial surplus of these vertical machines. Busby Perkins + Will’s recently completed atrium at Telus House in downtown Vancouver strategically positions itself in relation to this technological transformation to produce a space that is a successful synthesis of program, form and environmental performance. Telus House, the headquarters of Canada’s second-largest telecommunications company, sits in the block bounded by Robson, Georgia, Seymour and Richards Streets and is a large conurbation of abutting and interconnected buildings constructed over the previous century. It is the Vancouver avatar of the camouflaged telecommunications tower. Technological shrinkage has allowed the consolidation of telecommunications space and the introduction of new programs in a series of phased developments designed by Busby Perkins + Will. Completed in 2001, the first phase involved the reshuffling of technical space and the transformation of the southern portion of the block to office space. The latest modification, Phase 2, is the atrium that sits in a sliver of space between the block’s now officedominated southern portion and the remaining northern portion, characterized by a more technical focus. This sliver was originally occupied by an eightstorey structure devoted to technical equipment. In the revitalization of the entire complex, it was this building’s structural weakness combined with surplus square footage that provided the depar-

ABOVE ALONG SEYMOUR STREET, THE INTENSITY OF THE NEW INFILL ATRIUM PROJECTS AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT AESTHETIC TO PASSERSBY AT NIGHT.

ture point for the atrium. By removing the upper five floors of the middle structure in the northern and southern buildings, it would attain structural autonomy, make room for a new scale of space for

Telus employees, and further the environmental performance of Telus House as a whole. Relatively narrow and tall, the atrium is a generous yet succinct social space. Multiple furniture 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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THE AMBIENCE INSIDE THE ATRIUM IS INVITING, WITH WORK AND MEETING AREAS WARMED BY HEAT GENERATED BY THE MASSIVE TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LOCATED BELOW. BOTTOM LEFT AS THEY SLICE THROUGH THE ATRIUM, BRIDGES AT THE SIXTH AND EIGHTH FLOORS ACT AS INDEPENDENTLY COOLED ZONES THAT TRAP AIR FROM SMALL UNDERSIDE AIR CONDITIONERS.

LEFT

configurations, under-floor wiring, and mobile landscape planters allow its ground plane to facilitate various scales of use and to adapt for a range of gatherings. Enclosed entirely in glass, it connects its users to the surrounding cityscape, a connection that is enhanced by a delicate steel structure that incorporates elliptical columns from which steel arms hold vertical tension rods supporting the glazing. From its exterior, this transparent zone offers a degree of distinction and urbanistic order. But it’s hard to not want the atrium to extend at least in part to the street—to engage the public domain in a more overt manner. The sustainability strategy is simple and clever. By subtracting floors and enclosing in glass, Busby Perkins + Will supply daylight to the newly created office space in the formerly deep floor plates to the south and insulate the two newly revealed elevations. One of the basic conditions of telecommunications equipment is the amount of heat it gives off. The switching hub that remains in the floors beneath the atrium effectively acts as a heater to precondition the atrium air and therefore dramatically reduce any additional energy expenditure for heating. This approach is furthered by conditioning only the lower three metres of the 26-metre-high space. During winter, the warm air that rises to the top of the atrium is directed down to its ground plane by fan-driven ducts concealed in the north wall. The bridges that cross the atrium at floors six and eight also respond to thermal conditions in a strategic and efficient manner. To mitigate the thermal rise in summer months, they perform as cool tunnels that slice through the hot upper reaches of the atrium by trapping cool air from small underside air conditioners in five-feet-high glass guardrails. This thermal zoning and the capitalization of programmatic adjacencies demonstrate an underlying diversity within what is seemingly a singular space. The most compelling aspect of Busby Perkins + Will’s first phase of Telus House is the double skin that they wrapped around the existing southern building to offer both heightened insulating qualities and increased natural ventilation. The air space between the new external glazing and the existing internal façade is, as is to be expected, uninhabitable. It exists as a spatial residue of sustainable considerations. In some ways, the new atrium can be thought of as an expanded and reoriented version of Phase One’s double skin. From this vantage point, the atrium is a double skin that has grown in scale to the point of becoming inhabitable. This scale shift and the introduction of usable space has necessitated a more direct interaction between questions of program and form and the technological considerations of environmental performance. On these terms, the atrium of Telus House can perhaps be understood as part of an expanded deployment of sustainability concerns in architecture, an expansion that mirrors the maturation of “green” thinking in society at large. The strategic and differentiated deployment of environmental optimization on equal terms with program and form is the terrain of a reinvigorated polyvalent architecture. It heralds a new and potentially exhilarating architecture in the building of cities—a trend that we might begin to call the Eco-Metropolis. CA

Matthew Soules is the founding director of the Vancouver design firm MSD and teaches at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) at the University of British Columbia.

CLIENT TELUS CORPORATION ARCHITECT TEAM P. BUSBY, M. BONAVENTURA, L. CHESTER, B. DUFFELL, M. GALLOWAY, V. GILLIES, J. HUFFMAN, H. LAI, D. PHILIPPOT, S. SCHOU STRUCTURAL READ JONES CHRISTOFFERSEN MECHANICAL STANTEC CONSULTING ELECTRICAL SCHENKE BAWOL SEISMIC UPGRADE MUSSON CATTELL MACKEY LANDSCAPE CORNELIA OBERLANDER

32 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

INTERIORS BUSBY PERKINS+WILL AUDIOVISUAL CONCEPTRON ACOUSTICS BKL COST CONSULTANT JAMES BUSH & ASSOCIATES ENVELOPE CONSULTANT REID JONES CHRISTOFFERSEN BUILDER DOMINION CONSTRUCTION AREA 420 M2 BUDGET $5.5 M COMPLETION MARCH 2007

1 2

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BUILDING D

BUILDING C (PHASE 2)

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OFFICES

ATRIUM

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LOBBY ATRIUM OFFICE EXECUTIVE OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOMS FITNESS ROOM

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7 RETAIL 8 CABLE DISTRIBUTION ROOM 9 INCOMING CABLE ROOM 10 BALCONY 11 BRIDGES

PHASE 1— WILLIAM FARRELL BUILDING REVITALIZATION

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N O BS RO SE Y M O U R

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p35-36 Practice

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PRACTICE

DATA RETRIEVAL THE REALITY OF PRACTICE TODAY REQUIRES THE COLLABORATION OF ARCHITECTS WORKING IN DIFFERENT TIME ZONES IN VARIOUS OFFICES AROUND THE WORLD. J. DENIS SEGUIN

Sharing, retrieving, and disseminating information on large international projects has become incredibly complex given the collaborative nature of working with architectural offices in many cities, or amongst several firms. Managing various project milestones demands proactive efforts to mitigate risk and increase efficiency. With 25 offices and 2,600 employees around the world, Helmuth, Obata and Kassabaum Inc. (HOK) has honed its collaborative system to include a sophisticated tools and information management infrastructure designed to facilitate this process. These tools relate to all aspects of the design business, including marketing and business development, client contracts, customer service, design, and service delivery. One project that is putting HOK’s business tools to the test—moving them to refine and even develop new tools to ensure success—is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) project in Saudi Arabia. Half a dozen HOK offices are now working on KAUST, and more may join in as the project moves into design development and contract documents. For example, the Atlanta office is responsible for the master plan; the Houston office for academic facilities; and the Toronto office for residential, retail, and civic buildings, including a library and yacht club. The Toronto team alone numbers around 50 staff members and the total number of those working on the project, including engineers, consultants, and local Saudi architectural firms comprise roughly 750 individuals. Without a sophisticated series of client service delivery tools, including the application of the Newforma Project Center, Revit, and HOK’s KnowledgeNet, KAUST would have been nearly impossible to coordinate. On the KAUST project, HOK’s adoption of the proprietary construction management software called Newforma is used to retrieve and exchange project information with both external and internal team members. The program allows for easy browsing and search capabilities that reduce the time to project manage using the critical path method—whether this involves e-mails, minutes, drawings, specifications or change orders. Each of the HOK offices involved on KAUST has a dedicated server with identical folder set-ups and controlled access by other offices. A shared server is currently being set up for the management of site plans. External consultants use Newforma like an FTP site and in the Toronto office, the coordination and maintenance of files as they are being updated by numerous team members is nearly a

COURTESY OF HOK

TEXT

ABOVE A FINAL RENDERING FOR A NEW LIBRARY AT THE KAUST CAMPUS IN SAUDI ARABIA, A PROJECT THAT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS OF HOK TEAM MEMBERS WORKING IN VARIOUS OFFICES AROUND THE WORLD.

full-time position. The advantages of Newforma on a complex, large-scale project with numerous potential risk issues are considerable. For example, if a steel lintel appears at the construction site without galvanization, HOK can retrieve e-mails, change orders, details, specifications, RFIs, even the engineering drawings to identify the decision-making process. Also, within the Newforma mark-up function, the “track changes” option can be used on both drawings and documents, saving greatly on printing costs. In 2006, the HOK management board pledged itself to an idea called HOK buildingSmart, a building information modelling (BIM) process to be used during the entire building process—from concept design to facilities management—which would include the use of Newforma as well as the increasingly popular Revit. Typically, architectural firms spend more time during the contract documentation phase than during the design phases. Revit offers the ability to spend comparatively less time in the construction management phase, thereby rebalancing the design process. For HOK, that means more time can be spent on design, when strategies such as integrated sustainability and creative problemsolving can be most successfully implemented. HOK’s Advanced Technology Group, located in San Francisco, worked closely with Autodesk during the development of Revit. Revit has now been adopted by HOK as one of its major service delivery tools. Information from all project team members, from design and construction details to energy calculations, can be brought together into fully integrated modelled documents, which can then be provided to facility managers. For their investiture in this method of design management,

HOK won an AIA Technology in Practice BIM Award Honorable Mention for a design model that can track 300 pieces of equipment in a hospital with more than 10,000 rooms. With enterprise agreements to ensure that all HOK offices are working on the same platform, several of the KAUST teams have had a head start with Revit. However, more training is needed. Typically HOK finds that staff require four days of training to work on a relatively straightforward building program and design. Additionally, Revit should ideally be used at the beginning of conceptual design, but a number of team members are having some challenges transitioning from earlier and simpler 3D modelling software applications like SketchUp. While Revit enables HOK to produce its deliverables more effectively and Newforma facilitates the administrative tasks, HOK’s inclusion of Deltek Vision increases the efficiency of managing business data. Project work plans are entered into Deltek Vision in order to keep projects on track. Staff timesheets, also entered into Deltek, provide instant information for real-time progress reports. This works very well for a fast-paced project like KAUST where changes have to be made quite often to accommodate the changing program. All HOK project managers have a desktop icon which provides easy access to their top 12 online management tools. Project managers participate in a full day of Project Management Bootcamp, which brings them up to speed on practice goals and general management from project start-up to commissioning and post-occupancy evaluations. Considerable emphasis is place on HOK’s Work Breakdown Structure, which is linked to the Deltek Vision work plans and timesheets. In addition to these management tools, HOK has developed three 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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COURTESY OF HOK

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COURTESY OF HOK

of measurement. HOK’s Toronto office spent several weeks converting the details into metric, and the other offices on the project have worked hard to adopt a metric strategy. Since 1999, the full-time librarian in HOK’s Toronto office has been responsible for maintaining a database of products and suppliers located around the world. In October 2007, the Microsoft Office Access database became available on the recently established Canadian version of KnowledgeNet. A specification writer in the Ottawa office will now be able to search the database for a drywall with a specific fire rating and with a contact name in the Ottawa region. If a suitable product is not found, the search can then be extended to the Toronto area, or even around the world. With the Canadian team having already acquired significant project experience in the Middle East, the database can search that part of the world as well. Similarly, a search can be made for a particular building code, book, or magazine. Not only does the search reveal what is in the library, but it provides a map of its exact location for easy retrieval. Contract Administration (CA) Database

COURTESY OF HOK

Although it is not being used on KAUST, it is worthwhile mentioning HOK’s computer database application for site observations and construction contract administration. The system allows speedy retrieval of site observation issued by various criteria: building, area, level, room, dates of review, subcontractor, etc. A PDA interface allows data entry in the range of fields and the web-based program can be accessed by the design team members, clients, contractors, and sub-contractors. The database can also be used in parallel with contractors’ own systems, thereby encouraging a collaborative approach and reducing disputes that may arise during the construction phase. Conclusion

TOP AND MIDDLE STARTING AS A SKETCHUP MODEL, THE YACHT CLUB AT KAUST IN SAUDI ARABIA DEVELOPS INTO A FINAL, RENDERED VERSION OF ITSELF. ABOVE INVOLVING DOZENS OF BUILDINGS AND REPRESENTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CONSTRUCTION, THE DIVERSE HOK TEAM MUST STILL CONDUCT MEETINGS IN PERSON TO DISCUSS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE KAUST PROJECT.

other areas of improving data management on complex projects: HOK KnowledgeNet, a Best Practice Detail Library, and the Contract Administration (CA) Database. HOK KnowledgeNet

KnowledgeNet was initiated by HOK in 1998 as a Best Practices resource for all HOK employees. It has since evolved into an intranet website providing a range of systems, procedures and resources in all aspects of HOK’s projects— from pre-design right through to construction. Collecting, organizing, and providing access to information on HOK KnowledgeNet is an ongoing activity, as is training (with the capability to stream video) to maximize use of HOK’s KnowledgeNet information. KnowledgeNet has three arms—Find, Learn and Create. The following tools can be found under the custom-designed “Standard Favorites” located on the HOK intranet website. Best Practice Detail Library

Details for every kind of construction detail can be found here, including accompanying notes and other information to guide staff in their use. And each HOK office takes responsibility for adding details suitable for particular regions and climates. For KAUST, the challenge in using the Best Practice Detail Library lies in the translation between the metric and imperial systems 36 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

As one of the world’s largest design firms, HOK has the resources to develop and customize the tools needed to manage projects like KAUST. But will these tools help on smaller projects? And are they applicable to small and mediumsized architectural firms? An intuitive program, Newforma is relatively easy to learn. HOK has experimented with it on smaller interior design projects, but the system’s efforts required to implement it thus far have outweighed the advantages. However, small complex projects—especially ones with numerous technical challenges and engineering consultants—could benefit from Newforma. Many architectural firms across the country have established library databases using Microsoft’s Office Access. Once the system has been established, it can be maintained and updated on a part-time basis. While Revit promises to revolutionize the architectural profession, its initial cost and steep learning curve may place it out of reach for smaller firms. Similarly, establishing an online intranet for sharing information requires considerable time and effort to implement. Yet these are significant tools which can only enhance the profession. In making the decision to adopt or switch to a new tool like Newforma, Revit, or even an online product database, firms need to undertake a risk assessment to implement such an infrastructure for a given project. The greater the complexity, the greater the level of risk. Other factors include the quality of the client and contractor, or the complexity of the project delivery—from signing the contract to commissioning. Project profitability must be balanced with the level of tools that will mitigate risk for the architectural practice. How can these tools be made available to small and mid-sized firms? In recent years, the provincial architectural associations have taken initiatives such as issuing practice manuals and conducting continuing education seminars. But they could be more proactive in helping firms access design management tools, like negotiating the purchase of tools such as Newforma or Revit for multiple firms. This would certainly raise the level of service delivery for clients. And, with a full toolbox at hand, including BIM and other management software, architects could be back in the driver’s seat. CA J. Denis Seguin, OAA, OAQ, is HOK’s Canadian Director of Service Delivery and Principal of HOK’s Ottawa office.

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BOOKS FOUR RECENT PUBLICATIONS COVER ASPECTS OF CANADA’S MODERNIST HERITAGE, CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, AND PAST AND FUTURE APPROACHES TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR CITIES.

REVIEWED BY

LESLIE JEN AND IAN CHODIKOFF GreenTOpia: Towards a Sustainable Toronto Edited by Alana Wilcox, Christina Palassio and Johnny Dovercourt. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2007.

GreenTOpia: Towards a Sustainable Toronto is the third volume in this locally popular uTOpia series. The books are comprised of short essays in which local architects, artists, planners and activists identify problems, describe solutions and present ideas—both real and utopian—about the ways in which the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) can improve the quality of its built environment. GreenTOpia regales us with many possibilities for Toronto’s bicycle lanes, green corridors and park activists, but could easily be criticized by those who do not live in the GTA as a navel-gazing indulgence written by local urban thinkers. After reading through the book, detractors might come away with the belief that there is nothing Toronto can’t possibly achieve. However, it is more likely that anyone who reads this book— whether they hail from the GTA or not—will derive great insight into the myriad challenges, successes and possibilities leading to the improvement of the ecological standards of any city.

Concrete Toronto: A Guidebook to Concrete Architecture From the Fifties to the Seventies Edited by Michael McClelland and Graeme Stewart and designed by Steven Ho Yin Chong. Toronto: Coach House Books and E.R.A. Architects, 2007.

In this well researched and complete guide to concrete architecture of the 1950s to the 1970s, readers will gain insight into a defining period in Toronto’s architectural history. Interviews and essay contributions by architects, historians, academics, city planners, and journalists are complemented by a plentiful assortment of maps, drawings and rare photographs. From this, a rich discussion emerges on several defining landmarks in Toronto, and on the identity of the city itself. Organizationally, the book is divided into sections, variously entitled Downtown, Infrastructure, The Modern Suburbs, Beyond Toronto, and Building with Concrete. In canvassing this broad array, the editors succeed in their task of making the invisible visible, these concrete structures that are seen every single day in the city and which are taken completely for granted. We crawl, lurch or blast along the massive concrete Gardiner Expressway, pass by the CN Tower and the Sheraton and Hilton Hotels as we head north towards Bloor Street, where we find luxury apartment buildings like the Colonnade and the Manulife Centre. Heading a bit further north, we might even be treated to the fanciful and embellished expression of Uno Prii’s controversial high-rise residential structures. Communities outside of Toronto are not ignored, nor are the suburbs in this comprehensive overview—as many of the city’s most important buildings are located in historic Don Mills, just northeast of the downtown core. John C. Parkin’s Ortho Pharmaceutical (1955) and Moriyama & Teshima’s Ontario Science Centre (1969) are discussed, as is the iconic Bata Headquarters (1965) by John B. Parkin Associates, currently under demolition. As architectural fashion has shifted from the heaviness of Brutalist concrete structures of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s to the sleek evanescence of glassand-steel towers erupting around us everywhere, it is easy to dismiss the architecture of past decades that has very much informed the image and identity of Canada’s largest city. Concrete Toronto provides a useful countering force to this idea of progress, and engenders a discussion of the intent, knowledge and ambition of previous generations of architects, offering guidance and perspective to architects practicing today. LJ

The variety of ways in which a city can reduce its ecological footprint is vast and this book eschews any kind of doctrinaire methodology. The 42 essays increase our awareness of Toronto’s watersheds, ravine systems, tree canopies, recycling propensities, food production, improvement of transit systems and environmental factors such as heat islands, noise and light pollution, intensification of land use and the protection of our built heritage. Of notable importance is the 56-page directory of resources promoting sustainability throughout the GTA. Links to web pages, telephone numbers and a list of various organizations provide a useful guide as to what the GTA currently offers in terms of sustainable programs. An FAQ section provides the reader with answers that he or she may not even have considered, such as “How can I get paid for going green?” and “Where is my closest community garden?” Asking the right questions should be at the beginning of every responsible citizen’s list when considering how to improve the quality of life in his or her community. This book provides the necessary guidelines to help focus our resolve in increasing the sustainability quotient of our cities. IC Hybrids: Reshaping the Contemporary Garden in Métis Edited by Lesley Johnstone. Vancouver: Blueimprint, 2007.

In recent years, there has been nothing short of a renaissance in landscape architecture—at all scales of intervention. For example, with so 01/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT

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many different ways of experiencing and defining a garden, Hybrids: Reshaping the Contemporary Garden in Métis provides an invaluable guide in which to explore a range of contrasts and even contradictions resulting from the creation of highly evocative and inspirational contemporary gardens. Divided into several themes—Looking Inward, Looking Outward, Recounting/Referring, Seeing, Activating, Affirming and Discovering—this catalogue illustrates roughly 40 projects that have been built since the annual International Garden Festival began in 2000 at the Reford Gardens in Métis, Quebec. The only garden festival of its kind in North America, this publication is a testament to the conviction of its co-founder and director, Alexander Reford, who opened up his family estate to foster a dialogue about contemporary landscape architecture. (Other co-founders include Denis Lemieux and Phillippe Poullaouec-Gonidec). Since its inception, the festival continues to garner significant international attention and critical acclaim. Hybrids also contains a motley collection of projects and texts written by 22 designers who have participated in the festival. The various essays seek to challenge our expectations relating to the variety of possible sensory experiences gained while visiting a contemporary garden, as well as debating topics such as memory, consumerism, and nature versus artifice. This lavishly illustrated book also contains an important essay by its editor, Lesley Johnstone. Possibly a parallel argument to James Corner’s wellknown edited compilation entitled Recovering Landscape: Essays in Contemporary Landscape Architecture, Johnstone’s essay entitled “Recovering the Garden” suggests that a contemporary garden can be examined in the same way as music, art or dance, and can also comment on issues of sociology, politics and culture. This book is an important document representing the great accomplishments of an ambitious and successful annual festival celebrating the contemporary garden. IC

Sorry, Out of Gas: Architecture’s Response to the 1973 Oil Crisis Edited by Giovanni Borasi and Mirko Zardini. Montreal: Canadian Centre for Architecture and Corraini Edizioni, 2007.

Commemorating the measures taken by architects and designers during the energy crisis of the 1970s, Sorry, Out of Gas is the third in a series of thematic exhibitions organized by the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) to explore contemporary issues in architecture and follows the previously published Environment: Approaches for Tomorrow (2006) and Sense of the City (2005). Sorry, Out of Gas is a remarkable catalogue of essays and illustrations pertaining to the exhibition currently on view in the CCA’s main galleries until April 20, 2008. The energy crisis began in October 1973 when oil-producing Arab countries imposed an embargo on oil exports, causing the price of oil to practically quadruple in four months. It is therefore not surprising that an overriding theme of the catalogue is the political context in which the energy crisis occurred. Using everything from architectural drawings, photography, archival television footage, and historical artifacts such as board games and ephemera from popular culture of the day, the catalogue is divided into four central themes—Sun, Earth, Wind, and Integrated Systems. Sorry, Out of Gas examines everything from passive and active solar heating, underground architecture, recycled materials and experiments in wind technology to reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy. Illustrated by British author and illustrator Harriet Russell, a magnificently and specially commissioned children’s story entitled “An Endangered Species” opens the book’s various discussions, exploring non-renewable energy and the ways in which children can conserve our planet’s valuable resources. The ideas of sustainability have certainly evolved over the past 30 years. A useful resource that revisits the ambitious, radical and scientific approaches to conserving energy in our built environment, this book provides a wonderful sense of nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the 1970s while drawing pictures of solar houses on his or her dining room table. IC

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CALENDAR Marcel Breuer: Design and Architecture

November 3, 2007-February 17, 2008 Taking place at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, this exhibition begins with a nearly comprehensive survey of Breuer’s furniture designs, categorized according to the materials used, with successive explorations in solid wood, tubular steel, aluminum, and laminated plywood. The exhibition continues with an examination of Breuer’s extensive body of architectural work, represented by 12 major projects. Classified under the themes of “Spaces,” “Volumes,” and “Houses,” these buildings demonstrate innovations in spatial organization, construction techniques, and architectural forms that characterized much of Breuer’s work. www.nbm.org A Work in Progress: Preserving Toronto’s Architectural Record

November 15, 2007-May 15, 2008 This exhibition at the City of Toronto Archives focuses on architectural drawings, photographs and records from the collection of the City of Toronto Archives from 1900 to the present, with an emphasis on recent acquisitions. This exhibition has been made possible through the Toronto Society of Architects and the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects. Figuration in Contemporary Design

December 13, 2007-June 8, 2008 This exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago focuses on contemporary design arts and the return of representation that engages with long dormant ideas such as romanticism, subjectivity, nature, and anti-intellectualism. The show features the work of 28 designers, architects, and studios at the forefront of this emerging design aesthetic, including Herzog & de Meuron, Zaha Hadid, Foreign Office Architects, Klein Dytham, Aranda/Lasch, Marcel Wanders, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius, Patricia Urquiola, Tord Boontje, Petra Blaisse and An Te Liu. Though different in tone and emphasis, the members of this

group all take advantage of digital literacy and enhanced fabrication techniques to reintroduce methods, forms, and ideologies that were once considered too “ornamental” or hand-crafted for the 20th-century minimalist design aesthetic. www.artic.edu quasar

January 25-March 9, 2008 The SCIArc Gallery presents this new sitespecific installation by the Los Angeles/New York-based design/ media firm slap!, founded by architect Jean-Michel Crettaz. quasar is an immersive light and sound space made from prototype membranes and realized as an interactive light/sound object and comprised of a dense array of interlinked elements describing an intricate three-dimensional structure. A panel discussion takes place on Friday, February 15, 2008 at 7:00pm, in which Eric Owen Moss reviews the exhibition and argues the success of the exhibition’s investigation into the relationship between the interconnectedness of space and material.

10th anniversary of the Interior Design Show (IDS), Canada’s premiere platform for contemporary residential design. In 10 years, millions of the newest and most exciting Canadian and international furnishings, fixtures and accessories for the design of a home have been launched and exhibited by hundreds of designers, manufacturers, importers, retailers, and distributors. www.interiordesignshow.com

outside the norms of traditional design. Since its conception in 2004, the success of Come Up To My Room has been manifested in the magic of a small group of designers coming together for one weekend to step outside of the boundaries of discipline and to engage in dialogue with each other and with those who pass through the show. www.gladstonehotel.com/ cutmr2007.html

Come Up To My Room

February 22-24, 2008 The 5th annual Come Up To My Room at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel is intended to coincide with the Interior Design Show as an alternative that focuses on the diverse practices that work

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE, AND ADDITIONAL LISTINGS OF CANADIAN AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT www.canadianarchitect.com

Heather Howat + David Battersby lecture

February 4, 2008 As part of the Carleton School of Architecture’s Forum series, Heather Howat and David Battersby of BattersbyHowat in Vancouver deliver this lecture at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa at 6:00pm. Admission is free. www.arch.carleton.ca/html/Main/ forum.html

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Peter Weibel lecture

February 5, 2008 As part of the Urban Field Speakers Series held at the Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art in Toronto, Peter Weibel, Chairman and CEO of ZKM Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany speaks on the democratization of art by media at 7:30pm. www.prefix.ca Interior Design Show

February 21-24, 2008 Taking place at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place in Toronto, this is the

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BACKPAGE

PEEPSHOW 2007

THE AMSTERDAM-BASED WINNERS OF THE ANNUAL PEEPSHOW COMPETITION CONDUCT A LIVE ARCHITECTURAL WORKSHOP IN DOWNTOWN CALGARY, FORCING RESIDENTS TO RECONSIDER THEIR URBAN LANDSCAPE. TEXT

MATT ZESS MICHL SOMMER, VIKTOR LEURS AND CECILIA HENDRIKX

PHOTOS

Artcity’s “live” architectural competition, also known as Peepshow, has for the past seven years been a platform for local and international architects and students to flex their conceptual muscle. This past summer, the competition asked entrants to submit a design for a Centre of Metaphysical Techniques on a site in downtown Calgary while considering Artcity’s 2007 theme of “rupture.” A jury comprising Lebbeus Woods, Alberto PérezGómez, Andrew Zago, Aarón Gutiérrez, Marc Boutin, David Down, Richard Lindseth and Lance Carlson selected the winning submission from an Amsterdam-based team of three who provided the city of Calgary with a live architectural workshop during the festival. In September, Michl Sommer, Viktor Leurs and Cecilia Hendrikx of the Dutch design studios Featuring and SuopuLab, flew to Calgary to “rupture” the everyday perception of our urban environment. Setting out to test their working methods in a new context, the team members actualized their winning entry for this international competition by conducting their live architectural workshop in downtown Calgary, examining and re-evaluating its distinct urban development. Reflection was chosen to conceptually articulate their explorations, and as such, approximately 30 large mirrors were used by the participants as human-scale modules to temporarily manipulate and change the urban context at different locations. The first day of the workshop was dedicated to 42 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/08

ABOVE ARMED WITH SEVERAL LARGE MIRRORS, THE WINNING TEAM DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE DOWNTOWN CORE, REFLECTING BACK ONTO THE PUBLIC ASPECTS OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

experiments in “play” as smaller units, where participants explored a variety of possibilities using the modules in different formations to interact with passersby, moving traffic and the existing architecture. During the second day, the results of these experiments were put into practice by constructing bigger constellations. This time, all modules were incorporated together to alter specific locations through one big collage-like reflection: the façade of a building was transformed by the extension of the park, and the bright blue sky above was projected onto the surface of the public square. The modules were configured as graphic instruments capable of connecting parks, squares and people through continuously changing reflections. This live 1:1 collage altered Calgary’s perceived everyday urban context into an ephemeral display of interconnectivity and juxtaposition. CA For more information on the winning team members, please visit www.featuringamsterdam.nl, www.suopulab.nl, and www.ilovelivearchitecture.com. Artcity’s next competition call will begin in February 2008 for the September event. Please visit www.art-city.ca for more information. Matt Zess, a graduate of Carleton University, is currently working in Calgary as an intern architect for Richard Lindseth Architecture Inc. He is participating in the organization of the upcoming Banff Session in April as well as serving as the Architecture Chair for Artcity in 2008.

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