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Libraries 9 News

Canadian Security Establishment Canada project opens in Ottawa; Lost Spaces competition to re-envision Calgary’s remnant public spaces.

29 Practice

Doing business with a cause has numerous benefits for architectural practices, according to Amir Fathollahzadeh.

33 Calendar

Mapped Ground: Representing the Urban Imaginary at Toronto’s Urbanspace Gallery; The New Architecture of Montreal Libraries panel discussion at McGill University.

12 Halifax Central Library old formal gestures by a Danish/Canadian architectural team result in a welcoming B new facility for Haligonians. TEXT Brian Carter

34 Looking Back

Stephanie Calvet on Moriyama & Teshima Architects’ Toronto Reference Library, then and now.

18 Bibliothèque du Boisé Sophisticated sculptural interventions are manifest in a stunning new library in Montreal that accommodates diverse programs and communities. TEXT Olivier Vallerand

24 Kitchener Central Library

adam MØrk

A light-filled addition to the Kitchener Public Library’s main branch is respectful of the original historic Modernist structure. TEXT Javier Zeller

COVER The Bibliothèque du Boisé in Montreal by Cardinal Hardy* | Labonté Marcil | Éric Pelletier* architectes in consortium (*now Lemay). Photograph by Doublespace Photography.

v.60 n.02 The National Review of Design and Practice/The Journal of Record of Architecture Canada | RAIC

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canadian architect

February 2015

a rendering of the proposed Memorial to the victims of Communism, planned for a prime site down the street from Parliament Hill in ottawa.

EDITOR elsa lam, mraIc

lEft abstrakt studIo archItecture

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Ottawa’s plans for a Memorial to the Victims of Communism are under fire, and rightly so. From its overly prominent site to its literal depiction of brutality, the project would be a misguided addition to our capital city’s Parliamentary Precinct.

The memorial was originally proposed to occupy a plaza on Wellington Street just west of Bay Street, midway between Parliament Hill and the National War Museum. In November 2013, Public Works switched to a more prominent location between Library and Archives Canada and the Supreme Court—a property that since the 1920s has been reserved for a new building for the Federal Court.

Generations of planners envisaged a future building that would, along with the chateaustyle Justice Building and Ernest Cormierdesigned Supreme Court, complete a “Judicial Triad” that frames a lawn facing Wellington.

This urban grouping would parallel the nearby “Parliamentary Triad” consisting of the East, West and Centre blocks.

The 5,000-square-metre site is appropriately scaled for a building. It’s extravagant for a memorial, especially one that would occupy the bulk of the square and rise to a 14.3-metre height. This size, says architect Voytek Gorczynski, is necessary for the memorial’s conceptual design, which includes a one-centimetresquare concrete tile for each of the 100 million victims of Communist regimes. In choosing the site, Public Works has willfully ignored the repeated recommendations of the National Capital Commission’s planning and design advisory committee.

The design is literal in its depiction of violence.

A series of pixellated, folded triangular planes resolves into a three-storey-high documentary image (as a placeholder for the to-be-determined photo, the renderings show a mass grave from the Polish massacre at Katyn). At the centre is a life-sized statue of a fallen body. This is a far cry from the austere poignancy of the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, or Maya Lin’s minimalist Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC, both of which do far more with much less.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR leslIe Jen, mraIc EDITORIAL ADVISOR Ian chodIkoff, oaa, fraIc CONTRIBUTING EDITORS annmarIe adams, mraIc douglas macleod, ncarb, mraIc

The design also calls for the names of 1,000 victims of Communism to be inscribed on commemorative walls and pathways. The Tribute to Liberty—the group that formed to advocate and raise funds for the monument—offers these name slots in exchange for donations of $1,000. Donors are also invited to record a testimonial, which will be accessible to visitors who scan the wall with their smartphones. This highlighting of donors effectively renders the project into a private memorial, subsidized by public land and funds.

To be fair to the designers, they’ve been given little time to develop their scheme. The planned timeline rushes in 18 months from the initial call for expressions of interest last May to the ribbon-cutting this fall.

The project is planned in the midst of a monument frenzy, tinged with political rather than historical motivations. Of the 28 existing and planned memorials in Ottawa-Gatineau listed by the Department of Canadian Heritage, nine will have been created since 2006, when Stephen Harper became Prime Minister. The Memorial to the Victims of Communism, along with the National Holocaust Monument, are scheduled to be unveiled before the fall federal election.

Harper’s last completed commemorative project, the War of 1812 Monument, is controversially sited on Parliament Hill’s East Block lawn, overlooking the National War Memorial in Confederation Square. It’s been criticized for depicting firearms being discharged, as well as for inaccurately portraying an Aboriginal figure as a Member of scout rather than a warrior. But since it’s a sculpture, it could at least be moved as political tides change and more appropriate ethical and social visions arise.

The Memorial to the Victims of Communism would not be as easily displaced. Before plowing ahead with this space-grabbing project, the federal government needs to listen to its own expert advisers and to Canadians at large—and look past election dates to the long-lasting consequences of their monumental mindset.

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Projects

The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) Long-Term Accommodation Project (LTAP) will house Canada’s national cryptologic agency. Designed by WZMH Architects with HDR Associate Architect, the project’s physical form is an architectural interpretation of a maple key (the maple tree’s distinctively shaped seed). The design concept resides in mathematical ontology, and is the genesis of the geometrical form and layout of the hub, the communal focus of the facility. A large vaulted roof unifies various components of the facility into a cohesive organic form. Inside, contrasting geometrical volumes housing specific functions comprise the main building. The footprint of the facility is designed to integrate into the surrounding heavily wooded lot, creating a collaborative work environment that engages the outdoors. As the heart of the building, the multi-storey hub contains meeting rooms, conference facilities and resource centres. Amenities including a cafeteria and green lounge are contained in wood-clad volumes whose proportions are derived from nature. The interior space presents a lasting impression: treehouse structures rise inside the glazed west wall, drawing attention to the meadow and woods outside. Office pods containing work groups radiate from the hub, and in each pod, a technology wall will be custom-equipped and furnished to meet an individual team’s requirements. Office areas are located along the perimeter of the space, with high ceilings and large windows providing sweeping views. LTAP’s state-of-the-art design ensures that CSEC remains at the forefront of mechanical, electrical, security and information technology. The project was the result of a P3 process conducted according to a 48-month project-delivery schedule. Aiming for LEED Gold certification, the 72,000-square-metre complex cost $867 million.

Chevalier Morales | DMA architects in consortium wins competition for new Drummondville Public Library.

Chevalier Morales | DMA architects in consortium has been announced as the winner of the architecture competition for the new Drummondville Public Library. The two-storey project, with a total area of 4,885 square metres, will be built on a 19,423-square-metre lot centrally located in the city’s downtown core. The new building will accommodate regular public library activities with those of the historical soci-

wzmh architects, hDR, Associate architects

Communications Security Establishment Canada project opens in Ottawa.

ABOVE The interior of the new building for Communications Security Establishment Canada, which houses the country’s national cryptologic agency. The spiralling central stair echoes the project’s organic design concept, manifesting in a humane and considered work environment.

ety, as well as a café and green rooftop terrace.

The winning scheme, aiming to achieve LEED Silver certification, utilizes a geothermal system between the proposed outdoor rink and the library building, allowing for continuous energy transfer during a six-month cycle. The project was selected by a jury comprised of: Annick Bellavance, City Councillor, member of the planning advisory committee (CCU) and President of the Arts, Culture and Immigration committee; Marianne Maisonneuve, architect for the Ministry of Culture and Communications; Francine Ruest-Jutras, Mayor of Drummondville; Jacques Cossette, architect at Laurent Joyal architects; and Michel Faucher, architect at Faucher Gauthier architects.

Awards Zita Cobb and Vassilis Sgoutas named 2015 RAIC Honorary Fellows.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has selected a Canadian social entrepreneur and a Greek architect, both employing design for social change, to receive its 2015 Honorary Fellowships. Zita Cobb grew up on Fogo Island, a remote fishing community off the coast of Newfoundland. After a successful high-tech career, she returned and founded Shorefast Foundation, a registered charity using architecture, art, design, craft and food to invigorate the island’s economy and culture.

Major projects include the world-class Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Arts, an international artists’ residency program, and Fogo Island Shop, which produces handcrafted furniture and textiles. Vassilis Sgoutas is an architect in

Athens, Greece. During his tenure as president of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the UIA focused on poverty in the developing world, environmental sustainability, and barrier-free design for people with disabilities. In his honour, the UIA created the Vassilis Sgoutas Prize, which recognizes architects who contribute to the improvement of living conditions in poverty-stricken areas. Honorary fellowship recognizes extraordinary achievement. Cobb and Sgoutas will be inducted into the RAIC College of Fellows during the annual RAIC Festival of Architecture taking place in Calgary from June 3-6, 2015.

2015 Air Canada enRoute Hotel Design Awards open for submissions.

Air Canada’s enRoute magazine, in partnership with Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), and IIDEXCanada, invite Canadian architects and interior designers to submit new and/or extensively renovated hotel projects to the 2015 Air Canada enRoute Hotel Design Awards. The third Air Canada enRoute Hotel Design Awards will be judged by an international panel of industry experts to award prizes in 12 categories, such as Best Overall Interior Design, Best Overall Hotel Architecture, Best Spa or Pool, and Best Restaurant or Bar. This year’s panel includes: Sir Terence Conran, British designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer; Kelly Wearstler, American fashion and interior designer; Gilles Saucier, Canadian architect and professor; David Rockwell, world-renowned architect and president of the Rockwell Group; and Shauna Levy, president

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News of the Design Exchange. The jury will look for projects that take hotel design to the next level and enrich the travel experience. Designs will be judged on creativity, aesthetic impact, functionality, comfort, sustainable features and innovation. Projects completed between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 are eligible for entry. Winners will be announced in the December 2015 issue of Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and will be honoured during an awards gala at the 2015 IIDEXCanada show.

Entry to the awards is free, and the submission deadline is March 10, 2015. www.enroute.aircanada.com/hotelawards

Betsy Williamson shortlisted for 2015 Emerging Woman Architect of the Year.

The Architects’ Journal, a leading architectural publication in Britain, has revealed the finalists for both the 2015 Woman Architect of the Year and the Emerging Woman Architect of the Year Awards. Ten up-and-coming stars have made it onto the shortlist for the AJ’s fourth Emerging Woman Architect of the Year Award. Betsy Williamson, partner at Williamson Chong Architects in Toronto, is the only woman from North America on the list. Others on the shortlist are: Laura Highton, architect at Purcell; Jillian Jones, team leader at DRDH Architects; Sally Lewis, founding director of Stitch; Katy Marks, director of Citizen Design Bureau; Marta Pelegrin, co-director of Mediamundo Arcquitectos; Chloe Phelps, deputy team leader of placemaking team at Croydon Council; and Tatiana von Preussen, Catherine Pease and Jessica Reynolds, founders of vPPR. Williamson Chong Architects explores architectural craft through the synthesis of new technology with traditional methods of construction. They strive to create well-detailed modern environments that shape positive and engaging experiences. The work of Williamson Chong has been recognized with numerous awards for design innovation and excellence, such as the Architectural League of New York’s 2014 Emerging Voices Award, and the 2014 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Emerging Architectural Practice Award.

Competitions Lost Spaces: Re-envision Calgary’s Remnant Public Spaces

This competition is a call for ideas to reframe how underused public spaces in Calgary might be used: what to do with seemingly remnant pieces of public property, identifying what op-

portunities lost spaces afford. You may consider a lost space as a passageway, a roundabout, space between two buildings, a highway shoulder, or tenants of the city’s history and memory. The competition is open to anyone including architects, artists, designers, engineers and students. Cross-disciplinary teams are encouraged to collectively respond to the diverse challenges of design, social sustainability and low-impact design improvements. Students and members of the public who wish to submit an idea are encouraged to team up with an artist, designer, planner or engineering professional for their proposal. Judges will base their assessment on the following criteria: clarity of concept and quality of design; successfully blends social, ecological and economic considerations; integrates multiple approaches to the design challenge; impactfully connects environments to allow greater access, linking people and wildlife to the space; advances thought on current use of the site; and feasibility of realization. A top prize of $7,500 CDN and up to five (5) field prizes of $3,000 CDN will be awarded. A shortlist of up to 12 submissions will be exhibited in the spring of 2015. Those shortlisted and not awarded a prize will receive a shortlist remuneration fee.

The jury is comprised of: Susan Szenasy, editor in chief, Metropolis magazine; Shane Coen, principal, Coen + Partners Landscape Architecture; Pierre Thibault, principal, Atelier Pierre Thibault Architecture; Shauna Thompson, curator, Esker Foundation; and Diana Sherlock, independent curator. The registration and questions deadline is March 20, 2015, followed by a submission deadline of March 30, 2015 at 23:59 MDT. Winners will be announced on April 29, 2015. www.dtalks.org/call-for-ideas

Chicago Architecture Biennial Lakefront Kiosk Competition.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently announced the Chicago Architecture Biennial Lakefront Kiosk Competition, an architectural competition organized by the Chicago Architecture Biennial in partnership with the Chicago Park District. Applications are due March 23, 2015.

The competition is a featured component of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, a key part of Mayor Emanuel’s continuing efforts to promote architecture as one of Chicago’s thriving cultural sectors and to create new cultural experiences in the city’s neighbourhoods and parks. Open to international applicants, the competition is a call for design proposals for a kiosk—a small-scale work of architecture—that will be installed in Spring

2016 along the iconic shoreline of Lake Michigan, one of the city’s most vibrant public spaces. The winner will be announced in April 2015 and will receive the BP Prize, to be presented at the opening of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and will be awarded a $10,000 honorarium for design development and a construction budget of $75,000 to realize the kiosk. Before being installed on the lakefront, the winning kiosk will be on display in Millennium Park during the Chicago Architecture Biennial, which runs from October 2015 to January 2016. The winner will be selected by a jury that includes renowned architects David Adjaye (London), Jeanne Gang (Chicago) and Sharon Johnston (Los Angeles); Chicago Architecture Biennial artistic directors Joseph Grima (Genoa) and Sarah Herda, director of the Graham Foundation (Chicago); Michael O’Brien, retail design director of BP; and Rob Rejman, Chicago Park District director of planning and construction. http://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/lakefront-kiosks/

Design teams shortlisted for Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park.

Five renowned design teams have been shortlisted to participate in an innovative design competition for the revitalization of the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park in Toronto. In total, 33 design teams from 12 countries submitted proposals outlining their qualifications, which were reviewed by a multidisciplinary team that included both Waterfront Toronto and City of Toronto staff. The five shortlisted teams are: Clement Blanchet Architecture (Paris) + Batlle I Roig (Barcelona) + RVTR (Toronto and Ann Arbor); Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York City), architectsAlliance (Toronto); KPMB Architects (Toronto), West 8 (Rotterdam), Greenberg Consultants (Toronto); Quadrangle Architects (Toronto), aLLDesign (London), Janet Rosenberg & Studio (Toronto); and Stoss Landscape Urbanism (Boston), nARCHITECTS (New York City), ZAS Architects (Toronto). As a gateway to the Toronto Islands, the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park is a unique waterfront site with historical significance. It occupies prime waterfront space at the end of two of Toronto’s most important streets—Bay Street and Yonge Street. The shortlisted teams will take part in an intensive six-week design exercise followed by a public exhibition for a distinguished independent jury of design professionals and members of the general public. This major public exhibition, planned for mid-March 2015, will give Torontonians an opportunity to

review the design approaches and provide feedback to the competition jury. A Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprised of local residents, businesses and neighbourhood groups is also meeting at key points during the competition process to provide advice and feedback.

Once a recommended approach is selected by the jury, the design team will move forward with a master plan and phasing strategy. www.waterfrontoronto.ca

by Michaela MacLeod and Nicholas Croft (Toronto, Canada). In addition to the four finalists, Ryerson University’s Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, Diana Koncan and Lily Jeon will lead a team of students to create an installation for one of the stands called Snowcone. All five installations will be completed by February 16th along Kew, Scarborough and Balmy Beaches, and will stay open to the public until March 20th. www.winterstations.com

Finalists revealed in Toronto’s inaugural Winter Stations design competition.

Winter Stations is an open international design competition inviting artists, designers, architects and landscape architects to reimagine one of Toronto’s most underappreciated winterscapes. Using the theme of warmth as a guide, designers were asked to turn the utilitarian lifeguard stations along Toronto’s east beaches into whimsical pieces of wintertime public art.

After the competition launched in October, nearly 200 submissions from 36 countries were received. The four Winter Stations finalists are: Sling Swing by WMB Studio (London/ Liverpool, UK); Driftwood Throne by DM_ Studio (London, UK); Wing Back by Tim Olson (New Hampshire, USA); and HotBox

What’s New Samuel Oboh is the 76th President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Samuel (Sam) Óghale Oboh, FRAIC, was recently announced as the 76th President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. Oboh was born in 1971 in Lagos, Nigeria, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the Bendel/Edo State University, a Master of Science degree in Architecture from the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, and a Master of Arts from the University of Alberta.

Oboh is a licenced architect in both Alberta and Texas, and has worked for more than 20 years on significant projects with various firms

including O2 Architecture, Kasian, IBI Group, FMA Architects, and F&A Services (in collaboration with Seifert Architects in London, UK). He recently led the reorganization and establishment of a new Architecture and Engineering Centre of Expertise for Public Works and Government Services Canada, where he currently works as regional manager.

Oboh joined the RAIC in 2001 as an International Associate based in Southern Africa.

In 2003, he emigrated from Botswana to Canada and became actively involved with the RAIC, helping to establish Canada’s first local RAIC chapter in Alberta where he later served as its President from 2007-2008. Since then, he has championed several initiatives that raise the awareness of the importance of architecture in Alberta. Oboh has served as an adjunct lecturer at the Durban University of Technology and the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He has also been a studio critic at the University of Calgary and Carleton University.

A member of the American Institute of Architects, he was a Chartered Architect with the Royal Institute of British Architects (20002007) and is a Fellow of the RAIC. An enthusiast of numismatics and philately, he lives in Edmonton with his wife Aisha and three children, Noora, Fego and Oreva.

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Maritime Monument Halifax’s new Central Library is a bold addition to the downtown core, providing a vibrant atrium, animated reading areas, and an indoor-outdoor performance space that opens the building up to the city.

Halifax Central Library, Halifax, Nova Scotia Fowler Bauld & Mitchell Ltd. (Architect & Prime Consultant) with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (Design Architect) Text Brian Carter Photos Adam Mørk Project

Architects

A short walk in Halifax will help to dispel rumours of the death of print and unease regarding civic neglect. The new central library at the junction of Spring Garden Road and Queen Street, designed by the Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen and the Canadian practice of Fowler Bauld & Mitchell, is significant in many ways.

Spring Garden Road, an eight-block-long street that threads its way through the city, is a lively place. Anchored at one end by the Public Gardens, this strip of messy urbanism is lined with a jumble of buildings: generic atriums and glassy office blocks, a former bank that’s now a coffee

shop, fragments of Dalhousie University, an imposing church opposite a stony provincial courthouse, and a historic burial ground. It terminates at the Maritime Centre, a pair of concrete slabs perhaps inspired by I.M. Pei. Spring Garden Road has also been the home of Bud the Spud. Over the years this colourful food truck was parked alongside a patch of municipal grass where it provided an informal gathering place and chips for passersby who were hungry, thrifty and short of time. It also marked the entrance to the Spring Garden Road Memorial Library. A modest two-storey stone building set back from the street, designed in postwar Commonwealth

ABOVE The new library is a colourful stack of glass boxes, located on a prominent site in Halifax’s compact downtown core. On the top level, a reading room and terrace look out towards the historic Halifax Citadel and the city’s harbour, which includes an active port and shipyard.

Classicism and subsequently extended in the 1960s with the addition of a concrete bunker, it was dour, cramped and well-used.

The new Halifax Public Library that has been built nearby, the result of an architectural competition held in 2010, presents a stark contrast. Strikingly large, monumental and very glassy, it provides 15,000 square metres of space on five levels. The building consists of conspicuous boxes, each placed seemingly informally one above the other, in a tall and unlikely pile.

The library, a notable building type, has undergone many transformations over time. Most recently, the displacement of the book and reconfiguration of the civic realm by invisible networks and alternative economic models have prompted further reconsiderations. New libraries, like Birmingham City Library by Mecanoo and OMA’s radical proposal for Seattle Central Library, have exploited the potential of the big box.

Frequently used as a label for retail outlets where goods are piled high, the big box also played a prominent role in the development of Modern architecture. Studies by Mies van der Rohe advanced a new International Style, characterized by the glass-box Modernism of Gordon Bunshaft, Eero Saarinen and other notable Mid-Century Modern architects. The elegant, minimal, glassy containers that they designed housed a range of uses within vast spaces defined by remarkable transparency. Renewed in-

terest in these buildings—combined with increasing awareness of the impact of weather and uncertainty about the relevance of “blobs” fabricated through new digital technologies—have revived interest in the potential of the big box.

The new library in Halifax consists of five big boxes. Expressed as discrete objects, each is clad in glass. However, it is glass that differs in colour and which is occasionally patterned by fritting—decisions that create mystery and ambiguity that relate to the similarities and differences between the volumes.

These particular glass boxes have also been stacked high and skewed one above the other. The two strategies—stacking and skewing—offer distinct benefits, and the design has exploited them effectively. The stacked tower opens up new and remarkable views over the city that highlight the Citadel, Halifax Harbour, other conspicuous piles of containers along the waterfront, Dartmouth and the forests and ocean beyond. At the same time, outdoor spaces created by skewing have been thoughtfully landscaped and made accessible for the public and library staff. Moving up through the building and across these terraces reveals an expansive panorama that emphasizes the conspicuous location of Halifax at a threshold to North America.

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ABOVE The main entrance faces Spring Garden Road, and includes a public plaza. Left A generous terrace along Queen Street is contiguous with an indoor public performance space. Opposite, Top to Bottom Dynamic staircases crisscross above the central atrium; a view of the multi-functional performance space; toddlers enjoy story time in one of several program rooms.

The monumental tower of boxes sits uneasily on Spring Garden Road.

A gigantic neighbour, it creates an odd remnant of space on the street where the main entrance has been set back under a massive cantilever. Located at a particularly significant place in the city and delineated by paving, plantings and an incongruous public telephone, it is difficult to envisage how the space will be used. In contrast, the building provides a distinctive edge to the west where a second entrance, book drop and access to an elegantly designed upper terrace significantly improve Queen Street.

Inside the main entrance, the new library is defined by a tall top-lit atrium that has been planned perpendicular to Spring Garden Road. And while the atrium is a familiar device, this particular space has been designed with fine proportions and detailing. The resulting elegance recalls Scandinavian architecture, rather than the familiar commercial razzmatazz that so often characterizes new buildings in North America.

Unlike many historic precedents, this is not a library defined by an overwhelming presence of books. Instead, much of the shelving and book storage is located towards the edges of the building. Consequently, the atrium

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above, CloCKwise froM left More than 10,000 people visited the library on opening day last December; the fifth floor offers a relaxed reading environment with stunning views of the surrounding city and harbour; freestanding cabins are sprinkled throughout the floorplates, providing semi-private areas for individual and group work.

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Client HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY/HALIFAX PUBLIC LIBRARIES arCHiteCt teaM SCHMIDT

HAMMER LASSEN—MORTEN SCHMIDT, CHRIS HARDIE, METTE WIENBERG, STUART HILL, JESSICA MENTZ, LARS VEJEN. FOWLER BAULD & MITCHELL—GEORGE COTARAS, WAYNE DUNCAN, SUSAN FITZGERALD, MARK GAMMON, D’ARCY DENNEHY, STACEY MACINNIS, SHEENA MOORE, GREG FRY, HARVEY FREEMAN, MAUREEN AUBUT, MEGAN BAKER. | struCtural SNC-LAVALIN WITH OVE ARUP (CONCEPT DESIGN) | MeCHaniCal/eleCtriCal CBCL LIMITED WITH OVE ARUP (CONCEPT DESIGN) | Civil SNC-LAVALIN | landsCape GORDON RATCLIFFE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT | interiors SCHMIDT HAMMER LASSEN ARCHITECTS AND FOWLER BAULD & MITCHELL LTD. | publiC Consultation MYRGAN INC. | sustainability SOLTERRE DESIGN | aCoustiCs SWALLOW ACOUSTIC CONSULTANTS LTD. | building Code RJ BARTLETT ENGINEERING LTD. | Curtain wall BVDA FAÇADE ENGINEERING LTD. | wind & snow environMental THEAKSTON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING ENGINEERS | tHeatre design THEATRE CONSULTING GROUP LTD. | tHird-party CoMMissioning FC O’NEILL SCRIVEN & ASSOC. LTD. | projeCt Manager HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY | ConstruCtion Manager ELLISDON CORPORATION | area 14,996 M2 | budget $57.6 M | CoMpletion NOVEMBER 2014

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1 VESTIBULE LOBBY PAUL O’REGAN HALL WINTER GARDEN TEEN STUDY/READING LARGE PROGRAM ROOM FAMILY READING COLLECTION OPEN STUDY LOCAL HISTORY EXTERIOR PODIUM SKYLIGHT

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Under One Roof A new Montreal library brings together diverse programs and communities under a distinctly sculptural roof.

Bibliothèque du Boisé, Montreal, Quebec Cardinal Hardy* | Labonté Marcil | Éric Pelletier* architectes in consortium (*now Lemay) Text Olivier Vallerand Photos Doublespace Photography Project

Architects

“A library is, today, one of the rare buildings where people can really touch architecture,” says architect Éric Pelletier. “It is among the few public buildings, accessible and free, where everyone can have a special relationship with architecture. Libraries still have to play that role, to create opportunities to discover architecture, to make people aware of something different than what they are used to.”

Pelletier has been highly invested in designing new libraries across Quebec, including the celebrated Grande Bibliothèque du Québec in Montreal (2005, Patkau Architects with Croft Pelletier and Menkes Shooner Dagenais), the Bibliothèque de Charlesbourg (2006, Croft Pelletier) and the Bibliothèque de Montmagny (2013, Éric Pelletier architectes). Thanks to Quebec’s strong program of architectural competitions, libraries have played an important role in the emergence of a younger generation of architects. Increasingly, they also act as invaluable “third places”—community anchors outside of the home and the workplace where people come to socialize.

While he has a number of public and academic libraries on the boards, Pelletier’s most recent completed library is the Bibliothèque du Boisé. Located in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough, the library was inaugurated in 2013 and designed by the joint venture Cardinal Hardy |

The northwest side of the library features a dramatic roofline facing a densely wooded park. ABOVE The long, linear volume of the library spreads across the site. A glass tower marks the main lobby, adjacent to an outdoor plaza and walkway that provides pedestrian access to the forest trails beyond.

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Labonté Marcil | Éric Pelletier architectes (Cardinal Hardy and Éric Pelletier have since merged with Lemay). The new library refines some of the ideas developed in Pelletier’s earlier projects—for example, a spatial organization that divides vast open volumes with wood elements and height variations—but it is also a unique building shaped by its particular geographical, social and urban contexts.

The design emerged from a single-stage competition held in 2009, which called for a building combining one of the largest public libraries in Quebec with an exhibition and archive centre for the nearby Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec. In a move uncommon to design competitions in Quebec, the proposals had to target a LEED Platinum standard from the competition stage. With the area’s multicultural and multilingual population, the design also had to accommodate an appropriately large collection to address the needs of its diverse users. This vast program was to fit within a long, narrow site stretched between the Parc Marcel-Laurin’s preserved woodlands (a rare sight on Île de Montréal), and Boulevard Thimens, a suburban artery lined with large apartment slabs. The site’s surroundings also include a shopping centre, a New Urbanist residential development, a high school, and a sports complex (currently being expanded following another design competition).

Led by Pelletier, the winning design team responded to this caroriented context with a building that asserts a strong visual presence with an undulating roofscape topped with a skylight tower—which simultaneously defers to its environment by taking a low-key position within its site. To avoid creating a library that acts as a wall between the boulevard and the woodlands, the architects buried the archive centre underground, and stretched the remaining program to create as narrow a building as possible. Compositionally, the massing suggests a solid block anchored to the ground, serving as a counterpoint to the floating roofscape and extending the building into the landscape on Boulevard Thimens. The volume was pinched vertically and horizontally at its centre point to create a pathway going over the building, offering a physical connection between the city and the park. Generous windows visually link between the woodlands, the path and the library’s interior.

The pinch point divides the building into two large spaces that can be operated separately. To the west is the two-storey library along with several meeting rooms; to the east is the underground archive centre, topped by an exhibition space, library services and additional meeting rooms. The massive overhanging zinc roofscape covering both spaces allows for light and sound control, protecting the library from the airplane corridor overhead.

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The vast library volume is further divided by ceiling changes and integrated furniture, creating tailored spaces for its diverse clientele. The generous main-floor spaces devoted to children are particularly stimulating: youngsters occupy a shiny brightly coloured area, while wooden seats and tables sprawl through the stretch dedicated to older children.

Teenagers have their own zone upstairs, isolated from the main collection to contain noise, but it is visible from the library’s entrance.

Both floors are marked by the presence of a fold in the roof that brings light all the way to the ground level and visually organizes the space. The fold also makes the wooden ceiling visible throughout the interior, underlining the roofscape’s structuring presence. A monumental concrete stair, situated close to the fold, emerges from the ground floor. It acts as a link between the lighter second floor and the massive

Opposite top, left to right Two distinct volumes—the taller library and the lower-slung archives—comprise the building; a lantern-like tower adjacent to a public pathway channels natural light deep into the library; a V-cut in the roof adds dynamism to both levels of the library. Opposite bottom, left to right The ceiling is a sculptural presence on the ground floor; skylights illuminate the unique geometric volume; a view of the library lobby reveals a prominent staircase leading to the second floor; the wood-slat ceiling cantilevers beyond the building envelope, framing vistas of the forest.

concrete elements that anchor the ground floor in both the library block and exhibition and archive block. The collection and reading spaces are complemented with purpose-built furniture designed by the architect team. This includes shelving units that integrate presentation cabinets, as well as communal reading tables.

As much as the design is informed by its context and site, Bibliothèque du Boisé is first and foremost a building to be enjoyed from the interior. The elevations, intended to disappear behind the woodlands on one side and planted tree rows along the boulevard, are currently very present visually. The overall concept of bringing roof and ground topog-

raphies together at the building’s midpoint is simple and strong (even if not entirely original), and supports the library’s spatial organization.

Without experiencing the interior, however, it initially appears too form-driven from the exterior. From the woodlands, the function of the fold facing Parc Marcel-Laurin is difficult to understand, while from the boulevard, the idea of a solid mass housing archival and exhibition spaces is muddied by a compositional mix of concrete, stone and glazing.

Inside, this mass is mostly rendered in concrete, making it much easier to perceive and comprehend. This formalism is not, however, necessarily a problem, as the design ultimately defers to the surrounding natural

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1 information 2 non-fiction 3 fiction 4 graphic novels 5 teen zone 6 conference room 7 computer lab 8 reading lounge 9 group work rooms 10 terrace and bridge 11 courtyard 12 main lobby 13 library lobby 14 multipurpose room 15 exhibition space 16 administration 17 Café 18 circulation 19 periodicals & multimedia 20 youth zone 21 group work rooms 22 kids’ zone 23 program room 24 Archive

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ABOVE, clockwise from top left The layout emphasizes visual continuity between the first and second floors; reading areas are tucked along the building’s perimeter; playful colours and exposed concrete mark the teen zone; a walkway ramps up and over the building, linking between the urban street and the park.

context and offers dynamic interior spaces, as it was intended to.

The sustainability measures that the competition called for were implemented subtly, without any grand gestures. Rather, the design team aimed for a seamless integration of environmental principles, their preferred approach to all projects. For example, they worked carefully to bring in plenty of natural light, and focused artificial lighting strategies on low-energy task lighting ideal for reading, a proven measure used in earlier libraries. A geothermal field, along with green roofs and reflective white roofs, was also incorporated. The architects succeeded in convincing the client and its neighbours to share access roads and parking spaces in order to reduce hard surfaces on site.

The library is visually and physically busy, and this is a measure of its success. It is filled with natural light that changes throughout the day, and is bustling with energy from its many users, in large part young people that will hopefully remain regular library users as they grow older. Its relatively simple organization is appropriated by groups of diverse cultures and ages; through porous divisions, this energy is made visible, but rendered unobtrusive.

The Bibliothèque du Boisé is no doubt a 21st-century library: not through flashy details or a focus on digital tools and transformations, but through its embrace of activity and energy. It balances the social role of the library with plenty of books that make its large multilingual collection easily accessible. It creates a place that cannot be mistaken for a solemn library devoted exclusively to private reading, even if quiet spaces are created through the building’s proximity to the woodlands. This is a library in which to engage, meet friends, enjoy the changes of the immediate natural world, and learn to love the pleasure of reading. As Pelletier puts it, going there is a learning experience—it is a place for opening people’s minds.

Olivier Vallerand is an architect and educator. He recently completed his PhD at McGill University.

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Client Ville de Montréal, arrondissement St-Laurent Architect Team Claude Jean,

Eric Pelletier, Jean Marcil, Pierre Labonté, Annie Martineau, Amélie Turgeon, Bao Nguyen, Denis Clermont | Structural SDK et associés inc. | Mechanical/Electrical Leroux Beaudoin Hurens et associés inc. | LEED EXP | Acoustic Davidson & Associés inc. | Contractor Pomerleau | Area 6,000 m2 | Budget $22 M | Completion July 2013

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Modernist revisions 2

A sensitive addition highlights the beauty of a 1960s library in Kitchener’s central civic square.

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Addition and Renovation to the Main Branch of Kitchener Public Library, Kitchener, Ontario Architects LGA Architectural Partners in association with WalterFedy & Phillip H. Carter Architect Text Javier Zeller Photos Ben Rahn/A-Frame Project

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Opposite At the entrance to the Kitchener Central Library, the former façade is enclosed in a showcase-like vitrine. Above Book stacks were cleared from a space near the front of the building, creating a grand reading room embellished with a mural by Jack Bechtel dating from the 1960s.

For many of us, a library represents one of our most positive points of contact with public institutions. We take children there, we visit for pleasure or research, and we experience a sense of community in the process. Libraries offer a rare opportunity to connect with each other outside the framework of commerce, removed from the client identity that pervades civic and popular culture. They are one of the few remaining building types that elicit a real sense of joy in being a citizen.

As technology continues to transform our society at an unprecedented rate, library administrators are looking to architects to help make sense of the evolving nature of their institutions.

The Kitchener Central Library renovation and addition typifies the new breed of library, while reusing an old library as its backbone. The newly completed building, by LGA Architectural Partners in joint venture with Phillip H. Carter Architect, opened in May 2014 following a challenging four-year phased construction process during which it remained operational. The design transforms a historic Modernist building: surrounding it with a new high-performance envelope, amplifying the scale and sensibility of the original library, and introducing an elegant sequence of spaces, some added and some revealed through subtraction. The result is a robust, generous piece of civic infrastructure.

The original library—a precast and stone-clad building—had served as Kitchener’s central library since its completion in 1962. Carl Rieder, a

Kitchener architect noted for many of that city’s postwar landmarks including the Centre in the Square theatre immediately east of the site, designed the mid-century building.

The library has personal significance for David Warne, partner in charge of the project at LGA. Warne grew up in Kitchener and knew Rieder’s creation well. “The library had a heroic space-age quality to it that made a strong impression on me. Applying to architecture schools, I wrote an essay about this building and my father working on it as an engineer,” recalls Warne.

Rieder had originally envisioned the library as part of a larger civic precinct that would encompass the entire city block. LGA’s project goes some ways towards fulfilling the spirit of this vision. While the new library retains much of Rieder’s original design, the footprint has been expanded by 25,000 square feet, with the addition completely transforming the east and south façades. A former surface parking lot to the south has been replaced with a new children’s library at the ground floor, and a second-floor information centre. Parking is now consolidated in a municipal lot below grade. This lot, which extends to the east past the library’s footprint, provides 412 spaces for the library, Centre in the Square, and future developments in the municipal precinct.

The design maintains the entry sequence from Queen Street, adding a double-height vestibule clad in walnut. Visitors are greeted by a skylit

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atrium, filled at its second level with a translucent paper cloud of silkscreened text—an art installation by Moss & Lam. The circulation is contained under a wood-clad ceiling plane that culminates in the ground-floor children’s library, where small-scale millwork reading nooks wrap the concrete columns. Midway, a stair leads to the secondfloor information services concourse: a high-ceilinged space that is this century’s response to last century’s reading room. The library program unfolds rationally to either side of this central spine. At the perimeter of both the main and upper levels, a series of intimate study spaces and seating are arranged along the glass.

A particular challenge in the design was integrating the realities of arrival by car. “We didn’t want people to exit a carpark and have to walk around the building to a front entrance,” says Warne. Instead, a generous stairwell extends the library interior’s material palette of limestone to the parking level, from which patrons can enter directly. A small measure of the clever economy of the library’s design is that the override of an adjacent elevator becomes a square reading table at the library’s second floor.

The project treats the original building as both found object and lodestone, revealing and clarifying elements of Rieder’s design. The building exterior interlaces a black granite base—an abstracted elaboration of the original building’s base condition—with a continuous volume of high-performance curtain wall. The curtain wall sits proud of the base, and is syncopated with fritted and spandrel panels. The lower half

of the curtain wall lifts and falls as it encircles the building faces, allowing access and revealing portions of the original library exterior. A study of Rieder’s original façade revealed extensive use of the golden section in the composition. An abstracted version of these original proportions is deployed to organize the rhythm of the new façade.

Most effective is the north face, where the 1960s library front slips through the curtain-wall volume and is held within it as though in a vitrine. The curtain wall portion of the façade is also fitted with LED lighting, which can be connected with the building automation system, changing in colour and intensity to reflect the environment inside and around the library.

The largest interior space of the 1960s building has been transformed into a street-facing reading room. The rows of book stacks that once filled that area have been replaced with soft seating and magazine shelving, revealing the volume of the original space. We are finally allowed uninterrupted views of the remarkable mural Enlightenment by Jack Bechtel, among the first art pieces commissioned with a Canada Council grant. Leaving the mural intact while bringing the uninsulated building up to LEED Gold standard required removing the rubblestone from the bearing wall behind the mural, installing a modern building envelope including insulation, and replacing the stone to maintain the appearance of the building’s original façade.

The south façade has also been retained in its original form, transformed into an interior dividing wall. The design is at its best here: the

A rhythmic use of curtain wall ties together the existing building and new addition; the ground floor draws back to create a sheltered courtyard entry; a view of the library from the west. ABOVE, clockwise from top left An installation by Moss & Lam is made of 20,000 pages, hand-silkscreened with text in different languages; clerestory windows bring natural light into the addition; bridges weave through the former exterior bays of the library; the addition features an open-plan concourse on its second floor; a waffle-slab ceiling tops a new reading room.

Opposite, clockwise from top left

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new building held back from Rieder’s two-storey rubblestone panels and precast arches with bridges spanning into the original window openings.

The roof of the addition is lifted off from this south face with a continuous clerestory, floating the ceiling above the adjacent volumes.

Within this new room, the original building exterior takes on an intriguing nested character, giving it the quality of a Modernist ruin within the new library.

Within the addition, exposed waffle-slab ceilings sit on concrete columns—a choice that initially seems too much of a formal quotation from the ’60s. But, weaving between the old and new portions of the building, the decision makes sense. Here is a public institution that matches the original in its toughness. The revitalized Kitchener Central Library recalls the best qualities of Modernist public architecture—complete with durable material quality, and the mid-century’s signature tension between grandeur and economy of means.

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lower level 1 Atrium & Reading room below

2 Administration offices 3 non-fiction 4 teen library 5 multilingual with green roof 6 local history 7 archive 8 mechanical 9 concourse 10 parking garage ramp 11 main entrance 12 atrium & concourse 13 reading lounge 14 multimedia 15 computer lab 16 fiction 17 circulation 18 staff

19 loading & receiving 20 program room 21 children’s library 22 parking garage lobby 23 outdoor reading courtyard 24 parking garage ramp 25 underground parking garage 26 existing theatre 27 theatre lobby 28 meeting rooms 29 offices 30 facilities workshop 31 bibliographic services 32 it 33 compact & discard shelving 34 mechanical 35 concourse

Javier Zeller, MRAIC, is an architect working in Toronto with Diamond Schmitt Architects.

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Client City of Kitchener/Region of Waterloo/Kitchener Public Library Architect Team

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David Warne, Janna Levitt, Phillip H. Carter, Christie Pearson, Cynthia Dovell, José Castel-Branco, Leo Lin, Sharon Leung, Kris Payne, Amanda Reed | Civil/Structural/Mechanical/ Electrical WalterFedy | Landscape Scott Torrance Landscape Architect | Code Leber Rubes | Acoustic HGC Engineering | Costing Hanscomb | Heritage Phillip H. Carter | Artists Flux atrium mobile by Deborah Moss and Edward Lam; children’s area mural by Melissa Levin; Enlightenment original reading room mural by Jack Bechtel | Area 10,280 m2 (3,880 m2 added to existing building) | Budget $49.4 M | Completion September 2014

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Doing Business With A Cause text

Amir Fathollahzadeh

In today’s marketplace, doing business with a cause is good for business. Progressive architecture and design firms are looking to engage in charitable projects that complement their core business activities. A well-implemented plan that is aligned with a firm’s goals and initiatives can have a significant impact on how it is perceived in the crowded marketplace.

When we think about a cause-driven business, certain terminology comes to mind. From a marketing standpoint, cause marketing, conscious capitalism and social business venture are terms to describe a business or plan specifically conceived to drive social change. All may be considered profit-oriented businesses, with part of the profits invested in a cause.

We may also think of charitable organizations, not-for-profit organizations (NPO) and private or public foundations. We may assume that registered charities and NPOs should not generate a surplus. On the contrary, many registered charities and NPOs are focused on generating surplus funds to gain financial stability, in order to meet their missions and to provide for their programs.

Consumers are demanding more from companies: purchasing, recommending or promoting those that commit to social change. The retail sector has effectively used social initiatives to drive business and bring awareness to many different causes.

One retail company that exemplifies the successful utilization of the NPO structure is TOMS, a shoe manufacturer that has expanded into eyewear. It also operates a non-profit subsidiary called Friends of TOMS. For every shoe or piece of eyewear sold, they donate the same to a needy child. This is a great example of how a for-profit business can co-exist with a not-for-profit and at the same time drive sales.

Another example is the eyeglass company Warby Parker, which has the same type of model as TOMS, but with a twist. Instead of giving away a pair of glasses for every one sold, they fund the production of a pair of eyeglasses by an unaffiliated non-profit organization called VisionSpring.

How can these ideas apply to the architecture and design fields, as firms seek to support and enhance their communities? There are several examples of not-for-profits that already exist in Canadian design, including the organizations Architecture for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity, and in Toronto, developer Artscape.

Courtesy ERA Architects

Firms have many options for contributing to social causes while driving their own growth—from incorporating a registered charity within their business structure, to donating time to charitable causes.

ABOVE A pavilion in Botwood, Newfoundland is a tangible outcome from last year’s Culture of Outports project. ERA Architects and the Centre for Urban Growth + Renewal—a non-profit organization that the architects co-founded—spearheaded the community build initiative.

Less frequent, but equally viable, is an organization such as the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal, which is directly supported by ERA Architects and planningAlliance (see case study below). In this model, to facilitate “doing business with a cause,” a for-profit architecture or design firm co-exists with a not-for-profit organization, each one complementing the other. Profits and contributions from the for-profit firm fund the NPO’s cause, while in return, the NPO brings awareness to social issues that could provide projects and revenue for the firm.

Doing business with a cause isn’t just about making more profits or driving business. First and foremost, it’s about supporting a cause that your firm and your team believe in—any increased profits are an added bonus. Other advantages may include increased client awareness, lower marketing costs, opportunities for innovation, improved productivity, employee morale and retention, and talent recruitment.

Case Study: Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal

The Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal (CUG+R) is a non-profit organization based in Toronto, founded by members of ERA Architects and planningAlliance. CUG+R conducts focused research to enhance public policy and enables private initiatives that together foster healthy urban, suburban and rural environments. The founding partners started the organization in order to collaborate with academic, government and NPO partners on an equal and shared footing—without the perception that as private-sector businesses, they were solely motivated by for-profit interests. Since its establishment in 2009,

CUG+R has produced landmark reports for the United Way, the City of Toronto’s Health Department and the Province of Ontario’s Growth Secretariat, as well as assisting with an educational and research project in Newfoundland. The organization is currently exploring other opportunities across Canada. According to ERA partner Michael McClelland, CUG+R’s focus on research has encouraged staff to appreciate the value the firm places on public-interest design. More information on CUG+R can be found at www.cugr.ca.

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PRACTICE Topic

Registered Charity

NPO

Purposes

Must be established and operate exclusively for charitable purposes

Can operate for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure, sport, recreation, or any other purpose except profit

Registration

Must apply to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and be approved for registration as a charity

No registration process for income tax purposes

Charitable registration number

Is issued a charitable registration number upon approval by the CRA

Is not issued a charitable registration number

Tax receipts

Can issue official donation receipts for income tax purposes

Cannot issue official donation receipts for income tax purposes

Spending requirements (disbursement quota)

Must spend mimimum amount on its own charitable activities or as gifts to qualified donees

Not applicable

Designation

Is designated by the CRA as a charitable organization, a public foundation, or a private foundation

Does not receive a designation

Returns

Must file an annual information return (T3010) within 6 months of its fiscal period end

May have to file a T2 return (if incorporated), and/or an information return (T1044) within 6 months of its fiscal period end

Tax-exempt status

Is exempt from paying income tax

Is generally exempt from paying income tax

Source: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/chrts/pplyng/rgstrtn/rght-eng.html

incorporating a not-for-profit or registered charity into your Firm

In order to implement an NPO into a firm’s overall business structure, it’s essential to understand the building blocks and technical aspects of the various NPOs available. The optimum structure depends on the firm’s mission. For example, if social housing is a subject the firm wants to tackle, it may make sense to set up an NPO to research and create awareness around the subject, whereas a registered charity framework could be used to raise funds to build social-housing projects. The chart above provides a summary of the differences between a registered charity and an NPO. Within the registered charity framework, there are three types of entities that can be registered with the Canada Revenue Agency: charitable organizations, public foundations and private foundations. Private foundations are a popular choice for many organizations, as they provide a high degree of flexibility over how funds may be used. A private foundation may be governed by a small group of people who already do business together, and may carry on its own charitable activities as well as funding other registered charities.

There are unique compliance and administrative requirements to consider when setting up a registered charity: • The organization’s purpose and objectives must be documented in an application for charitable status made with the Canada Revenue Agency. It’s recommended that the application be prepared by a lawyer specialized in this area.

• There are ongoing administrative costs, such as accounting and legal fees, similar to running a corporation.

• There are governance requirements, including the need for the directors to hold regular meetings and maintain minutes.

• Donors may be entitled to receive a tax receipt for their contribution if the funds qualify as a gift. This may enable the for-profit business to make a donation to the registered charity and receive a charitable tax re-

ceipt to reduce its income taxes—there is an immediate financial benefit.

For those companies who may prefer to explore less intensive opportunities for corporate social responsibility, there are options for charitable and not-for-profit support that are beneficial both in terms of creating social change and from a tax standpoint. Following are some examples: donor-advised Fund

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is an alternative to setting up a private foundation. It provides simplicity and flexibility, since it removes the administrative duties and costs associated with running a foundation. To set up a DAF, an up-front donation is made and is invested by the DAF management entity, similar to an investment fund. Many financial institutions, community foundations and charitable organizations offer this service. Each year, the donor recommends grants to their designated registered charities. A contribution to the DAF is tax-deductible, and a charitable tax receipt is issued at the time the contribution is made. donations by corporations

Firms making a donation to a registered charity such as the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Foundation will receive a charitable tax receipt. The amount of the donation is deductible for tax purposes but the firm must meet an income test in order for the donation to be fully deductible within the year. The deduction is limited to 75% of the firm’s net income before the donation expense is claimed.

Therefore, in a year that the company has a loss, the donation would carry forward to be claimed in the next five years. donations by partnerships

If a partnership (which is not a taxable entity) makes a donation to a regis-

tered charity, the donation amount will be allocated to the partners in the same proportion as the partnership’s income is allocated. If the partner is an individual, the personal tax rules will apply, and she will receive a tax credit. If the partner is a corporation, the corporate tax rules will apply, and the corporate partner will treat the donation as an expense. gift of property

A gift of property to a registered charity, such as the donation of your archive to the Canadian Centre for Architecture, is considered a disposition by the donor and may result in a capital gain on disposition. In return, the donor will receive a charitable tax receipt for the fair market value of the donated property. If the donated property has qualified as “Canadian Cultural Property,” the gain on the disposition of the property is deemed to be nil, and the donor can still claim the donation credit.

This tax treatment also applies to donation of publicly traded securities. Under normal circumstances, when you sell a publicly traded security, you are subject to capital gains tax. However, when you donate an appreciated investment to a registered charity, you don’t have to pay tax on any capital gain and you still receive a charity receipt for the fair market value of the security donated. sponsorships

Sponsorships to registered charities and NPOs are not eligible for a tax receipt as there are commercial benefits received, such as advertising and promotion of the firm. This is the case if the firm was to sponsor Canada’s entry to the Venice Architecture Biennale, for example. Therefore,

the business making the sponsorship will claim the contribution as a business expense rather than a charitable donation. performing services for a registered charity

When a business performs services (such as working pro bono) for a registered charity or NPO, it must issue an invoice and charge HST as for its other customers. We’ve seen many arrangements whereby registered charities will engage a firm for services with the expectation that the firm will donate back the value of the contract/invoice. In this case, the company’s revenue and expense for the donation is offset, and the company will ultimately realize a net expense equivalent to the cost of its employees’ time. There is no other deduction available to the company under this scenario.

The use of these different forms of giving will continue to grow as government funding for programs decreases and social responsibility becomes a more important factor for many businesses. Whether implementing a not-for-profit structure as part of a for-profit business, setting up a donor-advised fund, or donating services to registered charities, many opportunities exist for practicing corporate social responsibility.

The result: helping specific causes championed by business owners, while at the same time creating win-win propositions for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Amir Fathollahzadeh is Partner, Assurance and Business Advisory, at toronto-based shimmerman Penn LLP. Amir is also part of the firm’s industry specialist group for architecture, engineering and design firms.

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1-800-UNILOCK UNILOCK.COM Milan Condominiums, Toronto, Ontario Design: Alexander Budrevics

11:38 AM

Ice Villages December 11, 2014-April 18, 2015

In this exhibition at bulthaup Toronto, photographer Richard Johnson documents and compares the similarities and differences of ice-fishing architecture across all of Canada’s provinces. www.icehuts.ca

Mapped Ground: Representing the Urban Imaginary January 21-March 28, 2015

Toronto’s Urbanspace Gallery presents map-making approaches in this exhibition that link urban design with the geological and geographic, the regional and the territorial, to engage unseen dynamics of the contemporary city. www.urbanspacegallery.ca

Treatise: Why Write Alone?

January 23-March 28, 2015

Organized by Jimenez Lai, this exhibition and publication project at the Graham Foundation in Chicago brings together 14 young design offices to consider the architectural treatise as a site for theoretical inquiry, experimentation and debate. www.grahamfoundation.org

construction in Ontario, including fire protection, acoustic, structural, building envelope, and insurance considerations. http://wood-works.ca/ontario/educational-events/

Nanne de Ru lecture February 12, 2015

Nanne de Ru, cofounder of Powerhouse Company in Rotterdam, lectures at 6:30pm at Ryerson University’s Department of Architectural Science.

Winter Stations Pecha Kucha February 13, 2015

Taking place at 6:30pm on the trading floor of Toronto’s Design Exchange, this event features presentations by the winning designers of the recent Winter Stations competition. www.winterstations.com

Anne Bordeleau lecture February 13, 2015

Anne Bordeleau, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Waterloo’s architecture program, lectures at 7:00pm at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge.

University of Calgary’s downtown campus.

Cohen and Dan Hanganu.

Rebecca Solnit in conversation

Aaron Betsky lecture

February 19, 2015

February 26, 2015

Award-winning writer, historian and activist Rebecca Solnit speaks at 7:30pm at Toronto’s Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art about her wide-ranging publications on art, politics and community, including her brilliantly reinvented atlases of the cities of San Francisco, New Orleans and, soon to be released, New York.

Aaron Betsky, architectural critic, writer and curator, lectures at 7:00pm at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge.

www.prefix.ca

The Artist Project

www.mcgill.ca/architecture/lectures

Pat Hanson lecture February 26, 2015

Pat Hanson, principal of gh3 in Toronto, lectures at 6:30pm at Ryerson University’s Department of Architectural Science.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time

Tatiana Bilbao lecture

February 19-22, 2015

Barbara Brown-Wilson lecture

February 17, 2015

March 2, 2015

February 7-May 10, 2015

Architect Tatiana Bilbao of Tatiana Bilbao S.C. in Mexico City delivers the William Hobart Molson Lecture at 6:00pm in Room G10 of the Macdonald-Harrington Building at McGill University.

This contemporary art fair at Toronto’s Better Living Centre features work from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad, from whom you can purchase directly.

Taking place at the Art Gallery of Ontario, this is the first-ever retrospective of this revolutionary artist’s work in Canada, and features over 80 major paintings and drawings exploring issues of race, identity and social injustice. www.ago.net/basquiat

Maurizio Varratta lecture February 9, 2015

Maurizio Varratta, founder and principal of Maurizio Varratta Architetto in Genoa, Italy lectures at 6:00pm at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

www.theartistproject.com

Barbara Brown-Wilson of the School of Architecture at UT Austin lectures at 6:00pm at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture.

Christoph Reinhardt lecture

Alberta Wood WORKS! Engineering Workshop

Jenny Sabin lecture

March 2, 2015

February 23, 2015

February 17-18, 2015

Jenny Sabin of Jenny Sabin Studio and Assistant Professor of Architecture at Cornell University speaks at 6:30pm at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver.

Christoph Reinhardt of MIT’s Sustainable Design Lab delivers the BC Hydro Power Smart Lecture at 6:30pm at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver.

Taking place at the Coast Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre in Calgary, this two-day workshop is geared to those looking to enhance their skills in wood design. http://ams.cwc.ca/Live/AMS/Pages/amsevent-details/6945?isPreview=False

www.facebook.com/ForumLectureSeries

Toronto Mid-Rise Symposium

Mariana Ibañez and Simon Kim lecture

February 11, 2015

February 18, 2015

This event at the Paramount Conference Centre in Woodbridge focuses on wood-frame mid-rise

Mariana Ibañez and Simon Kim of London-based Ibañez Kim Studio lecture at 6:00pm on the

The New Architecture of Montreal Libraries

Anders Sletten Eide and Mattias Fredrik Josefsson lecture

February 23, 2015

March 3, 2015

Moderated by Guy Berthiaume, this panel discussion on library design at 6:00pm in Room G10 of the Macdonald-Harrington Building at McGill University features Manon Asselin, Randy

Anders Sletten Eide and Mattias Fredrik Josefsson of the Bergen School of Architecture in Norway present a lecture at 6:30pm at Ryerson University’s Department of Architectural Science.

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canadian architect 02/15­

Calendar

Applied Photography Ltd. (reprinted from The Canadian Architect, January 1978) Shai Gil

canadian architect 02/15­

Looking Back

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Toronto Reference Library Text

Stephanie Calvet

Moriyama & Teshima Architects imagines and reimagines the Toronto Reference Library.

The Toronto Reference Library (TRL) is the flagship of the world’s busiest urban library system. Occupying over 416,000 square feet, it is a landmark situated adjacent to one of the city’s liveliest intersections—Yonge and Bloor—at the junction of two subway lines. The TRL opened its doors in 1977. Designed by architect Raymond Moriyama, FRAIC, the robust five-storey building was clad in red brick, its mass scaled back by terracing the façade along the diagonal. Bands of mirrored glass suggested an inner world within. The narrow corner entrance, flanked on two sides by a colonnade, drew patrons into the building’s soaring interior. With escalating demands on the library system, the TRL recently completed an extensive five-year phased revitalization led by Moriyama & Teshima Architects, though its cofounder Raymond has since retired.

The renewal of the TRL presented an opportunity to create a library of the future for Torontonians: a technologically advanced public space to meet a growing need for innovation, research and collaboration. Outreach strategies include an expanding range of programming. Here, you can take a workshop, get a flu shot, publish a book, or make a 3D-printed model.

“The key,” says Raymond’s son Ajon Moriyama, MRAIC, who was partner in charge of the revitalization (he has since left the firm), “was creating as much flexibility—physically, operationally and socially—in the space as possible.”

The building buzzes from top to bottom. It is centred on a vast tiered atrium inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The interiors are bright, airy and uncluttered. Over the last five years, a series of interventions were thoughtfully integrated: a refurbished gallery, a freestanding theatre, a cultural and literary salon seating 600, enhanced spaces for quiet individual

Top row Views of the original 1977 library, designed by Raymond Moriyama. Bottom row Extensive renovations were recently completed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects.

study and group work. A double-height rotunda dedicated to special collections reinterprets the romantic feel of old libraries with a distinctly modern material palette of concrete, titanium and dark wood. Each venue provides opportunities for people to meet, interact and exchange ideas.

While the TRL’s role as a social gathering place grows, the written word still lies at its core, both in physical and digital form. Over four million items reside on site—novels, periodicals, films and maps. The building employs concealed mezzanines to maximize overall storage capability, amplified through the use of space-saving compact shelves. Open-plan layouts were rezoned for easier self-navigation; stacks were reconfigured to facilitate research. The library continues to explore and adopt emerging technological tools to better monitor collections and support learning and discovery.

Beyond the rows of books and computers are labs and maker spaces— means by which the TRL helps drive digital literacy through experiential learning. Access to laser cutters and audio mixers turns patrons from content consumers into creators.

The library’s re-envisioned design recalls Raymond Moriyama’s visionary initial design concept of a glass box, which the City dropped in favour of a brick-clad volume. The revitalization provides a more open and transparent interface with the street: a reading lounge invites glimpses in, a bustling café entices passersby. The formerly dark, deep entrance now takes the dynamic form of a rotated glass cube. At night, it appears as a glowing beacon. The building reclaims its corner site, its evolving mix of paper and pixels drawing from—and contributing to—the downtown milieu.

Stephanie Calvet is a Toronto-based architect and writer.

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Winnipeg Art Gallery

February 28 - May 3 2015 wag.ca | +1.204.786.6641

Arctic Adaptations: Nunavut at 15, the award-winning Canadian exhibition at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia, surveys a recent architectural past, a current urbanizing present, and a projective near future of adaptive architecture in Nunavut.

This unique exhibition reveals acts of architectural resistance and identifies an unrecognized modern Canadian North.

Iqaluit, photograph by Mosesie Ikkidluak.

Presenting Sponsor

For more information on Arctic Adaptations and its Canadian tour please visit arcticadaptations.ca

Presenting Partners

Diamond Sponsors

With the participation of the Government of Canada

Platinum Sponsors

Avec la participation du gouvernement du Canada

Pub Canadian Architect 9" x 11.25"

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