Canadian Architect January 2015 by IQ Business Media

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ADAPTIVE REUSE 7 NEWS

The Isabel by Snøhetta and N45 opens at Queen’s University; winners of the 2015 Winnipeg Warming Huts competition revealed.

28 REPORT

Findings at the annual fall Cersaie show in Bologna are reported by Elsa Lam.

30 PRACTICE

Keith Robinson champions the technically detailed master specification as a highly valuable collaborative tool.

33 CALENDAR

12 UNION STREET ECOHERITAGE SHAPE Architecture adopts an elegant and clever approach to residential densification in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood. TEXT Courtney Healey

18 THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY OLD MAIN ACADEMIC BUILDING ADDITION

Toronto Design Offsite Festival; International Wood Symposium in Vancouver.

34 LOOKING BACK

Luke van Tol reflects on Hotson Bakker Architects’ famed Granville Island redevelopment in Vancouver, covered in this magazine almost 35 years ago.

A building for Canada’s newest law school reflects the unique landscape conditions of its site in the BC Interior. TEXT Adele Weder

23 60 ATLANTIC

BEN RAHN/A-FRAME

Quadrangle Architects revive an industrial building in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood, creating new opportunities for site and program engagement. TEXT Elizabeth Pagliacolo

COVER The Union Street ECOheritage project in Vancouver by SHAPE Architecture. Photo by Eric Scott. V.60 N.01 THE NATIONAL REVIEW OF DESIGN AND PRACTICE/THE JOURNAL OF RECORD OF ARCHITECTURE CANADA | RAIC

CANADIAN ARCHITECT

JANUARY 2015

CANADIAN ARCHITECT 01/15

VIEWPOINT ACROSS CANADA , public-private partnerships

(P3s) are a challenging reality for architectural practices of all sizes. However, even as the umbrella of P3s grows larger, a mounting body of evidence is pointing to the system’s flaws. The latest critique comes from Ontario auditor general Bonnie Lysyk. Last December, her office released a scathing review of infrastructure spending since 2005, when Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP)—Ontario’s name for P3s—was first introduced to the province. The rationale for the new process was to provide the best value for public money, by transferring risk to the private sector. Since then, 74 facilities, including hospitals, courthouses and sporting venues, have been completed or are underway as P3s. The price tag of these P3s? Eight billion dollars—or 29%—higher than if the same projects were directly managed by the public sector. In theory, that difference is like an insurance policy, justified by the risks associated with often over-budget infrastructure projects. But the cost of those risks is grossly overestimated, says Lysyk. For the 74 facilities, Infrastructure Ontario estimates the expense of risks—such as unforeseen site conditions, cost overruns, and labour strikes—would be $18.6 billion with public-sector delivery. That’s more than 66% of the base construction cost. Under AFP delivery, risk is transferred to the contractor, and the additional estimated cost to the government is a still significant $4 billion (15%) premium. To spell this out: to build these 74 projects directly through the public sector would have cost an estimated $28 billion. By factoring in Infrastructure Ontario’s estimated $18.6 billion in retained risks, the total comes up to $46.6 billion. For the private-sector alternative, the tangible costs—the same base construction price, plus financing costs (at a higher cost of borrowing) and fees for the private-sector partner—tally up to $36 billion. With the smaller $4 billion in risk premium allocated to the private contractors, the total comes to $40 billion. That yields $6.6 billion in theoretical savings in favour of P3s. But to arrive at the doom-andgloom prospect of public-sector projects going 66% over budget, risks are assigned in ways that are unclear at best—and erroneous at worst. The auditor general points out that the maintenance of projects and the risk of delayed approvals are double-counted on the government side. Correcting the accounting for these two risks alone would have tipped the balance in favour of traditional procurement for 18 of the 74 projects. The assessment of risks on the whole is a murky science. Infrastructure Ontario uses two external firms to assign and value the cost of the

risks. “In our discussions with the external advisers, they confirmed that the probabilities and cost impacts [of each risk] are not based on any empirical data that supports the valuation of the risks, but rather on their professional judgment and experience,” reports the auditor general’s office. Further details on these calculations are not publicly available, making this shaky ground for significant financial decisions. For architects, the downsides of P3s are wellknown. Bidding for a P3 can involve a massive amount of work that isn’t sufficiently compensated—a significant financial gamble for any office. The selection process weighs heavily on the side of lowest cost, rather than the most innovative design. As a member of the winning proponent team, architects work for a developer, not for the building’s users. Often they have little direct contact with the client. On both proponent and compliance sides, reams of paperwork can bog down a project’s progress—as well as the morale of employees. P3s also represent poor value for the built environment. With few exceptions, P3 projects fall short of the architectural quality that might have been achieved with a comparable budget, under a traditional stipulated-sum contract. Clients also find the P3 process frustrating and costly. The auditor general notes one case where an Ontario college procured phase 1 of a project, a building with classroom and retail space, using public-sector delivery. The project was completed on time and on budget. The college was directed to procure phase 2, the construction of a similar building, through AFP. “After inflation and some differences between the two buildings were factored in, the cost per square foot for this second building was expected to be about 10% higher than the cost per square foot for the first building,” explains Lysyk’s report. “Much of this additional expense stems from higher financing costs and higher ancillary costs (such as legal, engineering and project management fees).” Tellingly, the college tried—unsuccessfully—to be released from using the AFP approach for phase 2. The example demonstrates that there is no reason why wellmanaged public projects cannot meet the ontime, on-budget requirements that are such a Member of vaunted feature of P3s. While it’s challenging to make the public argument for improved architectural quality and ameliorated work process, the argument for saving taxpayer dollars is a clear one. There are eight billion good reasons why, in Ontario alone, this system needs to change.

Inc.

EDITOR ELSA LAM, MRAIC ASSOCIATE EDITOR LESLIE JEN, MRAIC EDITORIAL ADVISOR IAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, FRAIC CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ANNMARIE ADAMS, MRAIC DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB, MRAIC REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS HALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAA REGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAA MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE CALGARY GRAHAM LIVESEY, MRAIC WINNIPEG LISA LANDRUM, MAA, AIA, MRAIC VANCOUVER ADELE WEDER PUBLISHER TOM ARKELL 416-510-6806 SALES MANAGER FARIA AHMED 416-510-6808 CIRCULATION MANAGER BEATA OLECHNOWICZ 416-442-5600 EXT. 3543 CUSTOMER SERVICE MALKIT CHANA 416-442-5600 EXT. 3539 PRODUCTION JESSICA JUBB ART DIRECTOR LISA ZAMBRI VICE PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING ALEX PAPANOU PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP BRUCE CREIGHTON HEAD OFFICE 80 VALLEYBROOK DRIVE, TORONTO, ON M3B 2S9 TELEPHONE 416-510-6845 FACSIMILE 416-510-5140 E-MAIL editors@canadianarchitect.com WEBSITE www.canadianarchitect.com Canadian Architect is published monthly by BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and businessto-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: $54.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $87.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (HST – #809751274RT0001). Price per single copy: $6.95. Students (prepaid with student ID, includes taxes): $34.97 for one year. USA: $105.95 US for one year. All other foreign: $125.95 US per year. Single copy US and foreign: $10.00 US.

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PrOJECTs

The Isabel is a new arts centre for Queen’s University in Kingston, and is Snøhetta’s first Canadian project, designed in partnership with Ottawa firm N45. In addition to a performance hall, the building accommodates the very different needs of theatre, music, and film and media students. It is designed to fit within a compact piece of land around substantial historic structures while featuring fantastic lakeside views. With origins in Oslo, Norway, Snøhetta is well-known for designing a number of significant buildings worldwide, among them the Library at Alexandria in Egypt as well as impressive performance halls in Oslo and Busan, South Korea. The firms’ winning design located the bulk of the new building within the courtyard created by the historic brewery and stable—and then incorporated them directly into the new facility. Repurposing the former brewery meant removing the existing pine, hemlock and spruce floors, which were later remilled and used to finish the interior of the building’s lobby. Virtually a building within a building, the 566-seat performance hall features two-foot-thick walls that effectively muffle external sound disturbances. The room’s shape and form were driven by the international theatre design firm Theatre Projects Consultants, who worked closely with Snøhetta to design an intimate and dynamic performance space. Thanks to its large expanses of glass, The Isabel’s design draws the white-capped Lake Ontario into the building while its sinuous steel roof echoes the glistening waters. Together they tie the concert hall to its waterside environment. The total cost of the Isabel project is $72 million, and has been funded by several major contributions: $31 million from the Bader family; $15 million through the Government of Canada’s Major Infrastructure Component of the 2007 Building Canada Fund; $15 million from the Government of Ontario; $6 million from the City of Kingston; and lastly, $5 million from Queen’s University. www.theisabel.ca/about/architecture

New Halifax Central Library establishes a civic landmark.

The new Halifax Central Library opened to the public last month, and its accessible and welcoming design caters to the city’s diverse population and heritage. An international competition held in 2010 resulted in Danish

SUZY LAMONT PHOTOGRAPHY. COPYRIGHT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY.

The Isabel by snøhetta and N45 opens at Queen’s University.

ABOVE The 566-seat performance hall within The Isabel at Queen’s University is an intimate, warm and dynamic space that boasts superb acoustic insulation for optimal enjoyment.

firm schmidt hammer lassen architects and local firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell winning the contract to design the 15,000-square-metre library sited on a prominent location in the heart of Halifax. A cultural hub accessible to everyone, the building is a catalyst for the regeneration of the downtown area and the product of an extensive co-creation process involving monthly public consultations and workshops with various focus groups. Four rectangular volumes placed on top of one another define the exterior, and are skewed to reflect the strong directional axes present in the immediate neighbourhood. The interior of the library echoes the complexity of the exterior with stairs and bridges in the light-filled atrium connecting the five storeys. The program includes a 300-seat performance space, two cafés, gaming stations, music studios, dedicated space for adult literacy classes, a First Nations reading circle, and boardrooms for local entrepreneurs. The entire second floor is dedicated to children and young adults with areas designed for each age group, ranging from toddlers to teens. schmidt hammer lassen architects has an extensive track record of designing libraries; the most renowned of these may be the extension to the Royal Library in Copenhagen and the RIBA Award-winning University of Aberdeen New Library in Scotland. wood Innovation and design Centre in Prince George opens.

The Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) in Prince George, BC, has recently

opened. One of the tallest contemporary wood buildings in North America, it further positions the province as a leader in wood innovation and design. Designed by Michael Green Architecture, construction of the 29.5-metre, six-storey-high WIDC began in 2013 with 13 different BC companies working collaboratively and employing about 250 staff throughout the province. The WIDC will be a catalyst for future tall wood construction across Canada, North America and around the globe. The building uses a variety of wood products from all parts of British Columbia, including Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock, pine and spruce, as well as engineered wood products produced in the province. The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) will occupy the first, second and third floors of the building, including a lecture theatre on the main level. UNBC is developing two new Master’s programs in engineering that are expected to be offered at the WIDC beginning in September 2015. www.jtst.gov.bc.ca/woodinnovation/

New building for University College of the North in Thompson, Manitoba.

The University College of the North (UCN) is located in a region of Manitoba abundant in natural resources, beautiful lakes, rivers, forests and minerals; serving communities steeped in aboriginal cultures and traditions. Established in 2004, UCN is a unique postsecondary institution offering trades, adult education, certificate, diploma and university degree programs. Designed by Architecture49, the new campus

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News building has a floor area of 87,780 square feet, and was designed and built in conjunction with renovations to the existing Thompson Regional Community Centre on site to create a “town centre.” The two buildings are connected, sharing amenities such as food services, gymnasium, daycare and library. The campus building is a four-storey structure with visual and spiritual connections to the Burntwood River on the north side of the site. The south façade is the public face of the new campus. Conceptually, it is transparent, reflective of the educational and community programs contained within. The curvature of the footprint creates a welcoming gathering place with southern exposure, protected from the north winter winds. The design intent was to simplify the materiality of the building, using materials that relate to the region and aboriginal cultural values. With this in mind, the building utilized local granite, wood, high-performance curtain-wall systems and metal cladding. Green roofs, sloping up from grade level, will provide a natural outdoor environment for students and staff, and give the appearance of the building growing out of the land. A dramatic and welcoming two-storey main entrance strengthens the connection to the community centre, and acts as the central meeting area.

Architecture has a social responsibility; consequently, the design intent was to express the community’s values through architecture. Aboriginal youth are the fastest-growing demographic in Canada, and a lack of access to good education is a major problem facing First Nations. The UCN campus is an inviting destination that inspires and connects the community, and makes these students feel welcome. University of Toronto Mississauga Innovation Centre expands.

The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), the second-largest campus of the University of Toronto, is set on a park-like campus on the valley of the Credit River, surrounded by a mature forest, approximately 33 kilometres west of downtown Toronto. Since establishing its first building in 1966, the campus has been comprised of bold architectural statements that have intensified in recent decades as the university responds to increased enrollment with an influx of buildings. A renovation and expansion of the Kaneff Centre by PCL Constructors with Moriyama & Teshima Architects is the newest addition to the University of Toronto Mississauga Innovation Centre. The design and construction team

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holistically responded to this varied context by enclosing the circular courtyard of the 1992 Postmodern building, showing respect for the distinctive quality of the original design, while transforming the courtyard into an interior rotunda, and balancing the plan with a rectangular parti. The three-storey Innovation Centre establishes offices for the Faculties of Economics and Management, the Offices of the Registrar, as well as active learning classrooms and an inviting student commons for daily social and intellectual engagement that is easily adapted for performances, lectures and career fairs. White powder-coated vertical aluminum fins wrap the building, giving a kinetic quality to the façade, which changes as one moves past the building. This results in an ephemeral and quiet presence that is dynamic, yet still at ease amongst its Brutalist neighbours. The architects went beyond the project brief by formalizing well-trodden pathways and offering an overhang to shelter students as they traverse in inclement weather. At the heart of the building, a soaring inner rotunda is lined with oak fins, creating a dialogue between the interior and exterior—while also abstractly drawing the calmness of the nearby forest into the space. The powerfully rich and minimal material palette of Italian travertine demonstrates the Uni-

versity of Toronto’s commitment to strengthening the educational experience with inspirational architecture that increases the pleasure and well-being of its students, faculty, staff and visitors. The LEED Silver-targeted project was completed in just 21 months, through a design-build procurement process with an aggressive schedule and budget.

A preferred proponent has been selected for the Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) campus redevelopment project, marking an important step toward a new home for the university at Great Northern Way in Vancouver. Applied Arts Team and its design partners have been selected as the preferred proponent that will enter into final negotiations with ECUAD to deliver the project. This follows an extensive evaluation of proponent teams that were shortlisted and invited to submit proposals to design, build, finance and maintain the new campus. Members of Applied Arts Partners include: Brookfield Financial Corp. and EllisDon Capital Inc. as co-consortium leads; Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc. and Chernoff Thompson Architects in charge of design; Ellis-

SHAI GIL

Emily Carr University of Art + design names preferred proponent.

ABOVE Moriyama & Teshima Architects led a team to renovate and expand the Kaneff Centre on the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus, innovatively responding to the original building’s geometries and creating a striking new façade defined by white vertical aluminum fins.

Don Corporation covering construction; and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP, EllisDon Capital Inc. and Fengate Capital Management Inc. helming finance. Service provider is Johnson Controls Inc. ECUAD has outgrown its current Granville Island campus due to increased student demand and the need to accommodate current and emerging program areas. The new campus will accommodate more than 1,800 students and provide state-of-the-art facilities that will attract national and international students

and enhance British Columbia’s reputation for world-class postsecondary education. The capital cost of the project is budgeted at up to $134 million, including a provincial investment of up to $113 million, with the remainder to be raised through the university’s current capital campaign. Construction on the project is anticipated to begin in spring 2015, with an expected completion date in 2017.

www.dsai.ca/news/emily-carr-university-names-preferredproponent

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Awards Two architects among 95 new appointments to the Order of Canada.

Two architects were included in the 95 new appointments to the Order of Canada: Barry V. Downs, C.M. of Vancouver, British Columbia for his contributions as an architect who creates spaces that meld buildings with their natural surroundings; and Robert Mellin, C.M. of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador for his contributions to preserving and restoring Newfoundland’s built architecture and for his publications that have made modern architecture more accessible to a wider audience. The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, was established in 1967, during Canada’s centennial year, to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation.

Design excellence.

www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15922&lan=eng

Gilles Saucier and André Perrotte win the Prix Ernest-Cormier.

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Gilles Saucier and André Perrotte are the first recipients of the new Prix du Québec, the Prix Ernest-Cormier. This prize is Quebec’s highest distinction awarded to a person for his body of work and his career in the field of architecture and design. This also marks the first time that a Prix du Québec has been awarded to a duo, as opposed to recognizing a single person. “It is an immense honour to award the Prix du Québec to a number of important figures that each embody a chapter of Quebec culture,” said Madame Hélène David, Minister of Culture and Communications. “These prizes are the concrete manifestation of all of Quebec’s gratitude with regard to their admirable work in culture. Their remarkable and inspiring actions are worthy of being known, celebrated and awarded.” Gilles Saucier and André Perrotte are the cofounders of Saucier + Perrotte architectes, a leading Montreal-based firm that has redefined contemporary architecture in Canada. Their portfolio evidences a wide range of building types, from the First Nations Garden in Montreal to larger institutional works such as the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Waterloo. www.saucierperrotte.com/nouvelles.php?lg=en&id=46

Moshe Safdie wins 2015 AIA Gold Medal.

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The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently voted to award the 2015 AIA Gold Medal to Moshe Safdie, FAIA, whose comprehensive and humane approach to designing public and cultural spaces across the world has touched millions of people and influenced generations of younger architects. The AIA Gold Medal, voted on annually, is considered to be the profession’s highest honour that an individual can receive. It honours an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Born in Haifa, Israel in 1938, Safdie moved with his family to Montreal in 1953. He studied architecture at McGill University, and after graduation worked with AIA Gold Medallist Louis Kahn, FAIA, in Philadelphia. He returned to Montreal to work on Habitat ’67 for Montreal’s 1967 World’s Fair, which consisted of a series of 158 stacked and terraced apartments. Safdie then began a series of teaching posts that culminated with his appointment as the director of the urban design program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1978-1984. Since 1978, Safdie has been based in Boston while remaining a cit-

izen of Israel, Canada and the United States. Safdie established a Jerusalem office in 1970 and another in Shanghai in 2011. Many of Safdie’s Asian and Middle Eastern projects exhibit a sense of timelessness closely associated with his mentor, Kahn. Safdie’s work naturally melds opposing forms—fusing arcs into squares, spheres into cubes, and ovals into rectangles—to create emotionally evocative architecture. Safdie is the 71st AIA Gold Medallist, and in recognition of his legacy to architecture, his name will be chiselled into the granite Wall of Honor in the lobby of the AIA headquarters in Washington, DC.

structure (including seismic upgrading); preservation of a heritage landscape; advocacy by a group or individual in preserving a heritage site or increasing public awareness of heritage issues; a publication, education program, exhibit, or activity that promotes heritage conservation; and efforts in community or neighbourhood revitalization. Projects must have been completed within the past six years and not have previously received a City of Vancouver Heritage Award. The deadline for nominations is Monday, February 2, 2015 at 4:00pm.

2015 OAA Awards call for entries.

Winners of the Ontario Wood WORKS! 2014 Wood Design Awards announced.

The Ontario Association of Architects is now accepting entries for the 2015 OAA Awards. The awards highlight the best in architectural design and innovation by Ontario architects, recognizing both emerging talent in the industry as well as some of the province’s most established architectural firms. This year, the OAA is emphasizing the importance of submitting multi-unit residential and mixed-use projects—including condominium buildings— within the nominations. As well this year, the OAA is emphasizing that anyone, from members of the public, to industry partners, to architecture firms, can nominate a deserving project on behalf of the architect. Submission categories include: Best Emerging Practice, Design Excellence, Sustainable Design Excellence, Lieutenant Governor’s Award, G. Randy Roberts Service Award, Concepts, Honour Roll, Landmark Designation, Lifetime Design Achievement, Order of da Vinci and People’s Choice. The deadline for submissions is January 26, 2015 at 4:30pm. Award recipients will be honoured at the 2015 OAA Annual Conference in Hamilton in May. www.oaa.on.ca

2015 City of Vancouver Heritage Awards call for nominations.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 32nd City of Vancouver Heritage Awards, which recognize the accomplishments of individuals and organizations that have furthered the goal of heritage conservation in the city. Nominations may be submitted for: restoration, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse or continued maintenance of a heritage building or structure, a significant interior of a heritage building, or characteristic features of a heritage building or structure; use of innovative engineering techniques or restoration/conservation methods in upgrading a heritage building or

http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/heritage-awards.aspx

Architects, engineers and project teams recently received Wood Design Awards at the 14th annual Wood WORKS! celebration. The Ontario Wood Award was given to Grotto in Sans Souci by Partisan Projects and Moses Structural Engineers Inc., and the Green Building Wood Design Award recognized Richcraft Recreation Complex in Kanata by Salter Pilon Architecture Inc. and exp Services Inc. The School of Social Sciences in Ottawa by Diamond Schmitt Architects in joint venture with KWC Architects and Halsall Associates won the Interior Wood Design Award, while the Great Gulf Active House in Thorold by superkül and Quaile Engineering took the Residential Wood Design Award. The Multi-Unit Wood Design Award was given to Southdown Institute in Holland Landing by Montgomery Sisam Architects and Read Jones Christoffersen. The St. Victor Catholic School in Mattawa by Larocque Elder Architects, Architectes Inc. and Halsall Associates Ltd. scooped the Institutional—Commercial Wood Design Award < $10M, while Lansdowne Park in Ottawa by CannonDesign Ltd. and Halsall Associates/Moses Structural Engineers Inc. took the Institutional—Commercial Wood Design Award > $10M. The Northern Ontario Excellence Award recognized the Victoria Linklater Memorial School in North Spirit Lake by Architecture 49 and WSP Group, and the Jury’s Choice Award went to Deer Clan Longhouse in Crawford Lake by Brook McIlroy and Blackwell. Blackwell of Toronto also won the Engineer Wood Advocate Award, and ZAS Architects of Toronto took the Architect Wood Advocate Award. The Wood Champion Award honoured the Ontario Home Builders Association, RESCON, BILD, AMO, Chair of FONOM, Chair of NOMA. www.newswire.ca/en/story/1445063/ontario-wood-

works-2014-wood-design-award-winners-announced

DesignAgency wins 2014 European Hotel Design Award for hotel in Venice.

Toronto-based DesignAgency has won a 2014 European Hotel Design Award for Best Interior Design in the Lobby, Lounge and Public Areas category for Generator Venice. Generator Barcelona was also nominated for Best Lobby, Lounge and Public Space. The European Hotel Design Awards recognize the most innovative hospitality properties constructed or renovated within the past 18 months, and is juried by industry leaders. Restoring a 200-year-old Venetian palazzo located on the waterfront of the Island of Giudecca, Generator Venice was designed to complement the mystery and splendour of Venice, mixing historic features with contemporary furnishings, custom-made elements by local artisans and antiques from Italian markets. As Europe’s fastest-growing hostel brand, Generator offers travellers stylish and safe central and affordable accommodation, and currently has nearly 5,200 beds located across six countries. The portfolio expanded to eight in summer 2013 with the addition of its first venture in Spain (Barcelona) and its second in Berlin. These join Generator Berlin Prenzlauer Berg, Copenhagen, Dublin, Hamburg, London and Venice. Characterized by their cuttingedge design, central locations, creative events, locally inspired menus and wide range of room options, from private ensuite twins to femaleonly dorms, each Generator hostel offers free Wi-Fi, stylish bar and chill-out areas, and 24-hour security. http://generatorhostels.com Shim-Sutcliffe Architects receives 2014 Living City Award.

Shim-Sutcliffe Architects has received a 2014 Living City Award from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for its design of the Sisters of St. Joseph Residence in Toronto. The Living City Awards are presented to organizations and individuals who help make the Toronto region “a cleaner, greener, and healthier place to live,” a place where “human settlement can flourish forever as part of nature’s beauty and diversity.” According to the jury, the Sisters of St. Joseph Residence is an outstanding project overlooking the Don River ravine in Toronto demonstrating that landscape stewardship and sophisticated green technologies can be a design anchor for mainstream redevelopment in a meaningful manner. The assisted-living facility, chapel and hospital project embodies the deep environmental com(continued on page 31)

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Back to the Future A deftly designed infill development returns a pair of Vancouver properties to the occupational density they enjoyed 100 years ago. Union Street ECOheritage, Vancouver, British Columbia SHAPE Architecture Inc. Text Courtney Healey Photos Eric Scott Project

Architect

Density is something of an obsession around Vancouver as the metro region prepares for an influx of over one million new residents in the next 25 years. Preparation thus far has been largely limited to massive podium-tower developments for which public opinion has soured in recent years. Vancouverites are demanding different forms of density, but many new proposals draw heavy neighbourhood opposition. This process usually creates a stalemate between two unworkable outcomes: the total destruction of neighbourhoods, or stagnation. It’s a particular issue in older neighbourhoods near the downtown core, flush with heritage homes that are charming but energy-sucking hogs—leaving density on the table and driving up the cost of housing for everyone. If we Vancouverites are opposed to generic redevelopments, at another level, we also crave the sense of connectedness that can result from increased density. The Vancouver Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country, recently spent two years surveying local resi-

dents, community leaders and charitable organizations to determine the most pressing issue facing the city. To their surprise, the overwhelming response was isolation and disconnection. Residents of this world-class city feel lonely and find it difficult to make friends. The report found that people increasingly live in silos separated by culture, language, income and age. Respondents followed up with hard questions: “How can we begin to tackle complex issues like poverty and homelessness if people are disconnected, isolated and indifferent? How can we make people care about community issues if their concern stops at their front yard?” One front yard in Vancouver’s oldest residential neighbourhood, Strathcona, was the starting place for grassroots developers Dick Hellofs and Karli Gillespie who, along with SHAPE Architecture, have eked out a small pocket of difference in this disaffected city. Their Union Street ECOheritage project also reimagines the often fraught relationship between development and heritage preservation. For SHAPE, the

ABOVE Located in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood, the ECOheritage development includes a widened sidewalk, walkways and patios that invite residents to linger outside and chat with their neighbours. The project weaves in and around two existing heritage homes, which have been restored and raised to make room for lower-level units.

term ECOheritage is shorthand for grafting super-efficient new construction onto underperforming housing stock to bring overall energy use down, while retaining the cultural value of heritage-listed buildings. On Union Street, this was no small accomplishment. The project took five years to complete and went through many rounds of city approvals and public consultations owing to conflicting civic policies and neighbourhood concerns over densification. Houses in Strathcona were built around the turn of the last century for labourers from the nearby Hastings Mill. It is a neighbourhood of unremarkable clapboard houses, its charm residing in the pleasing scale of its streets and higgledy-piggledyness of its structures. Strathcona, like

Manhattan, experienced its peak density sometime around 1910. At that time, 662 and 666 Union Street were home to about 14 people. Residents were likely families with four or five kids, a grandparent or two, maybe an uncle or cousin working in a nearby factory. We’ve long ceased to live in large multigenerational households. When Dick and Karli bought the houses five years ago, there were four people living between them. The challenge they brought to SHAPE Architecture was to recreate the level of density and affordability found in Strathcona a hundred years ago, while working within the neighbourhood’s context to create something relevant for today. Aggregating lots to build multi-family housing is nothing new: in fact, it

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is a trend across North America, where 70% of new home construction is multi-family and 30% is single-family (40 years ago, those numbers were reversed). What sets the Union Street project apart stems from SHAPE’s thoughtful study of neighbourhood development patterns over time. By preserving the footprint and massing typical of the surrounding neighbourhood, they have created a new prototype for densification. Today, there are over a dozen people living at 662-666 Union Street, only now they comprise seven distinct households on a stratified property. Each of the existing houses was raised and positioned to receive both a compact one-bedroom unit below and a one- or two-bedroom multi-level unit to the rear. A new freestanding lanehouse for Dick and Karli completes the ensemble. The new residents are owners and renters from toddlers to retirees; they are singletons, couples and families. What they share

is the desire for community and the need for affordable space in the city. The first thing you notice when walking down Union street is how the concrete sidewalk simply widens right into the ECOheritage site. It may not sound like much, but the lack of barrier onto a private residential property belies a “welcome in my backyard” attitude found throughout the project. This is not to say that one is whisked from the street into the living room. From the informal sidewalk court, a steep concrete stair runs up parallel to the street toward a central pathway between the houses. The front porch of each heritage house is removed a few steps further up. The path provides access to rear and lower-level units before opening onto a patch of lawn at the heart of the site—a green roof over a sunken mechanical room, forming a de facto shared courtyard. The path turns past the front door and patio of the lane house, branching to A

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Opposite Top The laneway unit at the rear of the property includes skylights and pockets of outdoor space that make the compact residence feel unexpectedly spacious. ABOVE, top to bottom A semi-detached rear-facing unit is tucked behind each of the heritage homes; a central walkway serves as an access spine and informal meeting place for residents.

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access a bike-storage shed and vegetable patch on one side, and the sunken forecourt of a rear-facing unit on the other. There are no broad strokes to the plan and no one-size-fits-all solutions, noteworthy for what was essentially spec housing. Each square foot is designed with considered respect to the next. This might sound tedious, but the results are worth the effort. SHAPE works with existing topography and creates sectional variations to great effect across the tight site. Units are relatively small but the interior volumes are generous. Each unit, in its siting and prospect, feels private yet connected. Front doors and individual outdoor spaces are all located at different elevation points—whether a few feet or a full storey up or down from the adjacent grade. Recognizing that views are tight, the architects mine Vancouver’s bright grey sky for all it’s worth, employing numerous skylights and clerestories to throw a surprising amount of light into the units. Open a door off the covered central walkway into a rear-facing unit, and you enter a narrow slot of foyer and stair: there is no immediate view but the space is bathed in light from two levels above. At 500 square feet spread

over two floors, the planning in this unit is nimble, and even with two separate stairs, little space feels wasted with circulation. The successful design of the new units becomes even more evident when contrasted with the heritage house interiors. While SHAPE has carefully restored the homes, the original structures remain largely intact, save a widened doorway here or a half-bath there. It is noticeable, then, how much space is given over to hall and stair and how the light enters predictably from straightforward openings in the centre of walls or facing onto a covered porch. The design team has improved this condition with skylights and dormers on the upper floors. Overall, there is a give and take between the old and new structures. The quirkiness of the site plan and the eccentricities of the heritage buildings temper a tendency toward flat minimalism in the new units. At the same time, the simple and economical approaches to material details in the renovations and additions keep the heritage elements from feeling too fussy. The old houses form the basis for an inventive urban design solution

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Raised planter beds dot the property, adding swatches of green to the composition; two heritage houses were renovated as part of the project; the clients occupy ECOheritage’s laneway unit. oPPosite Bottom A view of the eastern rear-facing unit, with the central walkway at left.

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that builds density into an existing neighbourhood. Standing at the centre of the site, it is easy to imagine spreading this kind of quasi-invisible density over the entire neighbourhood. But density itself does not create community, just as green products alone do not create sustainable developments. SHAPE understands this: they’ve used the basic tools of architecture to manipulate space and light and to choreograph movement across the site. In doing so, they’ve elevated their client’s vision and the city’s potential to the next level. The project’s success has been swiftly and widely recognized. The Union Street project meets LEED Platinum targets and achieves an EnerGuide score of 89. The architects and their clients were awarded two of the City of Vancouver’s inaugural Urban Design Awards. Neighbouring municipalities are studying the project to inform their community plans and design guidelines. The project has also begun to attract likeminded would-be developers, who wend their way to Dick and Karli’s front door for advice on how to develop their own eco-urban utopias. Dick and Karli talk about the project’s success in less quantifiable terms. They point to Karli’s mother who, in early planning stages, had stressed her need for absolute privacy and seclusion from neighbours. But after downsizing from her traditional single-family house and moving to Union Street a year ago, she can now be found out on the front steps every day of the week, chatting with neighbours and making new friends. Happiness might seem like a hokey metric for evaluating a city—but feeling good about where we live, feeling connected to our neighbours, and feeling part of a community are imperative to a wellfunctioning democracy of engaged and empathetic citizens. Courtney Healey is the Director of Lodge Think Tank and an intern architect at PUBLIC in Vancouver.

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Civil Action

A whimsical roofline tops Canada’s newest law school, reflecting local landscape motifs and providing aspiring lawyers with flexible spaces for socializing and study.

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have been sacred to the region’s aboriginal Secwepemc community. In the Kamloops Library, the design team found an image of the peaks’ double curvature in the reproduction of an A.Y. Jackson painting. The 400-footlong undulating roofline redefines the bedraggled old building known as Old Main and provides an extra 45,000 square feet of interior space. This kind of almost-representational design scheme comes dangerously close to being an architectural one-liner. While the incorporation of local aboriginal values and history is important, appropriate and often effective, it does not automatically make for better architecture. And the strategy of deploying an almost-literal riff on an adjacent form—whether natural or manmade—risks creating an unconvincing sequel to the first form. However, in this case, Diamond Schmitt offers a convincing practical rationale for the twin-peaks form. The roofline creates generous, dramatic spaces for the functional elements of the program, and could also be built with a pre-fab system of panel assembly. The original building had not been structurally designed to hold a double-height addition. During a charrette with structural engineer Paul Fast—who principal Don Schmitt, FRAIC, describes as “a magician with wood”—a series of solutions emerged. An in-depth engineering analysis determined that the original 1970s-era structure did have the capacity to carry a certain amount of extra weight. To extend that surplus capacity to meet the needs of the program, the engineers and architects selected strategically lighter building materials—steel and timber—for the addition. The original concrete load-bearing columns were vertically extended with extremely slender five-inch-diameter steel columns to support the double-

Opposite A recent renovation gives a facelift to a 1970s academic building at Thompson Rivers University, adding a two-storey addition, a new entrance and refreshed cladding. TOP The swooping roofline reflects the curving brows of nearby mountains.

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Project

A small city nestled in the British Columbia Interior, Kamloops is an atypical locale for a Diamond Schmitt project, and an even less likely site for a law school. Most of Canada’s 22 law universities are in major urban centres, and none have the backdrop of Thompson Rivers University (TRU). Unusual too, for a Diamond Schmitt project, is the modest scope: essentially a two-storey addition to a once-bleak shoebox of a building. But the significance of TRU’s newly expanded law school is not its size but its reach. Further north than any law school in the province, the TRU Faculty of Law aims to attract and train students that are too often marginalized from the big-city professional schools in the faraway south. Incorporated in 2011, TRU Faculty of Law is Canada’s first new law school in 30 years. With its recent addition, the school offers not only physical proximity but also a confident architectural presence to a diverse student population. The university’s backdrop is not a herd of high-rises but a series of craggy brown hills spiked with jackpines. “We’re understanding this environment for what it is, not as a substitute for an urban environment,” says architect Michael Leckman, MRAIC, of Diamond Schmitt. You will never see a roller-coaster roofline like this in the heart of Toronto, or even in North Vancouver—where, despite that city’s own mountainous backdrop, Diamond Schmitt designed the new central library with a more conventional rectilinear massing. In generating the distinctive shape, the design team started off with a fairly literal nod to the surrounding landscape: a two-humped roofline that evokes the twin peaks of Mount Peter and Mount Paul, mountains that

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Thompson Rivers University Old Main Academic Building Addition, Kamloops, British Columbia Architects Diamond Schmitt Architects and Stantec Architecture (associate architect) Text Adele Weder Photos Tom Arban and Ed White

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height addition. And in a deft two-for-one design approach, the required seismic upgrade—conceptually suggested as exterior buttresses in the concept illustrations—was made on the interior of the building with reinforcement plates and angles. In this way, the seismic upgrade serves the dual purpose of bracing the building for earthquakes while strengthening its load-bearing capacity enough to carry the addition. To meet a tight summer installation, the team conceived of a prefabrication system that allowed for construction to take place in a short seven-week timespan. Panellized sections were built offsite, and then brought onsite for quick assembly atop the existing building. Each panel is constructed using glulam beams, wood joists and plywood sheathing. Innovative thinking was required to comply with the building code. The addition was too tall to permit combustible materials in its structure, so an alternative solution based on heavy timber and a fire-retardant treatment was developed, using computer modelling of fire conditions. The structure was also designed to entail the use of pine-beetle-infested wood and other so-called waste wood.

The design team knew that this would be the only law school for hundreds of miles in any direction. But they had no firm enrollment projections to work with, so they had to create a structure whose interior spaces could address dynamically changing needs. The interior cleaves into two distinctive spatial geometries: a dramatic double-height set of spaces—foyer, classrooms and reading room—on one side, and two single-height floors—library stacks, offices and service rooms—on the other. A reading counter that wraps around the upperfloor balustrade currently serves as a linear gathering place, but the uses can shift as the programming and student population changes. “We often talk of buildings that are given a long life because of a loose fit,” says Leckman. “It was exactly that: a loose fit over the basic program that we knew would be there.” A huge expanse of glass between the foyer and the library reading room is a visually ambiguous division of space: library users can see all the action transpiring next door, and join in as they see fit. This is not a traditional cloistered law library, physically set off from the

A glazed interior wall enables sight lines between the lobby and library reading room, while a dramatic staircase accesses the upper floor. A view of the library reading room, where the curved roof frames dramatic views of the campus and its alpine surroundings; a wide corridor provides overflow study space and doubles as a panoramic venue for informal gatherings. Opposite

ABOVE, top to bottom

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22 80mM fully adhered, felt-backed PVC membrane 1 / ” roof board 4 (not shown)

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more active spaces. The design strategy nods to the social dimensions of legal education, which have always been crucial to the embryonic careers of lawyers, but far easier in the oak-panelled bars of the big cities. “We were looking for a way to turn up the volume, no question about it,” says Leckman. The students and faculty are, if not exactly marginalized, still far removed from the power centres and Supreme Courts of the Lower Mainland. “They need to be found,” says Leckman, “and they need to make themselves known as a place for a new way of teaching.” Adele Weder is an architectural curator and critic based in British Columbia.

Client Thompson Rivers University | Architect Team Diamond Schmitt Architects—

Donald Schmitt, Michael Leckman, Walton Chan, Matthew Tsui, Gerry Lang, Matin Moghaddam, Eric Fung, Tyson Milani, Jason Wu. Stantec Architecture—Brian Christianson, Alexandra Fessler, Rob Hajdasz, Kelvin Lit, Jody Martens, Alice Shether. | Structural Fast+Epp | Mechanical/Electrical Stantec Consulting | Landscape Stantec Consulting | Interiors Diamond Schmitt ARCHITECTS | Contractor Yellowridge Construction Ltd. | Lighting Design Concept Marcel Dion Lighting Design | Code LMDG Building Code Consultants Ltd. | Area 45,000 ft 2 including 5,000 ft 2 renovation | Budget $20 M | Completion June 2014

ABOVE, top to bottom A view of the pre-renovation Old Main, a utilitarian institutional building; the roof structure is comprised of panels prefabricated off site, allowing for the addition to be erected in a short seven-week timespan over the summer months.

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Warehouse Redux Elegant insertions and strategic sitework bring new life to an industrial building in downtown Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood. 60 Atlantic Avenue, Toronto, Ontario Quadrangle Architects Limited Text Elizabeth Pagliacolo Photos Ben Rahn/A-Frame unless otherwise noted Project

Architect

Adjacent to Toronto’s downtown core, Liberty Village embodies the exasperating dilemma of gentrification in the city. Most can easily point out its worst aspects. An ever-growing cluster of condo towers rings the eastern edge of the neighbourhood. Central to this proliferation, apace for the past 15 years, is a parking lot and strip mall that culminates in a Metro grocery store; a slice of suburbia. Yet the central core of Liberty Village came about as a result of the area’s unique industrial history, some of which survives to this day. Of the area’s heritage structures that have been converted for modern use, the two-storey property at 60 Atlantic Avenue stands out. This isn’t

ABOVE A warehouse dating from the late 1800s is smartly transformed into a contemporary structure housing office and retail functions, and is proving to be a popular gathering spot for residents of this rapidly developing neighbourhood.

just adaptive reuse; it’s a wholesale transformation. Plugged into a glassenclosed corridor along the north elevation, two 13-metre-tall curtain-wall volumes framed in Corten steel glow like lanterns at night, as if signalling the storied building’s rebirth. “I like the idea of heritage, but I don’t like the idea of preservation,” says architect Richard Witt, MRAIC, principal in charge of the project at Quadrangle Architects. “For me, heritage is not about preserving what used to be there, it’s about constantly taking pieces off, adding pieces on, keeping it relevant, keeping it functional.” Functionality is key. 60 Atlantic began life in 1898, when it was built as a warehouse for St. David’s Wine Growers Co. As the area morphed from

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manufacturing centre to dead zone to artist enclave and IT hub, the ivyshrouded building played a vital role in bridging past and present. In 1991, Artscape moved in, and proceeded to parcel out low-rent studio spaces to painters, sculptors, media artists and others while setting up a support system for the burgeoning creative community at large. Two decades later, the organization was effectively priced out of the space. In his goodbye letter to Liberty Village, Artscape CEO Tim Jones explained: “In 2005 […] the annual operating subsidy required to keep rents below market needed to end. While Artscape is proud of its work in making space for creativity and transforming communities, we are not immune from the pressures of the real estate market.” Those same pressures weighed on developer Jeff Hull, who bought the property in 2012 and was initially advised to demolish it and erect an eight-storey office block in its place. Instead, he championed the existing architecture. “We’re in the business of buying, renovating and owning buildings with character—we think there’s value in that,” he said. The 43,000-square-foot project would also be a test for Hull’s other newly acquired heritage properties around the city. In the few years since taking over Hullmark, which his grandfather founded in 1950, the 33-year-old entrepreneur has shifted the company’s focus away from huge suburban developments (like the Hullmark Centre in North York) to mixed-use retrofits of century-old architecture in the city core. Other conversions in progress include 545 King Street West and 100 Broadview. But 60 Atlantic is special, and Hull saw its potential as a hy-

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A generous courtyard was created alongside the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former basement level; a narrow, glass-wrapped addition adds accessible circulation space linking what were formerly two separate structures; Corten steel planes are used to delineate two service towers. ABOVE Before-and-after photos of a tenant space illustrate the preservation of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial character throughout the renovation. Opposite, clockwise from top left

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brid of office, retail and gathering spot. As it turns out, this was a tall order. The L-shaped footprint amalgamates two structures with different ground-floor levels: the original building that fronts Atlantic Avenue and another that faces Jefferson Street, with a carriageway that ran between. “It was a rabbit’s warren, with a corridor snaking its way through,” says Witt. The first move was to create a new main corridor in the form of an addition nestled alongside the north façade. The corridor ramps up from a wheelchair-accessible glass entry vestibule, tying together the entire building. Two translucent glass-wrapped towers—containing a stairwell, elevator and washrooms—animate this passageway. On the north-south axis, Corten planes slice through the building. In fact, the exterior steel panels were naturally weathered, their silvery finish taking on a rusted patina, while those on the interior were artificially aged to match. “We had someone spray them with vinegar and all sorts of stuff,” laughs Witt. The effect is nonetheless seamless, establishing a visual line from inside to out. The interior corridor features an enlarged Goad’s Fire Atlas map of the former industrial zone. “I’m kind of a map geek,” Hull explains. A red block marks the spot of the former St. David’s Wine Growers, right next to the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women, on the lot now filled by Lamport Stadium. Along with the demolished men’s prison further east, the infamous reformatory gave Liberty Village its name—freed inmates would take their first steps out onto Liberty Street. Many of the other structures on the map still exist. Their present-day identity as lofts, offices, shops and furniture showrooms is a distant echo of the lighting, carpet and metal factories that turned out munitions and supplies in wartime. Quadrangle Architects celebrated 60 Atlantic’s many historical details as they retrofitted the interiors for new creative industries, including the digital agency INVIVO. Over the past decades, various tenants had erected infill walls, punched holes for windows to let more sunlight in and to allow for direct loading, and bricked up other openings. In each case, the architects responded with imaginative ways of contrasting old and new: openings that needed filling were patched up with grey brick to set them apart from the original yellow brick; new windows were framed in anodized aluminum and topped with a beam of unfinished mild steel while historical ones were refreshed with black frames. They also inserted cast-iron floor plates at the threshold of the original building and the corridor addition. The most dramatic change to the original structure was excavating to the basement level on the north side. “When we looked at the levels, we realized the ground floor is four feet above grade, which means the basement is only five feet below,” explains Witt. Digging out a side courtyard, he says, “would realize value while creating a semi-private space that’s connected to the street.” Come spring, Calgary-based Big Rock Brewery will operate a restaurant that spills out into this new courtyard, flanked by a concrete stair integrating bench-sized steps where people can congregate. On Liberty Street, the brewery will have a second entrance to its ground-floor bottle shop and dining area—a few steps below and through a massive arch discovered in the renovation. “It required a bit of structural gymnastics to take out the beam and cut back the second floor to create view lines,” explains Witt. For Hull, the effort has paid off. “We were hoping that a restaurant tenant would see the vision, and luckily Big Rock came along and did.” On the Liberty Street façade, a supergraphic “60” serves as an icebreaker. Like the bench stairs from Atlantic, it beckons passersby to come in. Making new connections to the street was a crucial gesture for both Hull and Witt. These elements complete a transformation at 60 Atlantic that shows how old and new can come together in boldly original ways. Elizabeth Pagliacolo is a Toronto-based architecture and design writer.

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ABOVE, clockwise from top A supergraphic created by artist Pascal Paquette gives the building a bold identity in the neighbourhood; translucent glass brings daylight through the access stair tower; historic maps of the Liberty Village neighbourhood adorn a corridor.

Client Hullmark Developments Ltd. | Architect Team Base Building—Richard Witt, Brian Curtner, Kevin Offin, Court Sin, Danny Tseng, Derek Towns. Interiors—Caroline Robbie, Dyonne Fashina, Julie Mroczkowski, Kenzie Thompson. | Structural Read Jones Christoffersen | Mechanical/Electrical Integral Group | Landscape Vertechs Design Inc. | Interiors Quadrangle Architects Limited | Construction Management First Gulf | Heritage Philip Goldsmith Architect | Artist Pascal Paquette | Area 43,000 ft 2 | Budget Withheld | Completion November 2014

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Inside Out Text

Elsa Lam

Durable ceramic tiles for a multitude of installations—indoors and outdoors—inspire at the 2014 Cersaie show in Bologna, Italy. Cersaie, the annual ceramic tile and bathroom fixture extravaganza held in Bologna, attracts some 900 manufacturers who fill over 16 square kilometres of exhibition space. Host country Italy remains a dominant player in tiles, as a 5-billion-Euro industry—claiming 30.4% of the global market in tiles. It’s closely rivalled by China, which boasts a 26.7% market share. Third place is claimed by Spain, with 15% of global tile revenues. To keep their edge, Italian tile manufacturers have been pushing towards greater innovation. The most successful results go beyond residential kitchens and commercial floors, pointing toward broader applications including feature walls, exterior cladding and raised flooring. Some of the most dramatic products on display this year were large-scale slabs, whose backing incorporates fibreglass mesh. The Magnum Rex line, launched by Florim Ceramiche, reaches sizes of 1.6m x 3.2m—large enough for full countertops, including returns, to be milled from them. Advanced digital-imaging technology makes the line’s high-gloss faux Calacatta marble slabs particularly compelling—at a tenth of the price of the real thing.

Florim Ceramiche’s Rex line of oversized slabs; Laminam’s faux marble slabs can be used for countertops; Tagina’s Dot-to-Dot tiles offer an innovative attachment system; Marazzi’s raised floor supports can be used with a variety of tiles; Ornamenta’s Sale e Pepe collection includes mix-and-match geometries; Brix’s finely crafted Alea line.

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Cotto d’Este showed similarly oversized tiles, which come in a range of thicknesses for different types of installations. Their superstrong 14mm tiles are designed for commercial flooring applications. At the other end of the spectrum, 3.5mm and 5.5mm tiles are intended for wall cladding. According to the manufacturer, the lightness and large size of the tiles allow for speedy installation. The extremely thin tiles are also curveable: they can be installed on walls with a five-metre radius or larger without cracking. Laminam’s supersized slabs may be used in interiors, but their strength also allows them to serve as exterior cladding, using a mounting system produced and tested by the manufacturer. While rarely seen in exterior applications in Canada, porcelain tiles absorb little water—Laminam’s product has a 0.1% average absorption—making them resistant to frost damage and freeze-thaw cycles. To prove the point, distributor StoneTile’s headquarters in Toronto is proudly clad in porcelain slabs. Tagina’s Dot-to-Dot modules are also designed for exterior applications. As an alternative to flat surfaces or slabs, the hexagonal units can be arranged freely as independent pixels on a vertical surface. Each tile is subtly faceted, giving it dimensionality, and the modules include a custom fastener system.

SICIS’s Fiber collection features fine mosic textures and gilded elements; Bisazza’s concrete tiles offer a retro design sensibility; Refin Ceramiche launched Fossil, the winner of a design-your-own tile competition; Visia by Ava includes fine ornamentation with metallic touches; Lea Ceramiche collaborated with HOK to create the Nest collection; 41zero42 introduced its spunky Lola tiles as part of the Paper41 line.

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Raised floors are another application where, in Canada, tiles are underused. Marazzi’s engineering division has developed pedestals that support 50cm square tiles; patterns can be chosen from any of the manufacturer’s many floor-tile lines. An outdoor version—intended for decks and public shelters where lighting and power cables are needed—incorporates open joints and channel systems for drainage. Subtle innovations in form and patterning were also of note. These design-forward tactile patterns drew craned necks—and outreached fingers—at several show booths. The best of the batch show an attention to craftsmanship and detail. Brix’s new line Alea is a grid of tiny, not-quite-circular dots. Reminiscent of marble mosaic tiles, the line comes in subdued tones, making it a classy finish for commercial and residential applications alike. Boutique company 41zero42, named for its postal code in Modena, showed creative verve with their jungle-scene Jane and neon-streaked Lola, both part of the Paper41 line. Rich mixtures of textures, including metallic touches, were also deftly deployed in collections such as Visia by Ava, and Fiber mosaics by SICIS. Collaborations with designers, including architects, were on display

throughout the show. Lea Ceramiche worked with HOK offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Miami to develop Nest—a retro-coloured line based on hexagonal patterns. The oversized tiles, which can be laid in different configurations, are intended for hard-wearing feature walls. A subtle 1950s vibe is also present in Bisazza’s new line of cement tiles with several collaborators, including interior designer Paola Navone. The playfully decorative patterns are intended to be mixed and matched, yielding unique patchwork motifs on walls and underfoot. Ornamenta’s Sale e Pepe (salt and pepper) collection similarly invites customization, inviting designers to create their own compositions from a selection of nine grid patterns in 30 colours. Turning to crowdsourcing, Refin Ceramiche initiated a design-yourown-tile competition, launching the winning design at Cersaie. The refreshing result, by emerging Polish designer Kasia Zareba, is a hand-drawn pattern inspired by the fluted shells of fossil ammonites. The sophistication of today’s tiles make the options worthy of careful consideration by architects—not simply as sturdy surface cladding, but as an integral part of the design of both interior and exterior environments.

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Practice

Put on your Specs Text

Keith Robinson

A well-maintained master specification is a valuable tool that speeds the process of writing project specifications—as well as increasing their accuracy and effectiveness. Writing project specifications is a detailed time-consuming task that can require review and evaluation of very large amounts of information. Some would say they are an expensive proposition: the time involved detracts from time spent more productively on drawings. Many believe that if the design intent can be indicated graphically, then there is little need for the bulk of paper represented by the specifications. Contractors would tend to agree, citing poorly written and ill-coordinated specifications as cost burdens. However, there is a major distinction in the world of project documentation between drawings and specifications. The domain of drawings is intended to indicate relationships, dimensions and quantities of building components, while specifications more appropriately enforce performance requirements by describing the quality of materials and

Construction Community-Driven MasterGuide Specifications There are many construction associations in Canada and across North America that see value in well-prepared, industry-supported masterguide specifications. Since the specifications are written by tradesmen and product manufacturers who are directly involved with the required work results, the content is typically supported with accompanying technical manuals to aid the architect in making the choices needed to tailor the document for the specific needs of a project. In Canada, several associations provide master-guide specifications that are reviewed and updated on a two- to five-year cycle. This means that the specs consistently reflect the most current reference standards, quality testing and installation practices acceptable to that particular industry segment. These master-guide specifications provide the architect with a script to aid in research when meeting with knowledgeable product representatives and installers. One example of a helpful master specification is that of the Terrazzo, Tile and Marble Association of Canada (TTMAC). In addition to being easy to download and edit, the document includes “spec notes” throughout. These provide educational and informational references in blue text to guide the specifier through some of the most common choices and decision points in the process. Attention is called to new standards, deletions and acceptable alternatives so the specification writer can be sure he or she is using the most relevant, current standards. For instance, the current edition references a new testing apparatus that makes slip resistance of flooring products more predictable—a development that may not otherwise be known to the specification writer. Additional examples of master-guide specifications that are available as downloadable documents include the following (fees may apply): • Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC) • Canadian Precast-Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI) • Master Painters Institute (MPI) • Various roof ing contractor associations (RCABC, ARCA, CRCA)

quality of workmanship. Often, our design community falsely sees generic technical requirements as a sound approach to obtaining competitive bids in the publicly procured project world. By avoiding the use of proprietary specifications, we reason, the marketplace will best be able to provide the lowest-cost solution. On the other hand, we also fear that the constructor will use proprietary specifications as a shopping list and incorporate listed products without consideration for constructability. As a result, our specifications often make constructors responsible for interpreting design intent, through reliance on the means-and-methods clauses in most construction contracts. Because of this approach, we end up being dissatisfied with the outcomes in building quality and durability. Public-spending authorities further perpetuate the myth of the generic specification. These clients often fail to recognize the contribution of the architect and constructor in delivering projects that have the best lifetime value, rather than the lowest initial cost. Private-sector owners, for their part, often insist on the lowest price to the detriment of the required performance of the project. As an architectural community, we are challenged by pressure on fees, which are usually affected by the same misguided pursuit of the lowest cost. Lower budgets affect the amount of time spent on document preparation, resulting in increased costs during construction administration. According to a 2014 survey of professional fees, the cost of specifications has fallen to about 1% to 3% of the production budget, while costs for administration have risen to 25% to 30%. As an estimator friend points out, “that puts the cost of production for specifications at less than the cost for providing temporary toilets on the construction site.” It begs the further question: what is the true value of the specification? In his experience as a senior risk analyst, he maintains that a well-prepared specification has the potential to reduce construction cost overages by 60% to 70%, when compared to similar projects having less than adequate documentation. Ultimately, as the professional of record, the architect or engineer is responsible for the performance of the built structure, which is based on the program requirements established by the owner. Failing to meet the program requirements is a leading factor in insurance claims by owners against professionals. Moreover, inadequate descriptions and insufficient coordination of the design intent is leading to increased numbers of delay claims by constructors, and increased costs as a result of errors and omissions being corrected through the change-order process. The solution to all of these issues is rooted in the specifications. Specifications need to move away from the overly simplified and technically inadequate approach that we have adopted over the last few decades. A return to technically competent specifications is required: specifications that are firmly rooted in performance, with product listings that illustrate the design intent, as well as execution requirements. It is a fine line of distinction, but specifications should indicate the required outcome, and avoid telling constructors how to perform their work. The contractual responsibilities should be kept clean: the consultant describes design intent, the constructor responds with appropriate means and methods. Maintaining a technically detailed master specification involves building it up over time to contain project history and incorporate constructive feed-

back through the construction administration process and other contributions from the constructor. This makes for a better set of documents that will be read and accepted by the whole of the project team. Overall, this lays the ground for a construction solution in the best interest of the owner and client. In addition to maintaining an in-house master specification based on accumulated project experience, there are several industry groups that have published master-guide specifications. These master specifications are “living documents” that are updated when required to account for comments from users, and to reflect changes to performance standards referenced within the body of the documents. This is a critical user advantage, since the architects and others using the master specification can specify with the assurance that they are working with the most up-to-date information available. The return on investment for the professional design team is immense. Every hour spent working with master-guide specifications that incorporate beneficial history from projects (as provided by trusted advisors, technical representatives and salespeople) has a direct correlation to a reduction in requests for information, fewer contractor-instigated changes, and higher owner satisfaction. To dispel the fear of using proprietary specifications as a tool, keep the following points in mind (I am not a lawyer, but 35 years of experience has provided a certain amount of wisdom): • Proprietary specif ications do not violate anti-trust laws. Architects, engineers and specifiers are the most competent judges of what products best suit the technical requirements of the project.

• Proprietary specifications can recognize that there may be several solutions to achieve performance. There are no such things as equals, but there is potential for many acceptable materials. • Proprietary specifications may allow for material research by the professional. Rather than providing a shopping list, the specifier may include several acceptable materials as illustrating the performance requirements, and further allow for competitive bidding based on a selection of materials. • Proprietary specifications may also allow for single material selections, particularly where performance requirements have a tight tolerance. They may include the provision that manufacturers and suppliers can propose substitutions having similar or superior performance to the named products, to be submitted to the architect for evaluation. The master specification—whether purchased, developed and maintained in-house, or a combination of the two—is a collaborative tool that opens communication between product representatives, architects, designers and other project decision-makers. Using a well maintained and researched master spec can significantly reduce the time needed to write project specifications, improve the clarity of project requirements, reduce disconnects between the specification and drawings, and provide time for the team to work on what needs to be done. Keith Robinson, FCSC RSW LEED® AP, has worked as a specifications writer since 1981, and is currently an associate at DIALOG in Edmonton. Keith sits on several standardsreview committees for ASTM and NFPA and is the current president of the CSC’s Executive Council.

NEWS (continued from page 11)

mitment of the Sisters with the inclusion of site naturalization and ecological gardens, heritage building rehabilitation, geothermal heating, and water and energy conservation components. It is a stunning and thoughtful project of integrated architecture and landscape design, which highlights the Sisters’ vision for sustainability, openness to nature, and the blending of modern, historic and sacred spaces. In 2013, Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe were named Members of the Order of Canada “for their contributions as architects designing sophisticated structures that represent the best in Canadian design to the world.”

and This Big by Tina Soil and Luca Roncoroni from Droebak Akershus in Norway—a team that also won the Warming Huts competition in 2013 for their entry entitled Wind Catcher. Additionally, The Hybrid Hut by Rojkind Arquitectos of Mexico was chosen by invitation, and creates new hybrids through computeraided design and traditional craftsmanship. Three Warming Hut additions were also selected: Mirror Cloaking by University of Manitoba students; RAW:almond, from Winnipeg; and 6043, designed and constructed by students of Kelvin High School in Winnipeg.

Competitions

VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux DesignBuild Competition returns.

Winners of the 2015 Winnipeg Warming Huts competition revealed.

Three winners were selected in the 2015 Winnipeg Warming Huts competition, an annual art and architecture competition on ice that is organized into two categories: Shelter and Installation. More than 100 submissions from around the globe were reviewed by a “blind” jury, who judged the projects with no knowledge of the designers or their location. The three winners are: The Hole Idea by Weiss Architecture & Urbanism Limited from Toronto; Recycling Words by Montreal’s KANVA;

www.warminghuts.com

VIVA Vancouver will open its 800 Robson Street space to the creative community once again with Robson Redux, a design-build competition that invites emerging and professional designers and artists to submit their design ideas related to the theme of “connection.” The winner will make their design a reality, building and installing it for the 2015 summer season as a public space for people to enjoy. VIVA Vancouver’s Robson Redux design-build competition temporarily transforms the 800 block of Robson Street in downtown Vancouver into a summertime pedestrian plaza. In-

stallation will take place in early summer, open on Canada Day (July 1, 2015), and remain in place until the end of the Labour Day long weekend on September 7, 2015. The winning design will be selected by a jury comprised of Marc Boutin (Principal, Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative and Associate Professor, University of Calgary); Barbara Cole (Principal of Cole Projects, Executive Director of Other Sights for Artists’ Projects Association); Jane Durante (Founding Principal, Durante Kreuk Landscape Architects); Stanley King (Founder and Head of Co-Design Group); and Matthew Soules (Director, Matthew Soules Architecture and Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia). The winning team will be provided with a small design honorarium and up to $40,000 to cover costs of materials, fabrication, construction, installation and de-installation for their projects. Anyone may enter this competition. However, criteria and submission requirements lend themselves to expertise in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, industrial design, contemporary art and other related fields. The competition encourages design teams with diverse skill sets to submit joint entries. The deadline to register is January 30, 2015, followed by the submission deadline of February 13, 2015. www.vivadesigncomp.ca

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10: Sharp Centre for Design Anniversary Exhibition

unique programming.

consumers and top media outlets.

Monogram® Dinner by Design

Anca Trandafirescu lecture

January 20-25, 2015

January 26, 2015

In support of Casey House and the Design Exchange, this six-day event showcases the talents of Toronto’s vibrant design community through a cocktail party, gala dinner and public exhibition at Toronto’s Design Exchange.

Anca Trandafirescu, artist and Taubman College faculty member, lectures at 6:00pm at Room G10 of the Macdonald-Harrington Building at McGill University.

http://todesignoffsite.com

www.interiordesignshow.com

November 27, 2014-April 9, 2015

Ten years after its completion, Toronto’s Sharp Centre for Design is being celebrated through 19 works including early drawings by architect Will Alsop and pieces by artists, alumni and faculty. www.ocadu.ca

UBC Margolese Design for Living Prize Lecture

January 26, 2015

Deborah Gans lecture

Architect Daniel Libeskind lectures at 6:00pm at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

January 19, 2015

Taking place at 6:30pm at Robson Square in Vancouver, this event features a keynote by this year’s UBC Margolese Design for Living prizewinner Vikram Bhatt. Toronto Design Offsite Festival

Daniel Libeskind lecture

www.dinnerxdesign.com

January 21, 2015

Deborah Gans, principal of Gans Studio in New York and Pratt Institute professor, lectures at 9:00am at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Architecture and Planning.

January 19-25, 2015

Interior Design Show

This annual citywide platform for the exhibition and engagement of independent design in Toronto showcases unexpected prototypes, immersive installations and

January 22-25, 2015

Pan Am Village: The Games and Beyond January 28, 2015

The Rotman School of Management in Toronto hosts a panel comprised of Bruce Kuwabara, Kenneth Tanenbaum, Meg Davis and Peter Clewes, who will discuss the development and future of the new Pan Am Athletes’ Village in Toronto’s West Donlands. http://toronto.uli.org/event/pan-villagegames-beyond-panel/

Designing the Architect January 26, 2015

This symposium at 6:30pm at the Toronto Reference Library focuses on reshaping architectural pedagogy in the information age. www.designingthearchitect.com

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre hosts IDS 2015 and features industry superstars, cuttingedge emerging names, design-savvy

Morphosis Architects, lectures at 6:00pm at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture.

Eui-Sung Yi lecture January 27, 2015

Eui-Sung Yi, design principal at

International Wood Symposium January 29, 2015

This international wood symposium at Vancouver Convention Centre West is designed for architects, structural engineers, building officials and other design and construction professionals. www.wood-works.ca/bc

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SIMON SCOTT, REPRINTED FROM THE CANADIAN ARCHITECT, AUGUST 1980

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LOOKING BACK

GRANVILLE ISLAND TEXT

ABOVE A view down Granville Island’s Duranleau Street reveals the industrial shed structures that have been repurposed for new uses.

Luke van Tol

2015 MARKS CANADIAN ARCHITECT’S 60TH YEAR IN CONTINUOUS PUBLICATION. FOR THE COMING MONTHS, THE MAGAZINE’S BACK PAGE WILL REVISIT OUR ARCHIVES. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE GLIMPSES INTO THE HISTORY OF OUR MAGAZINE—AND THE HISTORY OF CANADIAN ARCHITECTURE. Granville Island is a Vancouver success story, with over 10 million visitors annually and longstanding praise from the architectural community for its approach to adaptive reuse. So, it is surprising to reflect on how challenging it was to convince authorities—and Vancouver at large—to preserve Granville Island’s industrial past in the 1970s. In August 1980, The Canadian Architect applauded the recent work done on Granville Island, a 38-acre peninsula located across False Creek from downtown Vancouver. The Island comprised a conglomeration of industrial buildings that were becoming increasingly run-down as businesses shifted their manufacturing operations to Vancouver’s outlying regions. The development of South False Creek as a residential area spurred the Granville Island Trust to imagine an open green space to complement its adjacent neighbourhood. Architects Norman Hotson, FRAIC, and Joost Bakker, FRAIC, then of Hotson Bakker Architects, envisioned more: in Bakker’s words, “a place of public interest with a diversity of uses that recycles the old industrial structures while maintaining 15 acres of open space.” How did Hotson and Bakker persuade the Trust that Granville Island’s old buildings were icons rather than eyesores? Bakker reflects that there was a uniqueness to that moment in time, when eco-thinking was just emerging. The philosophy of “reduce, reuse, recycle”—part of Bakker’s definition of adaptive reuse, with its ethical, economic and environmental implications—had expanded into the public consciousness. Moreover, Postmodern thinking gave value to heritage attributes, and industrial sheds and rail tracks were viewed as important artifacts of the city’s history. The space was appreciated partly for its character, and partly because of public nostalgia for the past.

Economics also contributed to the argument for an adaptive reuse approach. “To dismantle and then construct a space of equal scale to some of these structures would be costly,” explains Bakker. As an alternative, “smaller alterations to support the new functions were preferred.” An economic model proposed by Urbanics Consultants was influential in the final decision. They anticipated an economically sustainable result: although revenue would not be maximized, the proposal would give back to the community by supporting public programming. The happy outcome is the bright and busy Public Market, which serves as the main economic engine—and gathering hub—for the project. Granville Island is a federal project, and thus has a specific governance model that played in favour of the architects’ vision. The City’s engineering standards could be bypassed by the Queen’s royal prerogative—a process invoked when an interlocking paving system was proposed in lieu of separated sidewalks. The resulting roadway allows pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles to share the same space, better representing the area’s industrial character. The Canadian Architect and similar publications played a significant role in realizing an adaptive reuse approach for Granville Island. International interest was bolstered by articles like the one in the magazine’s August 1980 issue, and by recognition such as The Canadian Architect Award of Excellence that it earned two years earlier. As the magazine looks back through its archives, it commemorates not only 60 years of Canadian architecture, but also its own role in that history. Luke van Tol is a recent graduate of the McGill University School of Architecture.

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