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Contents

16 CANADA LINE

9 NEWS

Despite the harsh realities of value engineering, the ambitious new Canada Line offers the citizens of Vancouver and Richmond a much needed public transit system with critical linkages from the airport to various nodes throughout the two cities. TEXT Sean Ruthen

Beautifully sculptural warming huts by various architects provide delight in wintry Winnipeg; Samantha Lynch wins the Canada Council for the Arts Prix de Rome in Architecture for Emerging Practitioners.

Courtesy Zeidler Partnership

27 TECHNICAL

A detailed examination of some strategies to achieve zero-energy consumption in buildings is undertaken by Mark Bessoudo, Jenny McMinn, Ian Theaker and Doug Webber.

31 REPORT

Tye S. Farrow and Sharon VanderKaay discuss the vital importance of bringing healthy design to the suburbs.

33 BOOKS

Three exciting new publications evidence the advances being made in environmental, cultural and social sustainability in architecture and landscape architecture.

36 CALENDAR

The Olympic Village station by VIA Architecture INc., one of several nodes along the new Canada Line transit development linking the municipalities of Vancouver and Richmond in British Columbia. Photo by Ed White.

COVER March 2011, v.56 n.03

The National Review of Design and Practice/ The Journal of Record of the RAIC

Neighbourhood Maverick exhibition at Archi tecture at York Quay Centre in Toronto; Palladio at Work exhibition at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

38 BACKPAGE

Brendan Cormier suggests revisiting the original plan for Harbour City to revitalize the fading glory of Ontario Place. 03 /11 canadian architect

LuCas oLenIuk/GetstoCk.CoM

viEwpoint

huMan warehousInG In aCtIon: Pre-fabrICated JaIL ModuLes shIPPed by raIL froM the us are readIed for the new MIMICo CorreCtIonaL Centre In toronto.

AbovE

With 15 crime-related bills either before the Senate or recently passed, the federal government is eager to spend billions of dollars on introducing harsher sentencing programs and expanding our correctional facilities, hoping to nearly double the number of jail cells in Canada over the next five years. Most experts agree that these new policies will not reduce crime in our communities, but our Prime Minister’s goal of incarcerating more citizens is certainly benefiting several architectural firms who design correctional facilities—a building type that has suddenly emerged as a growth industry. Should architects accept Canada’s approach to prisonmaking, or can we advocate for an alternative course of action through preferred methods of crime prevention and rehabilitation? A 2010 report issued by the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that our government’s desire to build 4,000 new jail cells will carry an increased operating budget of $5 billion a year by 2015-16. In early January, the federal government pledged $150 million to add 634 “beds” to existing jails. This is in addition to the previously announced $601 million to create 2,500 new beds. Canadian architects designing prisons will be pleased to learn that the federal corrections budget will increase by 36 percent, or $861 million by 2012-13. According to Ed McIsaac, Director of Policy for the John Howard Society of Canada, an organization devoted to criminal justice reform, “there is no doubt that we are headed on a very expensive journey down a path that experience tells us will neither reduce our crime rate nor make us safer.” Despite many advocates and experts calling for discretionary sentencing and increased funding for effective crime-prevention programs, an Angus Reid poll recently discovered that 65 percent of Canadians believe in tougher sentencing, although it is questionable whether they are willing to pay for it. This is in contrast to the Environics Institute’s Focus Canada 2010 report released last October which discovered that justice was the second6 cAnAdiAnArchitEct 03/11

last of 21 priorities for the average Canadian. Fiftyeight percent of Canadians prefer a government that places an emphasis on crime prevention while 36 percent want greater enforcement. With such a fragile economy, does it really make sense to spend $9.5 billion annually by 2015-16 on Canada’s corrections systems, an increase from the $4.4 billion spent in 2009-10? Alternatively, why don’t we address the critical social issues affecting those most likely to be sentenced? Strengthening the discretionary judicial system for at-risk youth, enhancing access to education and training for Aboriginals, and improving programs that integrate crime prevention with individuals suffering from mental health disorders will help our society become safer. At present, taxpayer dollars are simply being diverted away from community supervision and support programs that prevent crime more effectively and more cheaply than new prison construction. It seems that even Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) doesn’t believe that more prisons are beneficial to society. On the CSC website, several studies and reports appear to contradict the policies of our federal government such as one report which acknowledges “the shortcomings of incarceration and an appreciation of the benefits of community involvement to the eventual return of the offender to society.” If the CSC recognizes that traditional prisons aren’t working, and if building prisons seems to be a low priority for most Canadians, then why are we spending billions on more jail cells? Furthermore, if the CSC is looking at shifting away from “24-hour housing” (i.e., jail cells), then why isn’t the government commissioning architects to design innovative, community-based facilities to rehabilitate certain types of offenders? Such buildings would surely reduce the need for warehousing humans, and the operating costs per individual in these types of facilities would be much lower than typical correctional facilities. The CSC website also indicates a willingness to look at new options, noting that, “Whereas incarceration was born out of an effort by the state to distance itself from the punishment of the day (corporal punishment), the reduced importance of the correctional facility in the future will result from the realization that corrections should be a contributing and integral component of the community.” If architects continue to design outmoded correctional facilities, we will remain complicit in denying a segment of the population who are prone to criminal behaviour with a chance to become productive and accepted members of society. Responding to RFPs for bleak and obsolete approaches to prisons will only stymie the advance of the justice system in Canada. Ian ChodIkoff

ichodikoff@cAnAdiAnArchitEct.coM

Editor Ian ChodIkoff, OAA, FRAIC AssociAtEEditor LesLIe Jen, MRAIC EditoriAlAdvisors John MCMInn, AADIpl. MarCo PoLo, OAA, FRAIC contributingEditors GavIn affLeCk, OAQ, MRAIC herbert enns, MAA, MRAIC douGLas MaCLeod, nCARb rEgionAlcorrEspondEnts halifax ChrIstIne MaCy, OAA regina bernard fLaMan, SAA montreal davId theodore calgary davId a. down, AAA Winnipeg herbert enns, MAA vancouver adeLe weder publishEr toM arkeLL 416-510-6806 AssociAtEpublishEr GreG PaLIouras 416-510-6808 circulAtionMAnAgEr beata oLeChnowICz 416-442-5600 ext. 3543 custoMErsErvicE MaLkIt Chana 416-442-5600 ext. 3539 production JessICa Jubb grAphicdEsign sue wILLIaMson vicEprEsidEntofcAnAdiAnpublishing aLex PaPanou prEsidEntofbusinEssinforMAtiongroup bruCe CreIGhton hEAdofficE 12 ConCorde PLaCe, suIte 800, toronto, on M3C 4J2 telephone 416-510-6845 facsimile 416-510-5140 e-mail edItors@CanadIanarChIteCt.CoM Web site www.CanadIanarChIteCt.CoM Canadian architect is published monthly by bIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier bIG holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-tobusiness 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: $53.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $85.95 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: $103.95 us for one year. all other foreign: $123.95 us per year. us office of publication: 2424 niagara falls blvd, niagara falls, ny 143045709. Periodicals Postage Paid at niagara falls, ny. usPs #009-192. us postmaster: send address changes to Canadian architect, Po box 1118, niagara falls, ny 14304. return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation dept., Canadian architect, 12 Concorde Place, suite 800, toronto, on Canada M3C 4J2. Postmaster: please forward forms 29b and 67b to 12 Concorde Place, suite 800, toronto, on Canada M3C 4J2. Printed in Canada. all rights reserved. the contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. from time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: telephone 1-800-668-2374 facsimile 416-442-2191 e-mail privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca mail Privacy officer, business Information Group, 12 Concorde Place, suite 800, toronto, on Canada M3C 4J2 member of the canadian business press member of the audit bureau of circulations publications mail agreement #40069240 issn 1923-3353 (online) issn 0008-2872 (print)

We acknoWledge the financial support of the government of canada through the canada periodical fund (cpf) for our publishing activities.

1968 Social environmental movements take hold.

WHO SHapeS tHe future Of green deSign? You do.

1978 Earth Day brings awareness to Earth’s need for continual care.

What was once a quiet evolution has become a revolutionary force. Your desire for sustainable design has helped redefine the meaning of green. Since we began making nora® rubber flooring over 50 years ago, we’ve evolved with you.

1988 1,000 communities in America initiate curbside recycling.

Your concern for the environment continues to create new standards for designing in harmony with nature. it is why we continually explore ways to blend the best of technology with greener thinking.

1998 EPA launches voluntary programs for energy, water, indoor air quality, waste and smart growth.

it starts with you. You and your challenges. You and your world. You and nora.

2008 U.S. Green Building Council member organizations grow to 15,000.

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Following a similar project last winter on Winnipeg’s river trail, five new huts were unveiled as part of the 2011 “Art and Architecture Competition on Ice.” The idea of the warming huts was borne from a desire to encourage outdoor activity and enjoyment in Winnipeg’s extreme winter climate. The huts were completed at the Forks and along the popular skating and walking trail on the frozen Assiniboine and Red Rivers in early February, and feature three competition winners from a pool of 130 submissions from countries as far away as Serbia, Spain and Portugal. The winning designs, while difficult for the jury to choose, were all “compelling,” says Winnipeg architect Peter Hargraves, co-creator of the competition. The three winners selected from the competition are: Under the Covers by Philadephia architect Robert B. Trempe Jr., Ha(y)ven by a New York team of architects led by Tri Nguyen, and Woodpile, by Tel Aviv architects Noa Biran and Roy Talmon. The two other designs solicited from outside the competition are Jellyfish by Patkau Architects of Vancouver, and Cocoon, a student submission from the University of Mani-

bArbArAedie

Popular warming huts offer beauty, wonder and protection in wintry winnipeg.

WhilenotselectedfromtheArtAndArchitecturecompetitiononice,pAtkAu Architects’JellyfishWAsAninvitedsubmissiontotheWinnipegWArminghutsproject, AndiscomprisedofsixbeAutifullysculpturAlAndflexibleplyWoodshellsgrouped together“inAschool”toofferprotectionfromtheelements.

aBOVe

toba, led by Professor Lancelot Coar. Under the Covers is a conceptual design that derives from the idea of splitting and peeling pre-existing

fabric, while Ha(y)ven is a 60-foot tower made of hay bales, creating a landmark on the Assiniboine River. The Woodpile hut involves a metal

03/11canadian architect

frame that contains stacked firewood to be used for the campfire inside, and a flexible membrane defines Cocoon, onto which river water is sprayed and frozen, creating a stiffened carapace. The six flexible conical Jellyfish huts made of plywood are grouped together in a “school” to offer protection from the elements. Gusts of wind causing the structure to shiver evoke the sensation of being in the water. These five new huts will be joined by four huts from last year’s event that were reconstructed for 2011. www.warminghuts.com/v2011.html

awards samantha Lynch wins the canada council for the arts Prix de rome in architecture for emerging Practitioners.

University of Manitoba graduate Samantha Lynch is the winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Prix de Rome in Architecture for Emerging Practitioners. Lynch will use the award to design and build cameras to study the relationship between human activity, the architectural dimension, and the temporal connection between these two elements. She will visit recently built projects in Western Europe, and select a number of them for documentation. While in Europe, Lynch will intern with Fat Koehl Architekten in Berlin, Germany. With this study, Lynch hopes to contribute to the conversation on the impact of architecture on the human condition. The

Canadian Architect Half Page Ad (text as outlines).indd 1

10canadian architect03/11

$34,000 Prix de Rome is awarded to a recent graduate of one of Canada’s 11 accredited schools of architecture who demonstrates outstanding potential. The prizewinner is given the opportunity to visit significant architectural sites abroad, and to intern at an architecture firm of international stature. Raised in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Samantha Lynch studied fine art at the University of Ottawa before leaving Ontario to travel and work across the country. In 2009, she obtained a Master of Architecture from the University of Manitoba. Focused on the influence of temporal engagement as an active architectural presence, Lynch’s thesis work was driven by a fascination with the way in which architecture can unfold, transform and be understood over time. In 2009, Lynch received the Power Corporation of Canada Award and was given the opportunity to carry out a research project and residency at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal. Following her time at the CCA, she spent two months researching in Italy and France with the support of the Bill Allen Travel Scholarship. She is also a recipient of the Mel P. Michener Fellowship and the American Institute of Architects Henry Adams Medal. In 2010, Lynch was named a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Honour Roll. She presently lives in Winnipeg and works at DIN Projects. www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2011/ rc129415658724456321.htm

teeple architects’ 60 richmond street east housing co-operative wins archdaily Building of the Year award.

The winners of the ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards have been announced, and Teeple Architects’ 60 Richmond Street East Housing Co-operative took the top prize in the Housing category, selected from hundreds of projects around the globe. 60 Richmond Street East was completed in March of 2010, and the 11-storey, 85-unit mixed-use building is among the first new housing co-ops to be built in Toronto in recent years. It won the Ontario Association of Architects Design Excellence Award (2010) and the Canadian Architect Award of Excellence (2007). The client program—a housing co-op for hospitality workers that is economical to build and maintain—was a key inspiration for the design which incorporates social spaces dedicated to food and its production. The result is a small-scale, but nevertheless full-cycle ecosystem described as “urban permaculture.” The resident-owned and -operated restaurant and training kitchen on the ground floor is supplied with vegetables, fruits and herbs grown on the sixth-floor terrace. The kitchen garden is irrigated by stormwater from the roofs. Organic waste generated by the kitchens serves as compost for the garden. 60 Richmond was con ceived as a solid mass that was carved into to create openings and terraces at various levels; the deconstructed volume creates interlocking

3/9/11 11:39:12 AM

and contrasting spaces stepping out and back from the street. Having received LEED Gold certification, a reduced carbon footprint is further achieved with a low-maintenance green roof and rainwater collection for the terrace gardens.

Unlimited selection

what’s new douglas cardinal awards collection to carleton University.

Internationally renowned Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal has bestowed his entire collection from 1984 onwards of drawings, plans, files, 3D models and other information to Carleton University. “I chose Carleton because of its outstanding school of architecture, its commitment to the arts and humanities, and particularly the exemplary professional and dedicated staff serving the Archives Department,” says Cardinal. “I am assured the collection will be properly preserved and my body of work will be able to be utilized by future generations of architects.” Cardinal, who is an officer of the Order of Canada, is famous for his commitment to excellence and unique creative vision. He is renowned for developing a classic, organic approach to architecture and was designated a world master of contemporary architecture by the International Academy of Architecture. “This collection will not only be valuable to the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism but also Aboriginal studies, commerce, public history, political science and heritage conservation at Carleton,” says Patti Harper, a department head of the archives and research collections at MacOdrum Library, where the collection is now housed. Says Stephen Fai, a professor of architecture: “His undulating forms and voluptuous spaces are immediately recognizable. Equally important to the history of architecture is the role he played in the development and application of digital technologies for the practice of architecture.” The collection includes valuable assets such as plans for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Museum of the American Indian (Washington, DC), the First Nations University (Saskatchewan) and Oneida Casino Children’s and Elders’ Center (Verona, New York). Other projects that Cardinal has worked on in his career include the Edmonton Space Science Centre which has since been renovated and rebranded as the Telus World of Science, the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre, the Provincial Building in Ponoka, Alberta, the Grande Prairie Regional College, St. Mary’s Church in Red Deer, Alberta, and Oujé-Bougoumou Village, Oujé-Bougomou, Quebec, which won the UN award as UNESCO’s Best Sustainable Community in 1998 and was featured as the “Village of the Future” in Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. In 1999, Cardinal was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the highest architectural honour presented to an individual in Canada. Ghost 13 international architecture conference: ideas in things.

The Ghost Lab is held every summer on architect Brian MacKay-Lyons’s farm located on the coast of Nova Scotia, and has been the research laboratory for MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects since 1994. It has been a meeting place for an international school of architects who share a commitment to landscape, making and community. From June 14-17, 2011, members of this virtual school will congregate on the Ghost site as speakers for a conference on the theme of “Ideas in Things.” Speakers include: Kenneth Frampton, Juhani Pallasmaa, Deborah Berke, Marlon Blackwell, Wendell Burnette, Ted Flato, Andrew Freear, Vincent James, Rick Joy, Francis Kéré, Richard Kroeker, Tom Kundig, Dan Rockhill, Peter Stutchbury, Brigitte Shim and Patricia Patkau. These architects will embrace both the academy and practice through a commitment to place while resisting the numbing effects of a globalized culture. A book and a film will document the conference. Registration for the full conference is $2,500 and sessions are eligible for continuing education credits. Participation is limited to 200 registrants. www.mlsarchitects.ca/ghost/apply/

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issue 33.1 winTeR 2010/2011

Recognizing Excellence: Proof that Architecture Matters ... 2011 Board Members President Stuart Howard, FRAIC 1st Vice-President and President-Elect David Craddock, MRAIC 2nd Vice-President and Treasurer Paul E. Frank, FRAIC Immediate Past President Ranjit (Randy) K. Dhar, PP/FRAIC Regional Directors Wayne De Angelis, MRAIC (British Columbia/Yukon) Wayne Guy, FRAIC (Alberta/NWT) MCpl Dany Veillette, Rideau Hall, © 2011 Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada

On Jan. 31, 2011 his Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presented the 2010 Governor General’s Medals in Architecture to recipients during a ceremony at Rideau Hall.

statement that Architecture Matters.... because, as is evidenced through these awards, it creates the beautiful living environments that lift the spirit and are a source of joy.

The recipients were announced in April 2010. Detailed descriptions and images can be found at www.raic. org.

We hope awards and events such as today’s ceremony help illustrate to those beyond our profession the importance that architecture makes to our day-to-day lives and to our Canadian culture.

Stuart Howard, FRAIC, Architecture Canada | RAIC President thanked the Governor General for taking the time to recognize excellence in Architecture in Canada during the presentation ceremony at Rideau Hall. The following is an excerpt. Every city in Canada has a particular building that represents its character and every one of those buildings was championed by an architect. What is unfortunate is that not many Canadians can link those names to that building. Recognition such as that which comes with these medals, helps to strengthen Canadians’ appreciation of architecture and helps its value to society grow. Such recognition is evidence of the profession of architecture’s place in Canada and a physical

New Incentive for Newly Licensed Architects Architects licensed in the past year are eligible for one discounted year of full membership at $190. This is a savings of $157.50 off the regular member rate of $347.50. For more information, or to claim a discounted year of membership, please contact the membership coordinator Angie Sauvé – asauve@raic.org.

We believe that awards are very important and that is the reason they remain part of Architecture Canada | RAIC’s core programs. Not only do awards inspire architects to excellence, they also serve as a means of communicating and educating architects about their colleagues’ work and the publication and dissemination of that information helps others outside the profession understand what we do. More exposure of awards such as these will help us in our mission to improve the built environment in Canada.

Membership Renewal Season Has Begun Be sure to renew to keep enjoying the many benefits of Architecture Canada | RAIC membership. Members can log in to the members section at https://members.raic.org to make payments via credit card, or by mail or fax. Any questions about renewals can be directed to membership coordinator, Angie Sauvé – asauve@ raic.org.

Charles Olfert, MRAIC (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) Leslie Klein, FRAIC (Ontario Southwest) Allan Teramura, MRAIC (Ontario North and East/Nunavut) Jean-Pierre Pelletier, FIRAC (Quebec) Paul E. Frank, FRAIC (Atlantic) Chancellor of College of Fellows Alexander Rankin, FRAIC Council of Canadian University Schools of Architecture (CCUSA) Kendra Schank Smith, MRAIC Director Representing Intern Architects W. Steve Boulton, MRAIC Editorial Liaison Ralph Wiesbrock, FRAIC Executive Director Jim McKee Editor Sylvie Powell Architecture Canada | RAIC 330-55 Murray St. Ottawa ON K1N 5M3 Tel.: 613-241-3600 Fax: 613-241-5750 E-mail: info@raic.org

www.raic.org Masthead photo: Language TechnoLogies ReseaRch cenTRe aT univeRsiTy of Quebec in ouTaouais | Menkès shooneR Dagenais LeTouRneux aRchiTecTs / foRTin coRRiveau saLvaiL aRchiTecTuRe + Design | PhoTo: MicheL bRuneLLe

nu M é R o 3 3 . 1 hiveR 2010/2011

Hommage à l’excellence, la preuve que l’architecture a son importance ... Conseil d’administration de 2011 Président Stuart Howard, FRAIC Premier vice-président et président élu David Craddock, MRAIC Deuxième vice-président et trésorier Paul E. Frank, FRAIC Président sortant de charge Ranjit (Randy) K. Dhar, PP/FRAIC Administrateurs régionaux Wayne De Angelis, MRAIC (Colombie-Britannique/Yukon) Wayne Guy, FRAIC (Alberta/T.N.-O.) Charles Olfert, MRAIC (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) Leslie Klein, FRAIC (Sud et Ouest de l’Ontario) Allan Teramura, MRAIC (Est et Nord de l’Ontario/Nunavut) Jean-Pierre Pelletier, FIRAC (Québec) Paul E. Frank, FRAIC (Atlantique) Chancelier du Collège des fellows Alexander Rankin, FRAIC Conseil canadien des écoles universitaires d’architecture (CCÉUA) Kendra Schank Smith, MRAIC Conseiller représentant les stagiaires W. Steve Boulton, MRAIC Conseiller à la rédaction Ralph Wiesbrock, FRAIC Directeur général Jim McKee Rédactrice en chef Sylvie Powell Architecture Canada | IRAC 55, rue Murray, bureau 330 Ottawa (Ontario) K1N 5M3 Tél. : 613-241-3600 Téléc. : 613-241-5750 Courriel : info@raic.org

www.raic.org photo en CartouChe de titre : cenTRe De RecheRche en TechnoLogies LangagièRes De L’univeRsiTé Du Québec en ouTaouais | Menkès shooneR Dagenais LeTouRneux aRchiTecTes / foRTin coRRiveau saLvaiL aRchiTecTuRe + Design | PhoTo : MicheL bRuneLLe

Le 31 janvier dernier, son Excellence le très honorable David Johnston, gouverneur général du Canada, a remis les Médailles du Gouverneur général en architecture aux lauréats de 2010 lors d’une cérémonie tenue à Rideau Hall. Les noms des lauréats avaient été dévoilés en avril 2010. Les descriptions et les images des projets récompensés sont affichées sur le site suivant : www.raic.org. Stuart Howard, FRAIC, président d’Architecture Canada | IRAC a remercié le gouverneur général de cet hommage à l’excellence en architecture. Voici un extrait de son allocution. Chaque ville du Canada s’enorgueillit d’un bâtiment emblématique et chacun de ces bâtiments est l’œuvre d’un architecte. Malheureusement, peu de Canadiens connaissent le nom de ces architectes. La reconnaissance, comme celle dont témoignent ces médailles, permet à la population canadienne de mieux apprécier l’architecture et de mieux saisir la valeur qu’elle apporte à la société. Cette reconnaissance révèle la place de l’architecture au Canada et prouve que l’architecture a son im-

Rabais sur les droits d’adhésion des nouveaux architectes Les architectes admis auprès d’un ordre provincial ou territorial dans le courant de la dernière année sont admissibles à un rabais de 157,50 $ sur les droits d’adhésion annuels de 347,50 $ à Architecture Canada | IRAC. Leur cotisation s’établit ainsi à 190 $. Pour en savoir davantage ou pour demander votre adhésion à tarif réduit, veuillez communiquer avec la coordonnatrice aux adhésions, Angie Sauvé – asauve@raic.org.

portance ... car, comme le démontrent les bâtiments primés, elle crée des cadres de vie agréables, sources de joie et d’inspiration. Nous espérons qu’une cérémonie comme celle-ci et que les prix qui y sont décernés sauront convaincre la population de l’importance de l’architecture dans nos vies quotidiennes et dans la culture de notre pays. Les programmes de prix sont un volet fondamental des activités d’Architecture Canada | IRAC, car nous croyons fermement qu’ils incitent les architectes à l’excellence tout en leur faisant mieux connaître les réalisations de leurs collègues. En outre, la publication et la diffusion des projets primés permettent au grand public de comprendre ce que nous faisons. La couverture médiatique de prix aussi prestigieux que les médailles décernées aujourd’hui nous aide à réaliser notre mission d’améliorer l’environnement bâti au Canada.

La saison du renouvellement bat son plein ! N’oubliez pas de renouveler votre adhésion à Architecture Canada | IRAC pour continuer à profiter de ses nombreux avantages. Vous n’avez qu’à ouvrir une session à https://members.raic.org pour effectuer votre paiement par carte de crédit ou encore par la poste ou par télécopieur. Pour toute question concernant le renouvellement, veuillez communiquer avec la coordonnatrice aux adhésions, Angie Sauvé – asauve@raic.org.

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Making Tracks The recently completed 16-station Canada Line that links downtown Vancouver to the city’s airport is a welcome addition to the public transit system in the region.

PROJECT The Canada Line, Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia ARCHITECTS VIA Architecture, Busby Perkins+ Will, DIALOG, Walter Francl Architecture, Stantec Architecture, Kasian, PBK Architects TEXT Sean Ruthen

Glowing in Vancouver’s western winter light, the new Canada Line station at Marine Drive stands as a beacon for urban renewal, located as it is at the periphery of Vancouver’s outer suburbs, on a gritty industrial edge across from a busy arterial. It will soon be the site of a new and already controversial TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) in the area, one of the first along the new Canada Line. And then there’s Broadway-City Hall, the new station with a swooping wood soffit standing kitty corner from the Canada Line’s first official 16 canadian architect 03/11

TOD by Busby Perkins + Will (complete with a green wall and LEED Gold rating). It’s clear that these new urban typologies are a sign of the times, much like the iconic Dal Grauer substation on Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver was in the 1950s, and the grain elevators were in the 1920s for Swiss architect Le Corbusier. The architect’s intent at the Marine Drive station is a poetic metaphor of the logging industry, echoing the old structures lining the river when the Eburne sawmill was in full production—tall, utilitarian sheds where the lumber was cut, with glass clerestories to maximize natural daylight. One of five stations VIA Architecture designed for the Canada Line, idiosyncratically sited between the trains emerging from underground then propelled over the Fraser River, it imitates the movement of logs on conveyor belts and log

plumes. This is just one of many ideas they used to develop each station’s unique theme. VIA Architecture’s Yaletown station, replacing the brick and heavy timber pavilion that used to be there, imitates the language of the loading docks that are Yaletown’s hallmark. It updates the Bill Curtis Plaza which serves as the entry to this new Vancouver neighbourhood, and frames a new vista to the iconic 1152 Mainland warehouse, the area’s signature showpiece with its storey-high serif numbering. Eighteen months have now passed since the inaugural run of the new Canada Line, which connects the cities of Vancouver and Richmond with the Vancouver International Airport, and has already reached the capacity ridership anti cipated for five years hence. Now seems as good a time as any to assess its efficacy from a transit

Nik Lehoux

The intersecting curvilinear roof planes of the Templeton station in Richmond, one of the more expressive structures along the new and well-used Canada Line.

ABOVE

rider’s perspective and to evaluate its overall success as a new urban intervention in the city’s streetscapes. Many have spoken about its overwhelming success since it was introduced shortly before the Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, during which time an unprecedented 40% of the population left their cars at home to use public transit. However, much has been said about the negative side effects of its construction, which resulted in the tearing up of a prominent Vancouver neighbourhood’s public thoroughfare and other accom-

panying negative consequences. The Canada Line not only connects the two cities of Vancouver and Richmond, but stops at their respective City Halls; moreover, downtown Vancouver is now only a 15-minute train ride from the airport. With such a unifying effect, there are numerous opportunities to create new communities along the nodes. That being said, the City of Vancouver is presently hearing a rezoning application for the post-industrial parcel adjacent to the Marine Line station, with community leaders asking for a new Official Community Plan (OCP) for the area. PCI Development and Busby Perkins + Will’s proposal for almost 900,000 square feet1 next to the Canada Line station is ambitious to say the least. It comprises two new towers—262 and 377 feet respectively—on a richly layered podium containing the

requisite drug store and/or grocery store. The view of the north arm of the Fraser River is mediocre—the only building currently this height in Marpole is Airport Square, a ’70s concrete frame highrise which is the shorter sibling of the Granville Square tower downtown. Consequently, the attraction here is to add density at the Marine Drive node, the outcome of which remains to be seen. As the architect’s rendering of the site on the developer’s marketing billboard has changed three times now, it may be a while before these new towers pop up on the city’s most southern slopes above the Fraser River. Future density was also a factor in the planning of the airport stations, as explained by architect Walter Francl. While his Sea Island station is primarily intended for those working at the Air Canada terminal and offices, the Templeton station 03/11canadian architect

Bob Matheson

is a signpost of further development to the south, demarcated by a gateway on its south elevation. And with the possibility of a new hotel with midrise office buildings set to create a new community adjacent, this new station is an example of architecture in the landscape, but it may not remain so for very long. Francl describes this particular station as the more kinetic one of the two he completed; the curving canopy running parallel to the Canada Line is influenced by the decelerating and accelerating action of the trains. In contrast, the Sea Island station runs perpendicular to the tracks, with a glazed bridge crossing the busy roadway below, which is also a means to access a nearby bus loop. The history of the Canada Line is perhaps as long as its 19.2 kilometres of rail, which, when added to the existing SkyTrain lines in Metro Vancouver and its environs, combine to make the longest automated train system in the world 18 canadian architect 03/11

(a similar system in Dubai will shortly surpass the one in Vancouver). This fact and many like it are courtesy of Vancouver writer Noam Dolgin, whose Canada Line Adventures is an indispensable companion to the new rail system. He remembers the original plans to run the line up Ontario Street, which would have had the same effect there that it does on Cambie Village. It is certainly for this same reason that Kerrisdale residents vehemently opposed it going through their neighbourhood, despite there being an existing rail corridor there that could have been utilized. It seems that everyone loves the idea of commuter trains, but like a new kind of TOD-inspired NIMBYism, no one wants them running through their backyards. In the 10 years since the Millennium Line, the Canada Line continues the legacy of stations as public art, though in a somewhat muted fashion. Without a doubt, the five stations in Richmond by

Using a standardized material palette, the entrance to the Langara-49th station conveys an architecture that speaks of efficiency, safety and ease of maintenance; the exposed concrete at the same station maintains a height and massing commensurate with the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suburban context; the glass, wood and steel canopy at the Oakridgeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;41st station utilizes a similar expression to many other stations on the new LRT system.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT

the offices of Busby Perkins + Will, Walter Francl Architect and others are as architecturally evocative as the celebrated stations of the Millennium Line. In total, seven local firms contributed to the design of the 16 stations: in addition to Busby and Francl, DIALOG (King Edward, Oakridge and Langara), Stantec (Broadway and Olympic Village), Omicron (Storage and Maintenance Build-

ing), Kasian (Vancouver International Airport), and VIA Architecture (Bridgeport, Marine Drive, Yaletown, City Centre and Waterfront stations) contributed their efforts. It is quite astonishing that one can now arrive at the airport and within 15 minutes be walking through Gastown. There is also the option to stop at a casino and Vancouver’s only two shopping malls along the way. The project’s undertaking was vast, requiring a combination of financiers in both the public and private realms, and the coordination between urban planners, architects and municipalities. With VIA Architecture given the responsibility of master-planning the line and working with the municipalities to locate the stations, the $1.92 billion needed to build the Canada Line came partly from SNC Lavalin ($200 million)—VIA had worked with them previously on a train line in Malaysia. SNC Lavalin will also operate and maintain the Canada Line for 35 years as InTransit—along with Translink ($354 million), the Vancouver Airport Authority ($300 million), and all three tiers of government—federal ($450 million), provincial ($435 million), and municipal ($29 million). In the 18 months of its operation, the Line has not been without its share of controversy: this past December, a record-breaking snowfall closed down the Fraser River crossing between the Bridgeport and Marine Drive stations. Even more recently, an act of vandalism saw the disappearance of a large public sculpture from the King Edward station, ironically in the same area that launched a lawsuit against the Line due to the adverse effects of its construction on their businesses. Yet recently released statistics reveal that SkyTrain and Canada Line ridership rose during the Winter Olympic Games, and 44% of those same people are still continuing to use the trains, which means more foot traffic than before to those businesses. The question is at what cost is this acceptable? Such an urban experiment would not have been possible without closing the streets during the Games. If you give people a viable alternative to get to work, particularly when they are already exhausted by traffic jams, carbon taxes and high gas prices, the age-old love affair with the automobile may perhaps begin to dis integrate, bringing us closer to a new paradigm where Jan Gehl’s “Copenhagenization” combines effortlessly with an efficient public transit system. Additionally, this environmental consciousness extended to LEED, as the Line sought green strategies to make its mechanical systems more passive, using a ventilation system relying less on forced air and HVAC. They also saved 400 trees along Cambie Street in the course of excavating

Bob Matheson

RIGHT

King Edward Section

Langara Section

Oakridge Station Section

03/11canadian architect

Ed White Yaletown Long Section

the cut-and-cover trench. By using energyefficient lighting in all its stations, BC Hydro gave the project Power Smart approval for its power consumption. As the Line’s builder—Montrealbased SNC Lavalin—pointed out, transit stations are a challenging building type to fulfill a LEED checklist. But all seven architecture firms demonstrated innovative green strategies for each station, from the materials used, to their lifecycle costing. The boring technology used for the Canada Line project was itself nothing short of miraculous, as the drill moved under the city and its population, removing the excavated dirt and positioning the curving concrete panels—all visible to passengers on the train. The current experi20 canadian architect 03/11

10M

Yaletown Cross-Section

ence of riding the train under Cambie Street provides an opportunity to witness the tunnel’s form as a consequence of budgetary constraints, as the square cut-and-cover changes to the round bore tunnels. The use of one-floor elevators and single escalators at each station is also value engineering writ large, along with the Spartan wall and floor finishes. With three to four small tube steel chairs interspersed about each platform, the platforms themselves are quite small—40 metres long compared to the more generous 80-metre platforms used in the Millennium Line. All speak of the frequently unfortunate outcome of combining good intentions with the ubiquitous process of value engineering. So what then are we to make of the stations

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themselves? Graham McGarva, principal of VIA Architecture—the planners and architects of the Millennium and Canada Lines—says the stations on the Canada Line were never intended to be as prominent as those in the Millennium Line, but neither were they meant to be decorated sheds like the cookie-cutter Expo Line stations. Grouped into six families—Downtown, Cambie North, Cambie Boulevard, Fraser River, No. 3 Road, and Airport—the stations can be classified as one of three station typologies: architecture in the landscape, the pavilion, and the “cover”—the most sumptuous example of this being Hector Guimard’s Art Nouveau métro entrance in Paris. These “covers” are also typical of the subways in New York and Toronto, where the station’s pres-

The entrance to the Yaletown station is successful in achieving an understated presence in this busy area of the city.

Ed White Ed White

Ed White

ence on the street is no more than a set of stairs descending into the underground station proper. There is then perhaps no one that understands the complexity of realizing a project of this nature more than McGarva, and partner Alan Hart, who is presently running their Seattle office. The process requires the delicate juggling of urban planning, community input, financial partnering, and architecture. Founded in 1984, VIA Architecture’s office was involved in the planning and realization of 1986 Expo Line, the 2000 Millennium Line, as well as the design for the new Evergreen Line. They are also responsible for such notable Vancouver architecture as the Roundhouse Community Centre and the glass pavilion for the historic Engine 374 steam locomotive. McGarva admits that the Canada Line was a “tight ship” in regards to its budget, and while much of the design was edited, the essence of the Line still remains—its utilitas. I was equally impressed when he told me about their positive experience on the Millennium Line, and the ability to share the stations with the larger architectural community in Metro Vancouver—the laudable results of which include the iconic Brentwood station, a legacy that the firm has continued with their three Canada Line stations along No.3 Road in Richmond. The typical stations on the Canada Line are careful exercises in restraint, variations of themes comprised of previously set parameters. As an example, the depth of the platform below grade is equal to the length of two sets of stairs with a landing, all of which corresponds to the escalators that have been used in all the stations (except for two stations which required longer escalators due to their increased depth underground). McGarva also stated that a “one escalator up” policy has been typical of all the SkyTrain stations, and that this is simply a budgetary restriction. Adding another escalator would require purchasing considerably more real estate at grade. As for the interiors of the underground stations, the material palette was more or less set, leaving them to focus on the layouts, with each corresponding to the station’s unique theme. The unfortunate reality is that many of these designs are now either covered by advertising, or are intentionally kept sparse since they may be torn up in the future to either expand or maintain the station. Looking to the future, the Evergreen Line is set to be the fourth line to traverse the Lower Mainland, and as such McGarva believes it is most likely to be similar to the Canada Line in its architectural expression: “It won’t be as adven-

Ed White

OPPOSITE

The Vancouver City Centre station at the Granville and West Georgia intersection; Similar to the other stations, the material expression of the Broadway station is virtually vandal-proof; the gently swooping curve of the Broadway station’s roof reinforces the grade change at street level; the stations’ interiors follow a simplified material expression intended to maximize light and safety.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

03/11canadian architect

Nic Lehoux

Ed White

turous as the Millennium Line, which took an explicit mandate. It was a culture and a branding— Millennium Line was a brand. SkyTrain before that was not that popular in the public imagination, and it is now, partly through necessity, but [also] because it broke the thing open in the way each station announced itself with an exclamation point. The Canada Line is more like, ‘Don’t worry about all that, we’re just stations.’ ” “As for the Evergreen Line, I honestly can’t call how it’s going to come out. Maybe some standards will change and some new people will come in and say we need up and down escalators. This 22 canadian architect 03/11

was the decision made with the Expo Line 25 years ago, and it was a big decision as it’s not just a couple thousand dollars for another escalator— it’s so many more metres of property that moves the alignment, and so you have to buy 17 more properties.” Whether the stations are built remains to be seen. The level of complexity remains the same, with an increasingly standardized assemblage of parts and parameters to be coordinated. As a humourous aside, McGarva described building the Yaletown station as the equivalent of constructing a 200-foot highrise underground, lying

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The Sea Island station is intended largely for Air Canada employees; Sea Island station is an important gateway station en route to Vancouver’s airport; the Olympic Village station is a valuable transportation lifeline for the neighbourhood; an example of the Canada Line’s public art component is installed in front of the Olympic Village station; The high-ceilinged entrance to the Sea Island Centre station in Richmond protects commuters from wind and rain.

on its side, which was then value-engineered to pure utility. Consequently, its aesthetic is the result of the urgency to get the most efficient design—universal and straightforward—for the greatest good. Regardless of the Canada Line’s construction woes, it has been a success from a functional standpoint, and is now the most used line of the three. That it is loved is undeniable, demonstrated by the long queues on opening day. It’s like trying to get on a ride at Disneyland, or lining up to view the Olympic medals during the Games. As an Olympic volunteer myself working in the evenings, I often rode home at midnight when it The busy downtown Waterfront station emerges at street level with a simple glass enclosure; A wavy ceiling at the Waterfront station’s platform level is one of the water-themed elements that survived the project’s cost-cutting measures; Public art graces the plaza in front of the Marine Drive station.

OPPOSITE RIGHT, top to bottom

Ed White Ed White

Ed White

System Map

A view of Bridgeport station illustrates a typical approach to above-grade design along the Canada Line.

Marine Drive South Cross-Section

Ed White

ABOVE

03/11足canadian architect

Martin Tessler

PROJECT Waterfront Station ARCHITECTs VIA Architecture; Hywel Jones Architect (renovations to existing station complex) STRUCTURAL Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL SNC–Lavalin Inc. ELECTRICAL Applied Engineering Solutions Ltd./Stantec Consulting Ltd. PROJECT Vancouver City Centre Station ARCHITECT VIA Architecture (Prime)/PBK Architects (Collaborating) STRUCTURAL Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL SNC–Lavalin Inc. ELECTRICAL Genivar PROJECT Yaletown Roundhouse Station ARCHITECT VIA Architecture STRUCTURAL Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL SNC–Lavalin Inc. ELECTRICAL Genivar LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd. PROJECT Olympic Village Station ARCHITECT Stantec STRUCTURAL RJC Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd.

Martin Tessler

PROJECT Broadway–City Hall Station ARCHITECT Stantec STRUCTURAL RJC Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd.

ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM Busby Perkins+Will’s three stations in Richmond feature roof enclosures that gently lift at the edges to enhance commuters’ views toward the city beyond; abundant glazing provides windbreaks and clear sightlines to ensure passenger safety; Richmond’s Asian-themed shopping malls are visible behind Aberdeen station; the at-grade plaza beneath Aberdeen station along No. 3 Road.

Martin Tessler

was full of friendly people talking and laughing— positive energy that, to me, will always represent the Canada Line and makes taking the train a pleasurable experience in Metro Vancouver and its surroundings. A remarkable 1.6 million people used the system per day during the Olympics, with SkyTrain usage overall jumping 54%, demonstrating that if you build it, people will ride it. And despite their austere utilitas, the 16 new stations are celebrating what design details they can, propelling minimalism into a new architectural expression. CA 1 See http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/rezoning/

applications/8430cambie/index.htm for more information.

Sean Ruthen is a Vancouver-based architect and writer.

PROJECT King Edward Station ARCHITECT DIALOG (formerly Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden) STRUCTURAL Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL SNC–Lavalin Inc. ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd. PROJECT Oakridge–41st Avenue Station ARCHITECT DIALOG (formerly Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden) STRUCTURAL Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL SNC–Lavalin Inc. ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd. PROJECT Langara–49th Avenue Station ARCHITECT DIALOG (formerly Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects) STRUCTURAL Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL SNC–Lavalin Inc. ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd. PROJECT Marine Drive Station ARCHITECT VIA Architecture (Prime)/PBK Architects (Collaborating) STRUCTURAL Fast & Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Genivar LANDSCAPE Durante Kreuk Ltd. PROJECT Bridgeport Station ARCHITECT VIA Architecture (Prime)/PBK Architects (Collaborating) STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Genivar PROJECT Aberdeen Station ARCHITECT Busby Perkins+Will STRUCTURAL Fast & Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. PROJECT Lansdowne Station ARCHITECT Busby Perkins+Will STRUCTURAL Fast & Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. PROJECT Richmond–Brighouse Station ARCHITECT Busby Perkins+Will STRUCTURAL Fast & Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Stantec Consulting Ltd. PROJECT Templeton Station ARCHITECT Walter Francl Architecture STRUCTURAL Fast + Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL MCW Consultants Ltd. LANDSCAPE Sharpe & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc. PROJECT Sea Island Centre Station ARCHITECT Walter Francl Architecture STRUCTURAL Fast & Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL MCW Consultants Ltd. LANDSCAPE Sharpe & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc. PROJECT YVR–Airport Station ARCHITECT Kasian STRUCTURAL Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL MCW Consultants Ltd. LANDSCAPE Sharpe & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc.

24 canadian architect 03/11

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Approaching Net-Zero Energy

This article discusses some of the strategies used and challenges faced in moving to zero-energy consumption buildings, illustrated by two new Canadian buildings with ambitious environmental goals. Mark Bessoudo, Jenny McMinn, Ian Theaker and Doug Webber

TEXT

There is growing awareness and interest in “netzero” energy buildings. But what does it take for a large and intensively used building to achieve net-zero energy? Can it be achieved? The Centre for Green Cities at the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto and the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver share several key design strategies that enable the buildings to approach net-zero energy performance within their own site boundaries. However, these two buildings also show that net-zero energy is a very difficult target for larger buildings. In fact, it may be impractical to achieve without “scale jumping”—using energy resources beyond the individual building’s site. Energy Consumption Targets in Canada

Building energy consumption targets are increas-

ingly used and discussed by building professionals in Canada, and are typically expressed as either a percent savings (as compared to a “reference building”), which is a relative target; or as a maximum “energy use intensity” (EUI), an absolute target (often “normalized” for differences such as weather and occupancy). EUI refers to the total amount of energy a building consumes from all sources in a year (natural gas, electricity, district heating, etc.), and this metric is increasingly seen as a more credible measure of performance than a relative percent savings value. In Canada, EUI is typically expressed in “equivalent kilowatt hours per year per unit of gross floor area” (ekWh/y/m2). LEED is the most widely used rating system for new green buildings in North America. There are now more than a dozen LEED-NC Platinum-certified buildings in Canada. Being LEED’s top rating, we expect these to be some of the top energy performers in the country. However, the energy performance of LEED-NC certified buildings is sometimes questioned since the NC rating system rewards projects based on predicted performance, with no need to verify actual performance. To respond to this level of doubt in the market, the US Green Building Council (USGBC)

Scheduled for occupancy in the summer of 2011, Busby Perkins+Will’s centre for Interactive Research for Sustainability at UBC is a candidate for Living Building Challenge certification, along with achieving net-zero energy and water consumption.

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recently funded a study to evaluate the measured energy performance of LEED-certified buildings.1 According to this study (conducted by the New Buildings Institute), an average LEED Goldor Platinum-certified commercial building in North America has a median EUI of 162 ekWh/y/ m2. This is 60 percent better than Natural Resources Canada’s estimate for an average Canadian office building. While the study has generated much debate, controversy, and recently a lawsuit (based on questions regarding the statistical rigour of the analysis), we believe that the general conclusions are sound: that on average, LEED-certified buildings perform better than the market (though even well-designed buildings can be poor performers, depending on the actions of occupants and operators). Although LEED is the most common, the most ambitious energy targets in the Canadian market 03/11canadian architect

Diamond and Schmitt Architects

Unless stated otherwise, this article uses “site energy” as the metric.

Diamond and Schmitt Architects

Centre for Green Cities, Evergreen at the Brick Works in Toronto

The Brick Works’ chimney has become an icon for the redevelopment. The original shell of the red-brick building was maintained to support a new, super-insulated exterior cladding. ABOVE The farmers’ market has new hydronic flooring. Steam pipes are trapped in a layer of concrete to provide thermal comfort for thousands of visitors.

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are included in the International Living Building Institute’s Living Building Challenge, which requires a certified project to generate 100% of its energy needs through renewable energy generation (base on one year’s measured data). Net-Zero Energy Buildings

Unlike EUI or percent energy savings, zero seems like a simple and easy-to-understand target. However, in the details it becomes more complex. There are at least four common definitions of net-zero energy: Net-Zero Site Energy: the building produces at least as much energy as it uses in a year within its own site boundaries. Net-Zero Source Energy: the building produces at least as much energy as it uses in a year, when 28 canadian architect 03/11

accounting for upstream inefficiencies. “Source” energy refers to the primary energy required to generate and deliver the energy consumed at the site. This is of particular importance to electricity, since, on average, 2 to 3 units of energy are consumed at the generating station for every unit of site energy consumed by a building. Net-Zero Carbon: the building produces at least as much energy as it uses with each energy type factored by their respective “grid” supply carbon intensity.”2 Net-Zero Energy Cost: annual revenues from energy sales to utilities by the building owner for energy exported to the grid are equal to or greater than the utility bills paid. Each metric illuminates different issues—impacting the demands on an individual project.

Evergreen’s mission is to “bring communities and nature together for the benefit of both.” Their project known as the Brick Works involves transforming an abandoned 19th-century quarry and brick factory into an environmental community centre in the heart of Toronto’s ravine system. When completed, the 16-hectare site will include a complex of revitalized historical buildings and industrial structures, several large exhibition halls, ponds, a skating rink, nature trails, a farmers’ market, and canals that will help manage the Don River waters when in flood. At the heart of this development is the Evergreen Centre for Green Cities, a workspace for themselves and other social entrepreneurs, which will reflect their appreciation for environmental issues. This appreciation led them to target LEED Canada-NC Platinum certification, with a focus on energy efficiency. The Centre for Green Cities was built upon an existing heritage building, integrating existing brick walls, trusses, and columns. The long face of the heritage building was oriented along the north-south axis, posing challenges to the design team with respect to passive solar strategies. Through careful design of the building envelope, the design reduces annual heating and cooling energy by almost 50% relative to ASHRAE 90.1– 1999. Improvement strategies include a windowto-wall ratio of 23%; high insulation—R-35 walls and R-50 roof; and high-performance window systems (USI 0.9 W/m2K). The windows have wire mesh, movable external shades that control solar gains and act as one of many media for art. The construction of the Centre is largely complete, with partial occupancy as of December 2010. Given the focus on bringing nature to the city, increasing the porosity of the building was important. Operable windows, coupled with three solar, wind, and fan-driven “chimneys” were included to drive natural ventilation and nighttime air-purge cooling strategies. The design team also focused on the energy consumed through ventilation, which was seen to consume as much energy as envelope losses. Ventilation energy conservation strategies included a high-performance heat recovery system with a desiccant wheel for latent energy, and a glycol run-around loop for sensible energy. These measures are predicted to reduce ventilation heating loads by 42%; CO2 sensors and enthalpycontrolled ventilation are predicted to further reduce fan loads by over 25%. Heating is decoupled from ventilation; heat is provided by an in-floor radiant system on the ground floor and radiators around the perimeter of interior spaces, rather

Centre for Interactive Research for Sustainability, University of British Columbia in Vancouver

The University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research for Sustainability (CIRS) is intended to be the home of UBC’s Sustainability Initiative, which combines teaching, research and campus operations. John Robinson, Executive Director of this initiative, worked for over a decade to gain provincial and federal funding, supported from the start by Busby Perkins + Will. Collaborators now include governments and research agencies, non-governmental organizations such as the David Suzuki Foundation, the International Centre for Sustainable Cities, and businesses such as BC Hydro, Haworth, Stantec and Honeywell, among others. CIRS will provide lecture spaces and offices for staff, graduate students and partners, and the BC design community will benefit from its policy, simulation and daylighting research laboratories and engagement theatre. Its Building Monitoring

and Assessment Lab will gather and publish operational performance of the project’s green features; the building’s $37-million construction budget reflects the University’s commitment to understanding how sustainability can be implemented in real life. Scheduled for occupancy in July 2011, the 5,500-square-metre CIRS building includes many elements now commonly seen in many green buildings: drought-resistant native landscaping; green roofs; water conservation and rainwater harvesting; natural daylighting; radiant heating; displacement ventilation; geoexchange heating and cooling; and solar energy collection. What sets the CIRS building apart from other high-performance buildings are its ambitious performance goals, and the rigour of the approach to achieve them. As a candidate for Living Building Challenge certification, goals include net-zero energy and net-zero water consumption, and avoiding the Living Building Challenge’s “Red List” of toxic materials. The Athena Institute’s EcoCalculator pointed to the use of salvaged wood damaged by the pine beetle to help sequester roughly 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Controlling the building’s embodied energy and operating GHG emissions is leading the project to becoming Canada’s first GHG-negative building. The UBC campus setting eased passive design to optimize natural energy capture by allowing some flexibility in massing and footprint; the design’s massing strategy evolved from a simple cubic form with a narrow internal atrium to a Ushape of narrow floor plates that provide more natural daylighting, views and passive cooling when conditions permit. Load reduction and passive opportunities were also major influences on the envelope design: balancing opaque and glazed areas maximized

Diamond and Schmitt Architects

than through the ventilation system. Careful spacing and selection of high-efficiency fixtures, with daylight and occupancy controls, reduce lighting energy by over 50% relative to ASHRAE 90.1—1999, with a lighting power density of 6.5 W/m2. Through energy-conserving design alone, the Centre for Green Cities is anticipated to be one the most efficient office buildings in Canada. To further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Evergreen considered several renewable energy options. During design development, the preferred renewable energy option included a biomass boiler and a solar/cogeneration cooling system. These strategies yielded a predicted building EUI of 71 ekWh/y/m2, 64% better than ASHRAE 90.1— 1999 and eligible for all 10 LEED Canada-NC EAc1 energy points—and provided a positive return on investment. Evergreen is exploring partnership opportunities to fund a 110 Kw (peak) photovoltaic system at the Brick Works site, taking advantage of revenues from Ontario government’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program. The office building’s roof alone is not large enough for the anticipated 5,000-square-metre PV array needed for netzero energy; 90 kW are planned for the roof of an adjacent industrial building. In the interim, Evergreen has committed to purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from Bullfrog Power for 100% of the building’s annual electricity consumption. Two of Evergreen’s objectives were to create a great visitor experience, and to cause behavioural change. Through a combination of art, storytelling, and data from a comprehensive measurement and verification system, the intent is for this building itself to be a change agent.

TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT Highly insulated walls and roofs on the Centre for Green Cities at the Brick Works will help make this project a LEED platinum building; natural ventilation chimneys allow this building to breathe all year long while taking advantage of free energy.

daylighting opportunities while minimizing heat loss. Windows include lower vision sections with shades to control solar loads and glare, with upper clerestory sections to admit natural light deep into interiors; a vegetated brise-soleil will shade the atrium in the summer months while admitting winter sun for heating and lighting. The envelope includes high levels of insulation (R-30 in walls and R-60 in roofs), which allowed an overall window-to-wall ratio of 48%; large glazing areas were placed on the south-east and south-west elevations to provide solar heating. Massing and envelope efforts were matched by attention to conditioning outdoor air. CIRS’s mechanical design takes advantage of an opportunity presented by its campus setting, by including a heat pump system that recovers waste heat from an adjacent building’s laboratory exhaust system. The system is expected to serve the adjacent building as well as CIRS, returning roughly 603,500 ekWh/year back to preheat outdoor (ventilation) air. The result is anticipated to reduce natural gas use by UBC’s district energy system for a net energy surplus and reduce almost 03/11canadian architect

150 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions annually for both buildings together. These load reductions and efficient systems minimized the amount of energy needed; a 25 kW (peak) solar photovoltaic array is integrated with roof clerestory skylights and is expected to provide almost 10% of the building’s annual electrical energy. In addition, almost three-quarters of domestic water heating is provided by 40kW of solar thermal collectors on the roof, supplemented by heat pumps. On the Path Towards Net-Zero Energy Buildings: The Design Process

The design process for both CIRS and Brick Works followed four basic steps: 1. Understand the site context by identifying opportunities and constraints presented by the microclimate (e.g., solar path, prevailing winds); the infrastructure serving the building; and local energy resources—particularly nearby sources of waste heat. 2. Reduce energy loads for heating, cooling and lighting through appropriate massing, cladding, and building porosity to optimize passive effects (e.g., daylighting, summertime shading, natural ventilation, passive solar). 3. Meet energy loads efficiently through careful design of electrical and mechanical systems and equipment, controls, commissioning, and measurement and verification. Conditioning of outdoor air is largely done with recovery of waste heat. 4. Generate and supply energy from renewable resources such as solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal to meet the remaining energy needs. These resources may be either on the building itself, or may need to draw on a larger area than the building footprint occupies. Both CIRS and Brickworks went to great lengths to reduce energy consumption for heating, cooling and ventilation, and both had great success with careful massing, envelope and systems design. BELOW various energy-efficient strategies were used for the Centre for Green Cities, as illustrated in these cross- sections.

1 1

1 2 3 4 5 6

4 3

3 3

shading device building overhang operable windows clerestory windows solar chimney insulated glazing

Together, they offer several lessons: Creating a net-zero energy building is not easy. All the right conditions—physical, technical and financial—need to be in place and aligned to optimize an energy strategy to its full potential. The needs of the building program; the constraints of the site, including availability of solar or waste energy resources; and programmatic and financial constraints greatly affect whether and how a building can become self-sufficient in energy terms. Energy conservation efforts have to address all energy uses aggressively. High energy performance starts with reducing energy consumption, and no energy use can be neglected to reduce energy consumption to the point where renewable energy supplies are likely to be sufficient. Both design teams made impressive efforts to identify and assess how all design elements could improve energy performance. Conditioning of outdoor air (ventilation) is a large issue for highly efficient buildings. As envelope losses, internal loads, and lighting energy are reduced, conditioning outdoor air for ventilation grows in importance—but its slice of the energy pie is often masked. Designers would benefit greatly if simulation reports highlight energy consumed by heating, cooling and moving outdoor air, to help create systems that efficiently recover waste heat or passively temper incoming fresh air. Advanced technologies can challenge budgets and schedules. New technologies at the “bleeding edge” can offer great promise for energy efficiency or harvesting renewable resources. However, if they are still immature, they can have major impacts on the design process, construction schedules, and capital and operating budgets.

light that falls on its footprint. A multi-storey building in a dense urban environment will likely be shaded by adjacent buildings and have a relatively small unobstructed roof or wall area for solar collection, compared to the energy needs of the floor area required to meet its functional program. Evergreen’s Centre for Green Cities program was an adaptive reuse of an existing heritage building, which limited its available roof area and constrained its orientation. Even with extra ordinary conservation efforts, there simply wasn’t enough roof to collect enough solar energy to meet its needs over the course of a typical year. Similarly, CIRS’s building footprint was not large enough to be totally self-sufficient in energy consumption with the program it aims to satisfy. To approach net-zero energy performance, both the CIRS and Brick Works design teams were required to look beyond their individual site footprints. Acknowledging that energy-generating strategies at a larger scale than the individual building may be a better use of limited fiscal and design resources, the Living Building Challenge introduced the idea of “scale jumping.” The Challenge recognizes that it may be more valuable for larger buildings to share or generate energy resources at the block, neighbourhood, community or larger scales, than to try and achieve net-zero energy in each individual building. As a result, many Living Building Challenge projects use waste energy or renewable energy generated at a larger scale than the individual building site. Just as buildings and their programs do not sit in social and economic isolation, so too should their energy targets respond to and take advantage of the larger energy context, the better to contribute to overall environmental performance. CA

Looking Beyond the Building Site: Scale Jumping

1 Energy Performance of LEED® for New Construction Buildings.

Net-zero site energy at the building scale is not always the best solution. Massing for daylighting, access to winds and solar gains can greatly help smaller buildings or those with generous sites approach a net-zero target. However, larger buildings often don’t have sufficient site space to capture renewable resources to meet their needs; the larger the building, the less likely it will be able to meet its energy needs exclusively from the sun-

1 1

6 2 2

1 solar thermal panels oriented for summer cooling 2 storage tanks 3 absorption chiller 4 AHU 5 cool air delivered through raised access floor 6 cool air delivered through hollow concrete planks to ceiling diffusers

New Buildings Institute, 2008.

2 Torcellini et al. Zero Energy Buildings: A Critical Look at the

Definition. National Energy Renewable Laboratory (NREL), June 2006.

Mark Bessoudo, Jenny McMinn, Ian Theaker and Doug Webber are members of Halsall Associates’ Green Planning and Design team. As a national leader, Halsall has provided green building consulting on over 400 projects including new and existing buildings and communities. 1

1 solar thermal panels oriented for winter heating 2 storage tanks 3 biomass boiler 4 AHU 5 perimeter radiators 6 hydronic floor heating

2 2

1 6

Natural Ventilation Strategy

30 canadian architect 03/11

Cooling Strategy

Heating Strategy

Report

Bringing Healthy Design to the Suburbs

Norms of suburban life that have led to alarming increases in illness are being shaken by recent economic shockwaves and shifting demographics. These disruptive forces are providing architects with a fresh opportunity to be leaders in the quest to create a healthier society. TEXT

A vast parking lot outside of bigbox retail establishments only encourages our car-centric society.

ABOVE

Tye S. Farrow and Sharon VanderKaay

More than 50 years of dire warnings concerning the long-term effects of dehumanizing, energydraining design in the suburbs have played out pretty much as feared. Alienating, car-centric environments are widely seen as a major factor in making chronic diseases the plague of this century. Dismal places that discourage physical and mental activity are increasingly recognized as contributing to a public health crisis with a human face and economic price tag that can no longer be ignored. Preventable medical conditions, such as 80% of cardiovascular disease occurrences, place an estimated extra burden of $24 billion on the Canadian medical system annually, including losses in productivity. Obesity rates for 25- to 34-year-old Canadians have more than doubled since 1978-79. The number of children considered obese and overweight has climbed from 15% to 26% during that same period. A 2009 report commissioned by the Cana dian Diabetes Association predicted that the number of Canadians living with diabetes linked to overweight would grow from 1.3 million in 2000 to 3.7 million by 2020. “We are now medicalizing the problems people

are experiencing with their environment,” says Dr. Richard J. Jackson, Chair of the School of Health at UCLA and former Director of the US National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “If designers and public health professionals work together, we can help treat and prevent chronic diseases with ‘built environment therapy.’” A Shift in the Market

There is some encouraging light on the horizons of those sickly strip malls and acres of asphalt. Soaring energy costs, resource conservation efforts and evolving lifestyle choices are driving demand for healthier, more liveable suburban communities. Long commutes are shunned by Generation Y, while Baby Boomers want to age in places that feature walkable, diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods. This adds up to a marketdriven demand for repurposing and retrofitting underperforming retail, parking lots, big box stores and office parks. Intensified “Eco-Towns” and “Creative Hubs” comprised of arts centres, libraries, educational facilities, big box farms and nursing homes are beginning to appear and spawn ideas for innovative conversions. More than 80 examples of such suburban

transformations are presented in Retrofitting Suburbia by Ellen Dunham-Jones, AIA, Director of the architecture program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and June Williamson, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the City College of New York/CUNY. Their case studies include a former 100-acre mall in Lakewood, Colorado that has been redeveloped over a 10-year period into 23 walkable urban blocks, publicly owned streets, LEED-certified buildings and sustainable site design. This example has inspired eight of the 13 area malls to move forward with plans for applying urban design principles to their suburban settings. Dunham-Jones says that the challenge as this movement gains momentum is to raise public expectations for design quality. Otherwise, suburban renewal eyesores may echo the infamous failed urban renewal projects of the past. How to Cultivate Demand for Healthy Design

Generations of architects who expressed a desire to “educate the public” regarding aesthetic values have had mixed success in creating design quality champions. But there is an alternative way of 03/11canadian architect

increasing the demand for better design: research on how adults learn indicates that active, question-based dialogue regarding personally meaningful criteria is the most effective way to build appreciation for new ideas. In essence, to change the minds of developers and others who have traditionally invested in pathogenic places, it is necessary to think together about the many advantages of healthy design and how design quality can be achieved most economically. Green design, universal accessibility to public buildings, and banning smoking are three examples of how entrenched attitudes can change when external forces shift and decision-makers see why it is in their personal interest to support a movement. To help develop broad-based support for design quality, our visual literacy conversations with clients and the general public are grounded by this fundamental question: Does the design create health or erode health? We further illumi nate our ultimate test of creating health in terms of five dimensions, or Vital Signs. These common terms are easier for non-architects to relate to than academic-oriented architectural lingo such as “mixed use” or “sense of place.” 1. Nature: Does the design make connections with the natural world? 2. Authenticity: Does the design convey locally inspired character? 3. Variety: Does the design provide visual interest and support diverse activities? 4. Vitality: Does it convey a sense of energy and stimulate social interaction? 5. Legacy: Are we creating a design that is beyond “sustainable” in terms of advancing long-term health and prosperity? 32 canadian architect 03/11

Go for Gut Reactions

Projects that are considered technically sustainable, walkable and liveable may still be oppressively dreary or disorienting (e.g., fake historical villages, monotonous sheds). Architects have tended to pursue a didactic, intellectual path to enlightening clients regarding gaps in aesthetics. However our experience indicates that engaged citizens can learn to be appalled by poor-quality design. In our view, it is critical for decisionmakers to develop an emotional reaction to unhealthy design that is on par with their visceral reaction when they see a mother smoking near her child or when they encounter a polluted river. At one time, the public may have turned a blind eye to these sights, but now people have become sensitized to the associated health consequences. Such emotional reactions are based on deeply held beliefs rather than shallow “buy in” and therefore can be very powerful motivators for action. Lead the Quest for a Health-Creation Society

All around us we can see how industrial-era thinking has led to dysfunctional financial practices, unsustainable medical systems, and “angry” citizens with pervasive anxiety and depression; we also experience the consequences of educational models that focus on teaching at the expense of learning, as well as careless abuse of the natural and built environment. These conventions of the past add up to the unsustainable, pill-popping, illness-coping society we face today. As the overwhelming cost of managing chronic diseases continues to set off calls for drastic solutions, citizens need to ask

By any measure, streetscapes with narrow sidewalks and wide arterials discourage pedestrian activity while promoting a car-dominant built environment.

ABOVE

why, for example, obesity is growing at an alarming rate in contrast to the rare condition it was only 50 years ago. Unhealthy weight must be understood as the symptom of a larger complex problem that has roots in the life-sapping design of our cities, suburbs, office buildings, schools and hospitals. Prevention has become the mantra of every health-care organization today, but we cannot rely on our medical system to solve the deeper causes of ill health. Getting serious about making dramatic reductions in health-care spending will entail more than imposing austerity measures on our hospitals and renaming disease-treating medical facilities “health centres.” If we look upstream beyond managing chronic illness to participate in a health-creation society, we can radically reduce unnecessary costs while enhancing long-term prosperity. CA Tye S. Farrow is a Senior Partner at Farrow Partnership Architects, where Sharon VanderKaay is the Director of Knowledge Development. They both discuss the design process and how innovation happens on “The Nature of Innovation,” Farrow Partnership’s blog at http://farrowpartnership.wordpress.com/ which includes a video of Tye’s pitch for healthier design at the Mayo Clinic’s Transform 2010 symposium.

Books

REVIEWED BY

Brendan Cormier and Ian Chodikoff

Body Heat: The Story of the Woodward’s Redevelopment Edited by Robert Enright. Vancouver: Blueimprint, 2010.

Bracket [On Farming] Edited by Mason White and Maya Przybylski. Barcelona: ACTAR, 2010.

Bracket is a new yearly publication put together by Archinect and InfraNet Lab and published by Actar. Composed of a diverse and changing editorial board coupled with globally sourced contributions from architects, designers and academics, the publication aims to document overlooked issues at the intersection of architecture, environment and digital culture. The inaugural issue’s theme is farming, a choice that seems to ride the current zeitgeist of architectural speculation and popular interest in food production methods. Divided into six themes—seeding, hybrids, allotments, yield, combines and sequence—each is concluded by a member of the editorial board with an essay tying that theme into a greater historic architectural context. Natalie de Vries of MVRDV reflects on her firm’s past farming projects, Charles Waldheim looks back on three seminal urban-agrarian visions by Wright, Hilberseimer and Branzi, and Mason White discusses an alternative reading of architecture as a “productive surface.” Maya Przybylski’s essay is especially illuminating as it places into proper context the full significance of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog. Project contributions are equally stimulating. Ryan Lingard puts forth a beautiful piece waxing poetic on the evolution of a poplar farm in Oregon. Neeraj Bhatia and others present an adjustment strategy for the typical Chinese urban village, and Craig England debuts his farm-planning tool Food Matrix, a simple series of flash cards which describe different crop yields, demands, inputs and outputs. Bracket [On Farming] is thorough, diverse and insightful, making it an essential read for anyone looking to probe the limits of architectural-agricultural speculation. BC

It demands a great deal of effort, heart and soul from a diverse range of people to improve a neighbourhood. Guided by architect Gregory Henriquez of Henriquez Partners Architects, such a complex group of public and private interests have succeeded in turning around one of Canada’s poorest postal codes with a large-scale urban project intended as a catalyst for change— the recently completed Woodward’s mixed-use redevelopment in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The story has been brought to life with Body Heat: The Story of the Woodward’s Redevelopment, a richly illustrated account of the redevelopment process leading toward its realization, told through an insightful collection of 23 essays documenting one of the most socially and culturally sensitive Canadian urban redevelopment projects in recent memory. As architect and educator Chris Macdonald describes it, Woodward’s was “the perfect storm of architectural capacity, political will, community support, client commitment and—unquestionably—historical moment.” First opened in 1903, the Woodward’s flagship store on Hastings Street finally closed its doors in 1993, sealing the fate of its Downtown Eastside urban context which had already been deteriorating for several years. Economic and social problems manifested by drug use, prostitu-

tion, homelessness and declining commercial activity was increasingly prevalent in the area. After the defunct department store’s imposing building was abandoned, the site was purchased by a developer in 1995 who immediately sold the attached parking garage to the City and made a failed attempt to build 400 market condos. This marked the beginning of a series of events that coincided with the creation of the Woodward’s Cooperative Housing Society, more failed real estate proposals and further protests. By 2004, Westbank Projects Corporation and Petersen Investment Group, along with Henriquez Partners Architects, were selected to redevelop the block. By 2007, construction began on the one-millionsquare-foot redevelopment comprising 200 units of low-cost housing, art and theatre facilities for Simon Fraser University, municipal and federal government offices, shops, and 536 market condos. Body Heat’s collection of interviews and photo essays include many of the individuals involved in the project—from developer Ian Gillespie to Kevan Losch, a crane operator. Other voices represented include municipal leaders, social activists, housing experts, and consultants who dedicated countless hours to the project, which was eventually completed in 2010. The closing interview with Gregory Henriquez reinforces the role of his practice as a facilitator and negotiator for achieving socially responsible architecture. The book’s odd title is derived from an expression used by Henriquez at the outset of his involvement in the project; Robert Enright 03/11canadian architect

explains Henriquez’s view that “body heat” is “5,000 people a day doing any number of unexceptional things: attending classes, watching a film, going to the bank or drugstore, shopping, hanging out. Body Heat is a narrative of conventional urban life; it is a story of living and working in a neighbourhood.” This book is a rare document that gives a voice to countless individuals responsible for bringing new life to an old neighbourhood. IC Grounded: The Work of Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg Edited by Kelty McKinnon. Vancouver: Blueimprint, 2010.

There are several issues which become apparent when reading Grounded, an overview of the work of Vancouver-based Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg (PFS), one of this country’s most highly recognized landscape architecture firms. The first issue that comes to mind is the realization that relatively few landscape architecture firms consistently produce highly designed and technically complex projects in Canada compared to the number of architecture firms practicing today. Studying the variety of public landscapes that PFS

has completed over its nearly 20-year history is astounding. Their work critically defines the historical and cultural characteristics of place, such as Richmond City Hall and the restoration of the Vimy Memorial in France. Clearly, the skill sets of landscape architects are considerably different than those of architects. Learning about and appreciating these differences through the work of PFS and their collaborators is extremely enlightening. To deepen the understanding of the complementarities and commonalities, essays by Bruce Kuwabara, Ken Greenberg and Julian Smith demonstrate the respect and collegiality amongst colleagues who have worked with PFS. Other contributors, such as Michael Van Valkenburgh and Douglas Paterson, provide words of wisdom from an esteemed peer and mentor respectively. A second issue that surfaces in the book is the way in which PFS’s work represents a highly unassuming yet effective response to both Vancouverism and landscape urbanism—“coined terms” whose continued mention in the design profession and popular press in recent years has grown tiresome. When it comes to Vancouverism, most architects tend to look skyward at the many high-rise developments in Vancouver over the past two decades, yet PFS’s work on Coal Harbour,

Langara College and the forthcoming Cates Park/ Whey-ah-Wichen Park illustrates a far more complex relationship between cultural and climatic aspects of the West Coast and Vancouver’s urbanity than what many architects in BC often fail to achieve. As for the discussions relating to landscape urbanism, PFS exemplifies what it means to engage with the city while understanding its formal and ecological components. The firm’s own approach to landscape urbanism moves people in, out and through both public and private spaces taking into account such considerations as shade, seating and the precise deployment of trees and plantings necessary for order and layering. To wit: Toronto’s Sherbourne Park. As simple a lesson as it might seem, Kelty McKinnon, Grounded editor and senior landscape architect at PFS explains: “Without architecture, landscape is illegible—its spatial qualities dependent on its circumscription. As demonstrated by Rubin’s vase (the famous double image of a black vase and two white faces), the eye is only able to perceive either figure or ground at any one time, never simultaneously. One occludes the other.” Indeed, architecture and landscape architecture need each other to flourish, and Grounded clearly illustrates this point. IC

Completely Updated to Current Practice and Technology. SECOND EDITION

BIM Handbook A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors

CHUCK EASTMAN • PAUL TEICHOLZ • RAFAEL SACKS • KATHLEEN LISTON

BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors Second Edition Chuck Eastman, Paul Teicholz, Rafael Sacks, Kathleen Liston

The BIM Handbook presents the technology and processes behind BIM to aid architects, engineers, contractors and sub-contractors, construction and facility owners (AECO). The BIM Handbook combines in-depth technical background, business process discussion of each of the major professional groups in AECO, and offers guidelines for assessment, adoption, and use. It includes real world case studies identifying both the benefits and successes of BIM, and study questions for professionals, educators, and students to engage in discussions about the many issues with respect to implementing and transitioning to BIM. 978-0-470-54137-1 | Cloth | April 2011 | 632 pages | $102.00

Available wherever books are sold and online. For more Wiley architecture titles, please visit www.wiley.ca/architecture

34 canadian architect 03/11

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VELUX introduces the No Leak Skylight™: • Simplified installation with our patented deck seal • Assured water tightness with 3 layers of protection • Enhanced aesthetics with a sleeker lower frame and new exterior grey colour • “Pick & Click” brackets for quick and easy blind installation • Smart home radio frequency remote controls • Energy efficiency with the latest LoE3 glazing • Warranty — 20 years on seal failure and 10 years on parts and labour.

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Accumet Composite Wall Panels Flynn Canada’s Accumet modular wall cladding system uses state-of-the-art aluminum composite material and concealed framing to create an extremely strong, flat surface that eliminates dimpling, buckling, and oil-canning. Accumet’s pressure-equalized rainscreen design with dry vented joints controls moisture drainage. Fabricated with corrosion-resistant materials, Accumet looks attractive — with mini mal maintenance — for years to come. Visit www.flynn.ca

03/11canadian architect

Product Showcase

Calendar Precast Concrete Structures

Neighbourhood Maverick

Total precast concrete building systems can combine architectural and structural precast/prestressed concrete components to create the entire building shell. This method of construction is becoming the system of choice for many applications—including residential, commercial and industrial buildings, hospitals, schools, parking gar ages and other more specialized structures such as stadiums, canopies and towers.

January 29-June 12, 2011 In this exhi bition at Architecture at York Quay Centre in Toronto, participating firms Drew Mandel Architects, Reigo & Bauer, and studio junction inc. explore the insertion within the Toronto streetscape of those houses which are designed of our times in contrast to the existing neighbour hood aesthetic. Toronto visual artist Luke Painter further comments on the subject by providing some fan tastical imagery for the exhibition. www.harbourfrontcentre.com/ visualarts/architecture_winter11.cfm#A

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Palladio at Work

March 3-May 22, 2011 This focused examination of 15 drawings by the late Italian Renaissance master An drea Palladio (1508-1580) is drawn from the collections of the Royal In stitute of British Architects, and also includes his influential book I Quattro Libri dell’Architettura (1570) and other material from the CCA Collec

tion. Curator Guido Beltramini ad dresses contemporary questions and gives new insight on Palladio’s work ing method through diverse refer ence materials, images and texts. www.cca.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/1205palladio-at-work You Are Here: Architecture and Experience

March 5-May 29, 2011 This exhibition at the Heinz Architectural Center in Pittsburgh reveals the photographs of German artist Candida Höfer and a video and etchings by French art ist Cyprien Gaillard—who explore architectural environments and how they influence experiences and per ceptions of the world. Both artists express the formative power of architecture in different but com plementary ways. www.cmoa.org Patchwork

March 9-26, 2011 This exhibition of felt quilts by artist Kathryn Walter

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takes place at the Gladstone Hotel Café in Toronto, and reveals her re worked remnants of industrial wool felt from her studio production into this series of quilts. Rather like painting, the artist arranges the pieces in relation to one another, making choices of form and colour, over the course of building the whole. www.gladstonehotel.com

Stephen Teeple: Recent Works

Why Manhattan is the Greenest City in North America

Craig Dykers lecture

March 17, 2011 New York-based David Owen, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Green Metropolis, delivers this lecture at 8:00pm at the Playhouse Theatre in Vancouver. Wes Jones: SouperGreen

March 21, 2011 This lecture by Wes Jones of jones, partners: archi tecture in Los Angeles takes place at 6:00pm in Room G10 of the Macdonald-Harrington Building at McGill University. www.mcgill.ca/architecture/lectures/

March 22, 2011 As part of the Bult haup-sponsored lecture series, Ste phen Teeple of Teeple Architects Inc. in Toronto delivers this lecture at 6:30pm at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. www.daniels.utoronto.ca/bulthaup_ spring_2011_lecture_series

March 23, 2011 As part of Carleton University’s Forum Lecture Series, Craig Dykers of Snøhetta delivers a lecture at 6:00pm at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. Low-Energy Landscapes: Teaching and Learning with Low-Energy Buildings and Landscapes

March 28, 2011 This lecture takes place at 6:30pm in Room 100 of the Math ematics Building at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and features Patrick Bellew of Atelier

Ten, Jo Wright of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Nick Sully and Alec Smith of SHAPE Architecture, and Derek Lee of the PWL Partnership. New Types

March 29, 2011 Hitoshi Abe, princi pal of Atelier Hitoshi Abe in Sendai/ Los Angeles and chair of the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, delivers this lecture at 6:00pm at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver. One of a Kind Spring Show

March 30-April 3, 2011 Celebrate spring with fresh handmade Cana dian collections by 450 artisans and designers at the One of a Kind Spring Show, taking place at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. www.oneofakindshow.com Marcelo Spina lecture

April 7, 2011 As part of the Design Matters lecture series hosted by the University of Calgary’s Faculty of

Environmental Design, Marcelo Spina of Patterns Architecture in Los Angeles speaks at 7:00pm at the Uptown Stage and Screen in Calgary. www.evds.ucalgary.ca Alex Sainsbury and Margaret Zeidler in conversation

April 7, 2011 Taking place at 7:30pm at the Prefix Institute of Contem porary Art in Toronto, Alex Sains bury, the founding director of Raven Row, a new non-profit contempor ary art exhibition centre housed in a restored historic building in Lon don, engages in a conversation with Margaret Zeidler, founder and president of Urbanspace Property Group in Toronto. www.prefix.ca For more information about these, and additional listings of Canadian and international events, please visit www.canadianarchitect.com

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Harbour City Revisited Harbour City was designed as a city of islands, waterways and canals providing a range of housing and services, located west of Toronto’s downtown.

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Harbour City was initially conceived as a 735-acre community housing 60,000 people. In 1971, Ontario Place opened and remains the only portion of the scheme that was ever built. Text

Brendan Cormier Zeidler Partnership Architects

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This summer, the Ontario Place Corporation, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, issued a Request for Information to gather innovative ideas to re-energize the waterfront around Ontario Place. The iconic Toronto waterfront park, which opened in 1971, consists of a five-pod pavilion, the world’s first IMAX theatre, an open-air forum and a marina, has seen a substantial drop in annual attendance over the last decade. In thinking about the future of Ontario 38 canadian architect 03/11

Place, many people have suggested looking to the past to better understand the architectural zeitgeist that influenced its development. And so a look at Harbour City is particularly illuminating. Harbour City was a master plan commissioned by the provincial government and designed by Craig, Zeidler & Strong, in consultation with Jane Jacobs, Hans Blumenfeld and others. It represented a strategy to repurpose the island airport adjacent to Ontario Place by turning it into a new waterfront community of 60,000 residents. The vision for the plan consisted of dig-

ging up parts of the island and filling in sections of the lake to form a series of canals and bays, creating a water city similar to Venice or Amsterdam. Both cities are explicitly referenced in the plan documents. Reacting to concerns about high-rise development at the time, the plan proposed to be a horizontal groundscraper—a low-rise development that people could travel across using horizontal elevators. Traffic was strictly separated from pedestrian activity and buildings were planned to straddle the street. Modernist anachronisms aside, the development contains several urban design elements that are still used today, including the fine-grained mixture of building footprints, clever parking solutions, and an emphasis on dense downtown living. The plan was also intended to be fully integrated with public transit. In fact, the development was a chance to put into practice many of the principles that Jane Jacobs had laid out in her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Not surprisingly, she lauded the project as “probably the most important advance in planning for cities that has been made this century.” Unfortunately, we will never be able to fully judge the plan’s merits because it was never realized. It was ironically shelved by some of Jacobs’s most fervent supporters, including Mayor David Crombie and Councillor John Sewell because of growing public concern that the development would necessitate the construction of the Spadina Expressway, and that it would increase pollution in the lake. Harbour City was an expression of the Province’s vision to have Torontonians living by the lake. Its failure has meant that the waterfront area around Ontario Place has remained without a significant residential base, perhaps contributing to the development’s attendance problems. Some have suggested that a residential strategy might be what Ontario Place needs to regain its former glory. However, with the closing of the Island Airport nowhere in sight, the opportunity for a coordinated vision such as Harbour City may be lost. CA Brendan Cormier is part of the Toronto-based research and design collective called the Department of Unusual Certainties.

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