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18 THREE CAMPUS PROJECTS THREE RECENT UNIVERSITY BUILDING PROJECTS LED BY MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS ILLUSTRATE THE PARTICIPATORY DESIGN PROCESS ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES IN CANADA. TEXT CHRISTINE MACY
28 YOU YOU DEVELOPMENT
KERUN IP
THIS MASSIVE MIXED-USE PROJECT BY B+H EXEMPLIFIES THE TYPICAL PROCESS OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION TAKING PLACE IN SHANGHAI’S CURRENT CLIMATE OF TERRIFYINGLY RAPID DEVELOPMENT. TEXT DAVID STEINER
STEVEN EVANS
STEVEN EVANS
STEVEN EVANS
CONTENTS
11 NEWS Raymond Moriyama appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada; winners of the Canada Council for the Arts architecture awards announced.
14 REPORT Alan Boniface provides details of the contentious EcoDensity initiative in Vancouver that seeks to address climate change issues as they relate to city-building.
34 TECHNICAL Douglas MacLeod asserts that Building Information Modelling could be the most important development in CAD, transforming our approach to design and documentation.
37 CALENDAR Shanghai Kaleidoscope exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum; 10th Docomomo conference on the Heritage of the Modern Movement.
38 BACKPAGE Leslie Jen reviews the Sacred Space exhibition at Toronto’s York Quay Centre.
AUGUST 2008, V.53 N.08
THE NATIONAL REVIEW OF DESIGN AND PRACTICE/ THE JOURNAL OF RECORD OF THE RAIC
COVER UPEI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS BY MACKAYLYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH N46 ARCHITECTURE AND DAVID PREMI ARCHITECT INC. PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN EVANS.
08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
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COURTESY CITY OF VANCOUVER
VIEWPOINT
EDITOR IAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, MRAIC ASSOCIATE EDITOR LESLIE JEN, MRAIC EDITORIAL ADVISORS JOHN MCMINN, AADIPL. MARCO POLO, OAA, MRAIC CHARLES WALDHEIM, OALA(HON.), FAAR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS GAVIN AFFLECK, OAQ, MRAIC HERBERT ENNS, MAA, MRAIC DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB ABOVE ARBUTUS WALK IS AN EXAMPLE OF A HIGH-DENSITY MIXED-USE COMMUNITY THAT UPHOLDS THE TENETS OF VANCOUVER’S ECODENSITY CHARTER.
During a speech in 1967, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson said, “Urbanization with all its problems has become the dominant social and economic condition of Canadian life.” Pearson knew very well that a lack of adequate tax revenue and a poorly defined accountability structure between levels of government had exacerbated problems in many Canadian cities—problems such as housing, traffic, pollution, poverty and urban sprawl. Over 40 years later, despite the rhetoric of subsequent political figures who pretend to be concerned about the fate of our cities, federal and provincial politicians continue to hold our municipalities hostage, stifling their abilities to devise financially innovative ways to raise money and fund a long list of projects, the result of which ultimately affects the health of the architectural profession. Many of the difficulties inherent in the ability of our cities to raise sufficient revenue to finance and support new initiatives are convincingly discussed in Alan Broadbent’s recently published book Urban Nation, which argues for a redefinition of municipal powers given to Canada’s largest cities while noting that existing political and legal systems (some dating back to the time of Confederation) inhibit funding for new construction in our urban centres. Despite these obstacles, there continue to be initiatives such as Vancouver’s EcoDensity Charter that attempt to circumvent the perennial challenges of limited revenue-earning powers granted to municipalities. Unanimously adopted by Vancouver City Council on June 10th, the EcoDensity Charter is a procedural tool designed to promote a variety of sustainable issues ranging from public transit to affordable housing (see page 14). Incentives such as the Interim EcoDensity Rezoning Policy help encourage urban-intensifying projects so long as they achieve a minimum LEED Silver rating. Vancouver’s EcoDensity Charter is intended to serve as a performance-based—rather than a checklist-based—approach to sustainable development. Inherent in the EcoDensity plan is the support of housing in Vancouver in a variety of ways, such as the provision of affordable housing and sufficient rental properties. Other initiatives 8 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
that the City wants to encourage include, for example, its ongoing policy for laneway housing, as well as the removal of zoning and other barriers preventing the existence of secondary suites in single-family houses. Beyond incentives associated with small-scale urban infill projects, EcoDensity promotes other more impactful initiatives that introduce a more varied, sustainable and affordable range of housing in all areas of the city, such as the Housing Demonstration Policy or the Neighbourhood Centres Program, which is located in 18 citydefined areas and which encourage higherdensity housing. Additionally, new large-scale developments like Southeast False Creek and the East Fraserlands are being touted as models for EcoDensity development, which collectively feature sustainable architecture, renewable energy, water management, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, and urban agriculture. Without the help of the provincial or federal governments to support Vancouver’s EcoDensity, there may not be enough economic clout backing the political will. As land and construction costs continue to rise, somebody has to make up for the roughly 25% shortfall in financing typically required to make a non-market housing initiative viable. Without additional political support, the longterm fate of the EcoDensity Charter may be in jeopardy. EcoDensity was the 2006 initiative of current Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, whose political party, the Non-Partisan Association (NPA), is headed for a municipal election this fall, albeit without Sullivan as the mayoral candidate. In early June, the NPA voted to change its leadership. Thanks to the support of Vancouver’s downtown business establishment, NPA councillor Peter Ladner narrowly beat the incumbent Sullivan by a margin of only 80 votes—1,066 to 986. What remains to be seen is how Vancouver, a municipality granted limited revenue-earning opportunities, can afford to leverage its EcoDensity Charter to create a higher-density city approaching carbon neutrality, and to decrease its reliance on fossil fuels. IAN CHODIKOFF
ICHODIKOFF@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM
REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS HALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAA MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE WINNIPEG HERBERT ENNS, MAA REGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAA CALGARY DAVID A. DOWN, AAA EDMONTON BRIAN ALLSOPP, AAA PUBLISHER TOM ARKELL 416-510-6806 SALES MANAGER GREG PALIOURAS 416-510-6808 CIRCULATION MANAGER BEATA OLECHNOWICZ 416-442-5600 EXT. 3543 CUSTOMER SERVICE MALKIT CHANA 416-442-5600 EXT. 3539 PRODUCTION JESSICA JUBB GRAPHIC DESIGN SUE WILLIAMSON VICE PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING ALEX PAPANOU PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP BRUCE CREIGHTON HEAD OFFICE 12 CONCORDE PLACE, SUITE 800, TORONTO, ON M3C 4J2 TELEPHONE 416-510-6845 FACSIMILE 416-510-5140 E-MAIL EDITORS@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM WEB SITE WWW.CANADIANARCHITECT.COM Canadian Architect is published monthly by Business Information Group, a division of BIG Magazines LP, a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. The editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose. Subscription Rates Canada: $51.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $81.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (GST – #809751274RT0001). Price per single copy: $6.95. Students (prepaid with student I.D., includes taxes): $32.50 for one year. USA: $101.95 U.S. for one year. All other foreign: $101.95 U.S. per year. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls, NY 143045709. Periodicals Postage Paid at Niagara Falls, NY. USPS #009-192. US postmaster: Send address changes to Canadian Architect, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Canadian Architect, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2. Postmaster: please forward forms 29B and 67B to 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Telephone 1-800-668-2374 Facsimile 416-442-2191 E-mail privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2 MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS PRESS MEMBER OF THE AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40069240 ISSN 0008-2872
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NEWS PROJECTS
The Joggins Fossil Centre by WHW Architects Inc. is sited on the recently designated UNESCO World Heritage Site of Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a 689-hectare palaeontological site along the coast of Nova Scotia that boasts a wealth of fossils from the Carboniferous period (354 to 290 million years ago). The site chosen for the Centre was the location of a coal mine that had existed from as early as 1650 until 1961. The mine had been the raison d’être for the town of Joggins, and the cultural legacy the mining history represents is entwined with the geologic history. Both aspects are reflected and interpreted in the Centre, as the plan, form and materials of the building derive expressly from the cliffs and the mine. In addressing sustainability issues, the Fossil Centre utilizes a number of strategies to reduce operating costs such as the employment of innovative energy technologies and sources. The Centre uses 38% less energy than a comparable traditional building, as 20% of the construction material is from recycled sources, nearly 25% of which was harvested or manufactured locally. The rate and quantity of storm water leaving the site have both been reduced compared to the pre-development state, and the quantities of suspended solids and phosphorus in that water have been reduced by 80% and 50% respectively. The amount of water collected from the roof for non-potable use represents many times the Centre’s actual water requirement. Measuring 13,250 square feet in total, the Fossil Centre cost $5.2 million to construct, and opened in May of 2008. It was recently awarded a Nova Scotia Association of Architects’ Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Excellence.
WHW ARCHITECTS
Joggins Fossil Centre located on UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Winners of the Nova Scotia Association of Architects Lieutenant Governor’s Design Awards announced.
Two Lieutenant Governor’s Medals of Excellence were given to WHW Architects Inc. for the Joggins Fossil Centre, and to Susan Fitzgerald for the Home on Elm Street in Halifax. Two Awards of Merit were given to WHW Architects Inc. (Architect of Record) and Maclennan Jaulkans Miller Architects (Collaborating Architect) for the Summerside Wellness Centre in PEI, and to MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects for the Brock University Plaza Building. MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects were also given two Citations for Regan House and for the Creighton Street Townhouses. Two additional Citations were given to Kenneth J. Dacey & Associated Architects for the Hollis Street Gate at Government House, and to William Nycum & Associates for the HFX Airport Arrivals Escalator Replacement, Enfield. Lastly, an Honourable Mention was awarded to Solterre Design Inc. for the Tack Shop.
AWARDS
Winners of the Canada Council for the Arts architecture awards announced.
Raymond Moriyama appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada.
The Canada Council for the Arts announced that Toronto landscape architect Pierre Bélanger is the winner of the Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture for 2008, and that WILLIAMSONWILLIAMSON of Toronto has won the Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement. The Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture, valued at $50,000, is awarded to a young architect or practitioner of architecture, an architecture firm or an architectural design firm that has completed its first buildings and demonstrated exceptional artistic potential. Bélanger’s project will explore the reciprocity between water systems and mass urbanization around the world. He will travel to three critical regions in Asia, Europe and the Middle East to investigate how the field of landscape architecture can contribute
On July 1, 2008, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced 75 new appointments to the Order of Canada. On the recommendation of the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada, she announced that Raymond Moriyama of Toronto was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada for his contributions to the field of architecture, and for inspiring a new generation of young architects through his designs of some of Canada’s most innovative urban structures. The 75 new appointees include five Companions (C.C.), 26 Officers (O.C.), and 43 Members (C.M.), as well as one Honorary Officer.
ABOVE THE JOGGINS FOSSIL CENTRE OVERLOOKS THE FAMOUS SEASIDE CLIFFS LOCATED ON THE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE IN JOGGINS, NOVA SCOTIA.
to watershed change. A landscape architect and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, Bélanger focuses on the converging fields of landscape, infrastructure and urbanism. The Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement was established in 1990. The $10,000 prize is awarded every two years to a candidate in the early stages of his or her career who demonstrates outstanding talent or potential in architectural design and a sensitivity to architecture’s allied arts, crafts and professions, including landscape, interior and furniture design, and decorative and graphic arts. The projects of this year’s laureate, WILLIAMSONWILLIAMSON, range from furniture and installations to buildings and urban proposals. WILLIAMSONWILLIAMSON INC. is a Toronto-based architecture and design studio founded in 2002 by Betsy Williamson and Shane Williamson, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Design Exchange Awards Call for Entries.
The Design Exchange Awards, presented by Canadian Business, promotes Canadian design excellence and recognizes the critical role of design in all types of organizations including commercial entities (large and small), not-forprofit organizations, and the public sector. The Awards celebrate the success stories achieved through close partnerships between clients and designers. A jury of leading business executives, designers and community leaders will select Award of Excellence and Award of Merit winners in each of the 12 categories, with one project 08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
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winning Best of Category in each. DXA winners will be listed in Canadian Businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-selling December issue (the annual â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rich 100â&#x20AC;? edition), and featured in a major exhibition at the Design Exchange. The submission deadline is September 26, 2008. www.dx.org/dxa/index.html
WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW Experience tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architecture today at IIDEX/Neocon Canada 2008.
IIDEX/NeoCon Canada 2008 will premiere a unique lineup of special exhibits on all aspects of architecture including CanĂźhome, a cutting-edge travelling exhibit on sustainable living; a sustainable health-care pavilion and symposium featuring a 400-square-foot Green Patient Room designed by Anshen + Allen Architects; Material World, a 1,000-square-foot hands-on material library curated by Material Connexion; and the launch of Light Canada, Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest lighting expo and conference with over 100 exhibitors, sponsored by the IES Toronto Section. On the education front, the 2008 show will be another blockbuster year with more learning opportunities for architects such as: Architecture Keynote Kim Herforth Nielsen, international awardwinning partner and principal architect of Danish firm 3XN Architects; over 100 CEUaccredited seminars including Strategies for Sustainable Facilities, Toronto Apartment Tower
Renewal Projects, LEEDâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;EB Case Study, Driving Down Energy Costs, OBC Alternative Solutions, BIM, Building Beyond LEED, International Retailâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;A Global Perspective on Trends and Concepts, The Lies LEDs Have Told Me, Universal Design, Driving Down Energy Costs, Greening the Patient Experience, DBFM Case Study, Succession Planning, and a special workshop by Innovation Keynote Jeremy Gutsche on How to Reinvent your Architecture Firm. Toronto Society of Architects (TSA)-sponsored exhibits and events include the Unbuilt Toronto book launch, exhibit and seminar; TSA poster competition winners; Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Awards exhibit; a career exchange for architecture students; and new for 2008, an architecture student charrette. Additionally, there will be hundreds of new products on display from around the world for interior, exterior, commercial and residential applications. www.iidexneocon.com/2008/ Canadian contributions to the 2008 Venice Biennale 11th International Architecture Exhibition.
Three significant contributions will represent Canada at the 2008 Venice Biennale 11th International Architecture Exhibition. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Biennale, entitled Out There: Architecture Beyond Building, takes place from September 14 to November 23, 2008 in Venice, Italy. 41° to 66°:
Architecture in Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Region, Culture, Tectonics, an exhibition co-curated by architectural professors John McMinn (University of Waterloo) and Marco Polo (Ryerson University) and organized by Cambridge Galleries, presents a selection of contemporary buildings organized within six distinct cultural and geographic regions of Canada. A second contribution to the 2008 Biennale involves An Te Liu, a member of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, who has been commissioned to create an installation for a group exhibition at the Corderie of the Arsenale in Venice. The exhibition is comprised of the work of 18 international architects and designers including Zaha Hadid, Greg Lynn, UN Studio, Droog, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Asymptote, and MVRDV. And the third Canadian contribution to the 2008 Architecture Biennale is also a commission to the group exhibition at the Corderie dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arsenaleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; an interactive multimedia environment involving Montreal-based new media designer Chris Salter, a member of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University, in collaboration with San Francisco-based designer Erik Adigard of M-A-D. Betsky selected the project due to Salter and Adigardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collaborative work on the international scene in the areas of graphic design, new media and interactive environmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a key strategy in Betskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s examining of the theme of architecture beyond building. www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/
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REPORT
BUSBY PERKINS + WILL
VANCOUVER’S QUEST FOR ECODENSITY
TOP BUSBY PERKINS+WILL CONSIDERS INCREASED DENSITY WITHIN THE CITY AS AN INTEGRAL STRATEGY TO REDUCE OUR IMPACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS SKETCH ILLUSTRATES HOW DEVELOPMENT ALONG VANCOUVER’S CANADA LINE CAN EVENTUALLY RESPOND TO THE ADJACENT URBAN CONTEXT WHERE LEVELS OF DENSITY CORRESPOND TO EACH NODE/RAIL STATION. AT A LENGTH OF NEARLY 19 KILOMETRES, THE CANADA LINE WILL BE AN AUTOMATED RAIL-BASED RAPID TRANSIT SERVICE CONNECTING VANCOUVER WITH CENTRAL RICHMOND AND THE VANCOUVER AIRPORT. IT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETE BY 2009.
ECODENSITY, VANCOUVER’S PLAN TO HELP DENSIFY AND DECREASE ITS ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT, IS NOT WITHOUT ITS CHALLENGES, DETRACTORS AND FAULTS.
TEXT
ALAN BONIFACE
Vancouver is often regarded as a city that made the right decisions; dense urban living, no freeways, miles of public waterfront and a walkable and liveable downtown. So when Mayor Sam Sullivan set out to engage the citizenry in an exercise that sought to add an ecological component to the city’s longstanding acceptance of downtown density, one would have assumed that the debate would have been fairly one-sided. Observers would likely surmise that Vancouver’s laid-back sandal-clad beach crowd would be ripe for action. Reality has embraced a different stereotype; one of a city and province split along political and philosophical lines. The endeavour has exposed that many Vancouverites have proven no less short-sighted or unwilling to tackle the most significant issue of our time in a determined and meaningful manner than most other Canadians and much of the nation’s leadership. However, recent moves by British Columbia’s, Ontario’s and Quebec’s premiers are signs of an important shift. EcoDensity is a well-reasoned proposal. It is an ambitious document which captures a series of initiatives undertaken by the Vancouver Planning Department under the direction of the Mayor and Council. The draft Charter lays out a series of neighbourhood planning and building regulations to be implemented over the next few years that seek to address climate change issues 14 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
as they relate to city-building and with a specific focus on density as the vehicle to deliver compact, walkable communities with smaller footprints. It is premised on the fact that “climate change represents the most significant environmental, economic, social, liveability and qualityof-life threat to the city’s future.” It sets out initiatives “to manage change, to choose and design our future, in the face of these threats.” It establishes sustainable strategies for transportation and parking, green energy and waste systems, affordable housing, parks and the public realm, food systems and urban agriculture, heritage conservation and urban health. The ultimate threshold is “carbon neutrality in all buildings by 2030,” but carbon targets and other numeric measures are not specified, representing a potential weakness of the document in the minds of some. Among these, it is the “density” component that has spurred the most debate. Density has triggered a plethora of fear-based responses. The discussion, therefore, has strayed from purely intellectual discourse to positions often centred upon one’s opinion of the politics of the Mayor’s office. With this as a contributing factor to the Mayor’s demise, the adaptation of EcoDensity, in policy terms, remains a very open question leading into Vancouver’s fall municipal elections. One can’t help but be amazed at the preponderance of NIMBYism and the seemingly endless biological imperative of humans to protect the here and now in the face of daunting, perhaps catastrophic change. And similarly, how local politicians have turned on the Mayor irrespective of the merits of the initiative, in an aggressive and at times disrespectful attempt to discredit
him. This acrimony has occurred, despite overwhelming evidence about the benefits—both socially and ecologically—of appropriately considered increased density and its profound realization in Vancouver itself, where it has been illustrated that density can be dramatically increased with a simultaneous reduction in car traffic, commuters and crime rates. This is a well-documented phenomenon of the downtown. In specific terms, this can be seen in statistics produced by Environment Canada, which has noted that Vancouver is the only Canadian city with declining commute times, due in part to 40% of downtown residents using public transit. An additional 25 to 30% walk or bike to work. Moreover, an important element is that design regulations have required that fully 25% of new units in the downtown are designed for families. Contrast this with its sister city Seattle, where downtown units for families make up only 6% of new housing. The result is that Vancouver residents seem supportive of density on the downtown peninsula, but not in the pristine grassy backyards of the city’s other neighbourhoods, where densities can be as low as 2 units per acre. Which is not to suggest that this is the ultimate destination of EcoDensity as the rhetoric might suggest. Indeed, recent revisions to the draft Charter are profound in their attempts at integrating public input, addressing misinformation and providing aggressive methods for carbon reduction. The City is poised, for example, to incorporate in its official language the statement that it will “make environmental sustainability a primary consideration in decisions about density, design and land use.” Additionally, the revised draft includes specific language about mandating greener performance, not bonusing it, and a directive to require all buildings to be LEED Gold-equivalent by 2010. A lack of clear communication of the intent of the initiative and the lack of an emergent champion beyond the Mayor has caused delay but also pause for important public input. As the document evolves as the result of public engagement and dialogue, it has become clear that the current 21 components of the plan will require both strong direction and strong political leadership to manifest its important goals. Vancouverites—and indeed the nation—appear to be postponing and politicizing a decision that requires quick and meaningful action. Despite the obvious problems associated with urban sprawl and the negative effects of inaction, the City along with many Vancouverites seem unable to set aside historic divisions or self-serving views, blissfully ignoring the fact that Vancouver is using 300 times its own footprint ecologically and thus contributing heavily to the global prob-
PHOTO COURTESY CONCERT PROPERTIES
lem. The truth, seldom noted in the success story that is Vancouver, is that suburban growth has far outpaced the seemingly endless pace of rising towers in the downtown core. The rhetoric has at times been extreme, as exemplified in this statement from one opponent: “The development industry is salivating at EcoDensity because it basically gives them bonusing for putting in a green roof or putting in a flower garden.” Many have accused the current City administration of a hidden agenda. The accusations range from the pursuit of a developer-focused profit-oriented agenda on the one hand, to an ideology focused on bulldozing single-family homes and instituting a draconian LEED reality on the other. Clearly, there is always emotion and polarized positions in important debates, but in a city where the Downtown Eastside remains the most impoverished part of the country, the degree to which energy and credence is spent on such views is disquieting. To this point, with the initiative still awaiting Council’s approval, the design and development community is testing the waters with very little certainty as to what a project’s green initiatives might mean or cost. The current version of the draft has sufficient teeth to make meaningful change if applied, promoted and supported by the community. The proof, however, will be in the community’s willingness to see the big picture and create leadership with follow-through. Upcoming projects which will put EcoDensity to the test include a reworking of the Arbutus Village commercial area on the west side, and the large provincial renewal of the Little Mountain housing development on the east side. Previous initiatives which have collided with the beginnings of EcoDensity include a housing project in the Dunbar neighbourhood which spawned the insanely titled “EcoPreservation” organization, and the Norquay project which called for slightly increased housing densities along Vancouver’s Kingsway corridor, the most logical destination for density in the city. If architects are to participate significantly in the realization of EcoDensity, there needs to be a recognition of the role of bold, reasoned communication. Where is this larger role in the EcoDensity debate? Why is it that the design community and consumers can support outrageously consumptive “icons” of design which evidence no intention of a sustainable economy of means? Where is the urgency from the profession and equally, from the highest levels of government? Certainly, there are some younger developers and many designers pushing in the right direction in Vancouver. Robert Brown, a local green proponent, and Mark Sheih have initiated small projects, but no one has emerged from the more established firms. Windmill Development has produced Dockside in Victoria and is initiating projects across the country, but not, notably in
ABOVE THE ARBUTUS NEIGHBOURHOOD IN KITSILANO IS A PIVOTAL EXAMPLE OF RESIDENTIAL INTENSIFICATION. THE REDEVELOPMENT OF A FORMER BREWERY AND SEVERAL FACTORIES HAS CREATED A MEDIUM-DENSITY, LOW- TO MID-RISE PRECINCT ADJACENT TO A WELL-ESTABLISHED NEIGHBOURHOOD CONSISTING OF PRIMARILY ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS.
Vancouver. Peter Busby has produced a well-conceived commentary on EcoDensity, but overall these initiatives remain the minority. Whether one promotes consensus or a topdown approach, the latter is likely to be the only viable method for quick action in order to avert significant climate-induced problems. In this era of minority governments and carefully scripted speeches, it is difficult to see how any leader— professional or political—would be able to take the strong stance required (witness the politically safe US election debates and the paralyzing platform espoused by our federal government). EcoDensity is a current example of this as it shifts from strong idea to strong policy and perhaps—depending on the outcome of the upcoming municipal election—to nothing more than a lengthy debate. In the meantime, the city has produced 6.8 million additional tons of carbon, and the region 38.4 million tons. The reality is that the current City administration has waded into politically fraught territory in pursuit of some fairly benign goals. As Trevor Boddy has noted, “There is little a guilty SUVdriver or even a Northern Alberta oil sands operator could not sign on to.” The Mayor, Council and staff have initiated a debate into which all Canadians must enter, especially at the local level, and moreover have done the heavy lifting for the outlying municipalities’ most of whom have much less desire to walk a green walk through their predominantly singlefamily neighbourhoods. Where does this leave the debate as the municipal election and the final draft of the EcoDensity
Charter near? Brent Toderian, the City’s recent ascendant to the Director of Planning throne, has been the one charged with shepherding EcoDensity through two years of public and internal debate. He has inherited not only a loosely defined policy statement, but the very large boots of the former Director, Larry Beasley. It is an unenviable position. Given this, Toderian and his team have done a remarkable job. The City’s recent seven nights of public input illustrated nothing if not a growing knowledge base attributable to the debate, a truly positive sign. It also illustrated some of the likely implications; for affordable housing, for pressures on local amenities, and for a rethinking of the way the city conceives of its neighbourhoods, its travel patterns, its food distribution and its energy use. EcoDensity is, at its core, a plan to direct a city and its inhabitants through a domain of imminent change with the goal of ensuring its ability to thrive, if not actually survive. As long as citizens remain preoccupied with a vision of the world as beginning and ending with their own life span rather than the shaping of its future, they will not be able to truly debate an issue like EcoDensity with the critical mindset necessary to judge its applicability. The debate rages on, which is a great start, but the community and the nation need a stronger voice. Perhaps a voice intent on defying an apathetic body politic will rise up, as our most animated Prime Minister once did, and say, “Just watch me.” CA Alan Boniface is a partner in Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden architects + urbanistes in Vancouver. 08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
15
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PARTICIPACTION
THREE RECENT UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS LED BY MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS ILLUSTRATE THE PARTICIPATORY DESIGN PROCESS ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES IN CANADA.
NSCAD UNIVERSITY PORT CAMPUS, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA
PROJECTS
PLAZA 2006 BUILDING, BROCK UNIVERSITY, SAINT CATHARINES, ONTARIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, UPEI, CHARLOTTETOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND CHRISTINE MACY STEVEN EVANS, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
TEXT
PHOTOS
18 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
Architects like to talk about their designs in terms of intentions—what they hope to achieve in a building, and how they make sense of it, particularly to other architects. But if we think about architecture like some critics think about cinema or other art forms, the notion of reception is an interesting one. How does the general public see and experience architecture? How do they make sense of it? One name for this is “reception theory,” and generally it only appears in architectural discus-
sions as post-occupancy evaluations, when inhabitants are interviewed once a building is complete. But what if the public could contribute their views to a work being designed—when a building is still just a program, full of expectations and hopes for a certain use and site? In this article, I’d like to explore the juncture where architect and end user meet. One critical area where this happens is in the very first encounter between an architect and a user, an encounter that in some offices is given a primary
UPEI School of Business, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (2008)
WITH ITS GLAZED FAÇADES, SOUTH-FACING TERRACE AND A SIMPLE MATERIAL PALETTE ACKNOWLEDGING THE EXISTING BRICK BUILDINGS ON CAMPUS, THE NEW SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND IS BOTH AN INVITING AND FRIENDLY EDUCATIONAL FACILITY FOR STUDENTS. TOP FACILITATING SOCIAL INTERACTION AMONGST STUDENTS, THE INTERIOR CORRIDORS OF THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS OFFER IMPROMPTU PLACES TO MEET WHILE MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES TO CAPTURE THE MARITIME LIGHT. OPPOSITE
place in the design process. This is participatory design. Participatory design has a history that goes back to the 1970s, when landscape architect Lawrence Halprin developed a collective creative workshop process he called “Take Part” planning. Its innovation was in being “participatory and cyclical rather than hierarchical and linear.”1 Charles Moore, an early collaborator of Halprin’s, was influenced by “Take Part” planning, in developing his own approach to participatory design.2
Moore’s advocacy of user participation in the design process influenced a whole generation of designers. One of these, Brian MacKay-Lyons of MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects (MLSA), brought these lessons to his own work and has increasingly employed them over the past decade in public commissions. Of his former teacher, he writes: “In the late 1980s, the American architect Charles Moore said that the only architectural truth that he had discovered was that ‘participatory design always works.’”3
The School of Business at the University of Prince Edward Island involves a new building carefully sited near a former university residence, Marian Hall, also renovated as part of the project. The new addition was placed to create two new courtyards framed by existing buildings, effectively extending the network of quadrangles on the UPEI campus. The Centre for Enterprise & Entrepreneurship is comprised of a pair of lecture theatres flanked by double-height hallways filled with daylight. A “Market Street” to the east serves as an informal meeting place for students and faculty, while the public atrium at the building’s southern entrance, “Schurman Market Square,” accommodates ceremonies and larger events. The renovated Marian Hall contains offices and meeting rooms for the school and other organizations. At the outset of the project, the university had completed its programming and even developed a preliminary scheme, which they used to prepare their Request for Proposals, expecting firms to follow suit. Yet from the very beginning, MLSA were critical of this scheme. They were concerned that its block-like massing didn’t take into account the quadrangles, an important feature of the campus plan they felt should be strengthened. For this reason, MacKay-Lyons and Sweetapple used the first “site planning” workshop to step back and look at the larger campus. They showed that the existing School of Business corridors framed a quadrangle and that if the new building was oriented a certain way, it would reinforce this and strengthen the quadrangle idea over the entire campus. According to associated architect David Lopes of North 46 Architecture, “That’s how they got away from the original design concept that everyone had signed on for.” Subsequent participatory design sessions covered a wide range of issues with many different constituents and user groups. The major “building design” session was directed towards School of Business members. The goal was to have an exchange about design ideas with School faculty, but these sessions also had to work out classroom numbers, sizes and seat count. Lopes reflected, “When someone is hired to do a job in PEI, people are ready to be asked for technical feedback, but not qualitative issues.” Although the audio-visual and acoustic sessions were strictly informational, the LEED session conducted in collaboration with consultants Enermodal enjoyed a vigourous back-and-forth dialogue with knowledgeable facilities management staff from the university. One result is a well-developed mechanical design strategy for the facility, utilizing geothermal heating and cooling in radiant floors, abundant daylighting in all spaces, and sensor-activated switches in hallways and washrooms. 08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
19
NSCAD University Port Campus, Halifax, Nova Scotia (2006-07)
TOP “MARKET STREET,” AN ACTIVE STUDENT SPACE AT THE UPEI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, PROVIDES INFORMAL TABLES AT WHICH TO WORK OR MEET, AS WELL AS ACCESS TO THE REQUISITE BREAKOUT MEETING ROOMS FOUND IN MANY BUSINESS SCHOOLS. ABOVE ENTITLED “MARKET SQUARE,” THIS NORMALLY ACTIVE STUDENT LOUNGE PROVIDES A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO NETWORK BETWEEN CLASSES.
20 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
The new Port Campus for NSCAD University (formerly the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) was carved out of a continuous industrial shed that forms Pier 21 on the Halifax waterfront. With the construction of modern terminals in the 1980s, this area was largely neglected until the creation of the Pier 21 Immigration Museum in 1990 (designed by Lydon Lynch Architects). Since then, much of this industrial district has been renovated—for cruise ships, artisan studios, and retail spaces. In 2005, NSCAD University arranged for a long-term lease of a section of the pier building, ensuring space for expansion. Before preparing their Request for Proposals, NSCAD worked out the users of the new facility, mostly departments displaced from their former homes in historic buildings downtown. The largest cohort included the equipment-intensive crafts (such as ceramics, foundry, sculpture and metal shop), that couldn’t be moved into the college’s other facilities. This core group would be augmented by the College’s Foundation Program and Continuing Education, and possibly other craft departments as well. NSCAD had also gone through a year-long planning exercise with Education Space Consultants from Toronto, to identify their space requirements, and they incorporated this document into their RFP. After MLSA was hired in late 2005, one big meeting in November got everything off to a start. People were divided into groups of 10 persons at each table, with a mix of disciplines represented, along with one university administrator and one architect. MLSA had prepared three boards with footprints of the existing building and rough floor plates for the upper floors. They had colour-coded the program functions (as lecture, office/administration, studio, or support space) and scaled them to the floor plates. At this point in the process, says MacKay-Lyons, the program is “incomplete and atomistic.” The aim of the workshop, according to MLSA partner Talbot Sweetapple, is to “look for adjacencies, what goes where, how it should be organized, and to figure out what makes an art school, in terms of its identity.” After two hours of work arranging the blocks in various ways, the groups gathered together to review the results. Certain commonly held assumptions had emerged: 1) the heavy-duty shops should be located on the main floor to facilitate the movement of goods; 2) faculty offices should be clustered near their teaching areas (a decision that would distribute faculty over all three levels); and 3) the vast unencumbered space of the warehouse shed was seen as a positive aspect, not to be carved up to replicate the small rooms of the school’s historic downtown campus. In Sweetapple’s words, the “big ideas for the building developed very quickly, through widespread consensus on the basic moves.” After the workshop, MLSA took the
PROJECT UPEI NEW SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, CHARLOTTETOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ARCHITECTS MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS LTD. (DESIGN ARCHITECTS AND PRIME CONSULTANTS) IN ASSOCIATION WITH N46 ARCHITECTURE AND DAVID PREMI ARCHITECT INC. CLIENT UNIVERSITY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ARCHITECT TEAM BRIAN MACKAY-LYONS, TALBOT SWEETAPPLE, KEVIN REID, CHAD JAMIESON, DAVID LOPES, EDITH GRANDBOIS, ERIC STOTTS, JASON WARD, MATT SEEGMILLER, RAOUL KLUGE, GREG RICHARDSON, DIANA CARL, SAWA ROSTKOWSKA, MARCIN SZTABA, JEFF ATCHISON STRUCTURAL HARLAND & ASSOCIATES MECHANICAL MCA CONSULTANTS ELECTRICAL RICHARDSON CONSULTANTS LANDSCAPE EKISTICS PLANNING & DESIGN INTERIORS MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR MARCO MARITIMES LTD. ACOUSTICS ACOUSTICS CONSULTANTS ENVELOPE BALANCED SOLUTIONS INC. AREA 22,500 FT2 (NEW), 26,000 FT2 (RENOVATION) BUDGET $9.6 M COMPLETION JANUARY 2008
boards back to their office to draw up the schematic design. This design workshop was followed by “many, many others” specific to certain programs, departments, operational, and facilities issues, held with the architects, engineers, project managers and members of the college. Public meetings had as many as 500 people, while smaller working sessions ranged from several dozen participants to one-on-one conversations in coffee shops. “Artists,” says NSCAD’s Academic VicePresident Barbara Lounder, “are not by inclination used to the participatory process, preferring rather to forge ahead on their own. A big part of why we liked MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple’s proposal was their willingness to work with artists and really learn about their needs and requirements—that we really appreciated.” The renovated building provides a 6,503square-metre new Port Campus, serving as the primary academic centre for first-year students and housing the industrial crafts programs. It maintains the spacious feeling of the original sheds, with six-metre-high ceilings and abundant daylighting. An uninterrupted view of the harbour from the seafront workshops and studios along 53 metres of glass curtain wall is among the best in Halifax. The street side of the building is clad in inconspicuous metal siding, in keeping with the industrial aesthetic of the district and to shield artists from the curious gaze of cruise-ship passengers heading toward the city’s waterfront boardwalk.
UPEI LONGITUDINAL SECTION AA
4
11 A
A 12
13
13
14
UPEI PLAN LEVEL 2
4
NORTH-EAST QUAD
4
4 3 3
5 6
6
SOUTH-WEST QUAD
A 7
8
9 UPEI PLAN LEVEL 1 1 MARKET SQUARE 2 SOUTH TERRACE 3 MARIAN HALL BOARDROOMS 4 OFFICES 5 MARKET STREET 6 BREAKOUT ROOMS 7 BREAKOUT STUDY BENCH
10 10
A
2 1 0
50’
8 LECTURE THEATRE 9 WEST HALL 10 TIERED CLASSROOMS 11 MEZZANINE 12 LECTURE THEATRE 13 CLASSROOMS 14 STUDY
Plaza 2006 Building, Brock University, Saint Catharines, Ontario (2001-05)
This project, for Brock University in the Niagara region of Ontario, had its start in 2004 under the chancellorship of the architect Raymond Moriyama. The initial brief called for two buildings to be located directly south of Moriyama & Teshima Architects’ Mackenzie Chown Complex and Taro Hall, adjacent to his Alumni Student Centre. One was to be a 4,100-square-metre Campus Store Building that would serve as a gateway to the campus, linking to the Student Centre on multiple levels. A second 2,800square-metre Lifespan Development Research Centre was planned for an adjacent site connected to the Mackenzie Chown Complex. The buildings were to be let out as a single design contract,
UPEI SITE PLAN
0
350’
08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
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MLS ARCHITECTS ALVIN COMITER
PROGRAMMATIC DIAGRAM
NSCAD SITE PLAN
TOP LOCATED IN THE UPPER LEFT OF THE PHOTOGRAPH, PARTNER TALBOT SWEETAPPLE OVERSEES A PARTICIPATORY DESIGN SESSION WITH NSCAD STUDENTS AND FACULTY TO DETERMINE THE FINAL SHAPE OF THE NEW DESIGN SCHOOL. MIDDLE A NIGHT VIEW OF THE NEW NSCAD UNIVERSITY PORT CAMPUS CAPTURES THE REAR OF THE BUILDING. ABOVE LOOKING OUT AT HALIFAX HARBOUR, THE NSCAD UNIVERSITY PORT CAMPUS MAINTAINS A WAREHOUSE/PIER ARCHITECTURAL AESTHETIC.
22 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
0
350’
PROJECT NSCAD UNIVERSITY PORT CAMPUS, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA ARCHITECT MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS CLIENT NSCAD UNIVERSITY LEED CONSULTANT ENERMODAL ENGINEERING ARCHITECT TEAM BRIAN MACKAY-LYONS, TALBOT ENVIRONMENTAL JACQUES WHITFORD SWEETAPPLE, ERIC STOTTS, KEVIN REID, SAWA ROSTKOWSKA, CODE DOUGLAS WHITE MELANIE HAYNE, EDITH GRANDBOIS, MARC MACCAULL, JEFF ENVELOPE HALSALL ASSOCIATES LIMITED ATCHISON, JASON WARD, PETER BLACKIE, MORGAN CARTER, FIRE RJ BARTLETT ASSOCIATES LIMITED ALEX BOLEN, GREG RICHARDSON GENERAL CONTRACTOR PCL CONSTRUCTORS STRUCTURAL CAMPBELL COMEAU ENGINEERING CANADA MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL FC O’NEILL SCRIVEN AND AREA 2,000 FT2 ASSOCIATES BUDGET $10 M CIVIL O’HALLORAN CAMPBELL CONSULTANTS LIMITED COMPLETION SEPTEMBER 2007 COSTING HANSCOMB LIMITED
and were envisioned as key elements in campus expansion southwards. The raised pedestrian circulation system continues a network that is well-established at Brock. MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple was selected as the design architect, in association with Rounthwaite Dick and Hadley Architects (RDH). At the outset of the project in the summer of 2004, they held two design workshops at Brock: one for site planning, followed by a building workshop the day after. In the first of these, a few dozen people worked with dry-erase markers and cut out building footprints on maps of the campus, to locate the new buildings in relation to the campus’s major features and its pedestrian and vehicular circulation systems. The second workshop was much larger, involving over 80 people divided into three teams, facilitated by architects Talbot Sweetapple and Melanie Hayne from MLSA, and Dave Premi from RDH. Brian MacKay-Lyons and Bob Goyeche served as roving critics, as did the engineering and landscape consultants. Premi reflects on his experience in the process: “This was really the ‘Integrated Team Approach’ people talk about. You have to be open to what comes out of the workshop, and not have a pre-determined design. What I find remarkable about this process is how Brian MacKayLyons remains open to the ‘look’ of the project until very late into the process, even into schematic design. By really listening to workshop participants, you tend to get a much higher degree of buy-in to the project.” In their workshops, MLSA want to understand the users’ views on the spatial relationships between different program elements and the hierarchies of space (public, semi-public, private) that are implicit in them. Well into the design phase, project cost estimates were showing a significant escalation in materials and labour costs, threatening the viability of the project. The team went through a complete redesign, maintaining the internal hierarchies and spatial adjacencies within each building by stacking the Lifespan Development Building on top of the Campus Store. In this way, the architects replaced two three-storey buildings, with all their associated foundation and envelope costs, with one five-storey building. One consequent challenge was bringing light into the central area of the block. While on most floors, this zone could be programmed with labs or transient functions, on a few floors, offices had to be located in these areas. The solution was to provide translucent panels next to the doors to peripheral offices, so that light would pass into the inner offices. Another economy was achieved by switching to the Thermodeck system, which supplies warm air through plenums built into the structural decking. In Sweetapple’s words, “This allowed us to get rid of the ceilings and ductwork, and delete three feet from each floor.” We see then, through these three university buildings designed by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple
A
20
20
20
24
20 20
23
23
22
4
21
25
4
4 A NSCAD PLAN LEVEL 3 A
19
4
4
4
4
19
18
17
4
4
4
4
20
4
14
15
20 16
16
20
12
12
13
17
20
A NSCAD PLAN LEVEL 2 A
2 1
1
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
9
3 5
11
8
10
4
4 4
5
6
4 7 4
A 0
NSCAD PLAN LEVEL 1
30’
1 ENTRY 2 GALLERY 3 LOBBY 4 OFFICE 5 WOOD SHOP 6 SCULPTURE 7 METAL SHOP 8 WOOD FINISH 9 SLURRY ROOM 10 FOUNDRY 11 PATINA 12 PLASTIC 13 PRODUCT DESIGN 14 MULTIPURPOSE 15 PHOTO 16 COMPUTER CLUSTER 17 STUDIO 18 EXHIBITION 19 STUDENT LOUNGE 20 SUPPORT/SERVICES 21 CERAMICS 22 KILN ROOM 23 GLAZING 24 MOLD MAKING 25 CLAY MIXING
NSCAD SECTION A
08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
23
12
11
10
11
10
13
14
BROCK UNIVERSITY—TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN
8
3
2 4 5 9
1 6
7
8
8
BROCK UNIVERSITY—GROUND-FLOOR PLAN 1 2 3 4 5
6 CHECK-OUT 7 CAMPUS STORE 8 BENCH 9 SHIPPING/RECEIVING 10 CLASSROOM
ENTRY ATRIUM COURTYARD STREET DISPLAY
11 12 13 14
0
COMPUTER ROOM STUDY LOUNGE SEMINAR ROOM OFFICES
10M
ARTHUR SCHMON TOWER JUBILEE COURT
MACKENZIE CHOWN COMPLEX
TARO HALL
BROCK SITE PLAN
24 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
ALUMNI STUDENT CENTRE
PLAZA 2006
Meter Road
Isaac Brock Blvd. East
INSIDE BROCK’S NEWEST CAMPUS BUILDING, THE STEEL STRUCTURE IS CLEARLY EXPRESSED WHILE THE SPATIAL QUALITIES OF THE ATRIUM DEFINE THE LIMESTONE-CLAD SERVICE CORRIDORS AT EACH END OF THE FACILITY, SERVING AS ARCHITECTURAL BOOKENDS. ABOVE THE CAREFULLY DETAILED STONE AND COPPER ELEMENTS CREATE A SOBER YET ELEGANT STUDENT FACILITY AMIDST A CAMPUS LARGELY DOMINATED BY PARKING LOTS. TOP
Isaac Brock Blvd. East
University Road
University Road West
0
30M
FACULTY OFFICES (COPPER) SERVICE CORES (ESCARPMENT LIMESTONE) CAMPUS STORE/ATRIUM (GLASS) FACULTY OFFICES (CHERRY WOOD)
SERVICE CORES (ESCARPMENT LIMESTONE)
CAMPUS STORE/ATRIUM (GLASS)
PROGRAMMATIC DIAGRAM
MLS ARCHITECTS
Architects, that participatory design is a highly creative and evolving process. Dave Premi reflects on this, looking back on his experience of the collaboration: “I have been involved with MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects’ participatory design process on a number of buildings. Each time we created a new process, since every client has its own requirements. You have to mold the process each time to suit the requirements. It’s not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ method.” The resulting buildings reflect each unique condition. While the projects share a simplicity and clarity of form that mark them as distinctively MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple works, they appear to have left behind a large body of satisfied users, people who will inhabit these dwellings and appreciate them, having had a part in their conception and making. CA 1 Lawrence Halprin and Jim Burns, Taking Part: A Workshop approach to Collective Creativity
(Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1974) 27-29. 2 The idea of participatory design has been developed further by Randy Hester, Henry
Sanoff, and architects such as Lucien Kroll and Giancarlo di Carlo. See Randolph T. Hester, Community Design Primer (Caspar, CA: Ridge Times Press, 1990); E. Henry Sanoff, Designing With Community Participation (Stroudsburg, PA: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, 1978); Nan Ellin, “Participatory Architecture on the Parisian Periphery: Lucien Kroll’s Vignes Blanches” in the Journal of Architectural Education 53, no. 3 (February 2000): 178-183. 3 Malcolm Quantrill, Kenneth Frampton, Glen Murcutt, Plain Modern: the Architecture of Brian MacKay-Lyons (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005) 176.
Christine Macy is the incoming Dean at the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at Dalhousie University, where she has taught since 1993. Her books include Architecture and Nature (2003), Festival Architecture (2007) and the forthcoming Dams (2008).
TOP AND MIDDLE DERIVED FROM A SERIES OF CLEARLY STATED ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES (AND SEEN IN THE PROGRAMMATIC DIAGRAMS LOCATED ABOVE LEFT), THE NEW PLAZA 2006 AT BROCK UNIVERSITY DISPLAYS ITS STOIC COMPOSITION OF LIMESTONE, GLASS AND COPPER. ABOVE BRIAN MACKAY-LYONS LEADS A PARTICIPATORY DESIGN SESSION WITH UNIVERSITY STAFF AND FACULTY.
PROJECT PLAZA 2006, BROCK UNIVERSITY, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO ARCHITECT MACKAY-LYONS SWEETAPPLE ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROUNTHWAITE, DICK & HADLEY ARCHITECTS CLIENT BROCK UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE NAK DESIGN GROUP ARCHITECT TEAM BRIAN MACKAY-LYONS, TALBOT INTERIORS GHA DESIGN STUDIOS (CAMPUS STORE) SWEETAPPLE, BOB GOYECHE, DAVID PREMI, MELANIE CONTRACTOR MERIT CONTRACTORS NIAGARA HAYNE, SANJOY PAL, JUSTIN BENNETT, SHELLEY VANDERWAL, OTHER SPECIALIST CONSULTANTS TERMODECK CHAD JAMIESON, SAWA ROSTKOWSKA, KEVIN REID CANADA, ENERMODAL ENGINEERING, CFMS-WEST CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DAVID PREMI ARCHITECT CONSULTING INC. INC. AREA 86,000 FT2 STRUCTURAL HALSALL ENGINEERS AND CONSULTANTS BUDGET $22 M MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL JAIN AND ASSOCIATES COMPLETION SEPTEMBER 2007
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Photos-top to bottom: River Rock Casino, Richmond, BC, Randy Knill Architect, Sardo Foods, Bolton, Ontario, Noor Architects, Techtown University of Waterloo, Research & Tech Park, Waterloo, Ontario, SRM Architects, Waterloo, Heffner Toyota, Cambridge, Ontario, Jamesway Design Build, Elmira Stove Works, Elmira, Ontario, Architecture Incorporated
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ONLY YOU YOU PROJECT YOU YOU INTERNATIONAL PLAZA, PUDONG DISTRICT, SHANGHAI, CHINA ARCHITECTS B+H ARCHITECTS AND ECADI TEXT DAVID STEINER PHOTOS KERUN IP
The Huang River flows north through Shanghai toward the East China Sea. On its eastern bank is the economic region of Pudong, a free-market trade zone set up by the Chinese government in the early 1990s. Technically part of the larger city, Pudong functions semi-autonomously; it has become cosmopolitan and wealthy. In little more than 15 years, farm fields have morphed into a city: teeming streets, high-rise apartments, congestion, a giant airport, and a skyline thick with construction cranes. In 1989, Toronto-based B+H, formerly known as Bregman + Hamann Architects, set up an office in Shanghai. With great foresight, they entered the Chinese market at an auspicious time. One of the legacies of the Cultural Revolution was the eradication of technical knowledge related to building science and construction. As certain aspects of the Communist grip on the economy relaxed, the country began looking to foreign firms whose expertise and knowledge could bring an international quality to the infrastructure they were rebuilding. And in the beginning, B+H worked on large government-sponsored civic projects like hospitals, universities and airports. Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic boom allowed already large Shanghai to grow rapidly. In an effort to modernize, the government began expropriating farmland around the city, where housing and industry could be built without constraint. At the same time, ginseng, an herbal plant which was once little known outside Asia, became popular in the West for its reputed healing powers. Demand for it caused prices to spike. A wealthy ginseng farmer known as Mr. San (or Mr. Big to his staff and clients), convinced the government to spare his land from development. His farm was used as a showcase to mitigate the media outcry over land seizures. As development increased in the surrounding area, so did the value of his land. San began to develop his property in 2004. His parcel of land was now in the middle of a growing urban area, and was located above a future subway station. The project undertaken by San is named the You You International Plaza, and called for 2.1 million square feet comprising a hotel, residences, office and retail space. An international RIGHT A WOMAN WALKS BENEATH THE SERRATED BUILDING ENVELOPE OF THE NEW RENTAL TOWER. OPPOSITE THE ATRIUM OF THE BUSTLING SHOPPING CENTRE LOCATED IN THE YOU YOU INTERNATIONAL PLAZA.
HAVING OPERATED A SIZEABLE SHANGHAI OFFICE FOR MANY YEARS, TORONTO FIRM B+H HAS DESIGNED AND BUILT SEVERAL PROJECTS IN CHINA, ONE OF WHICH IS THIS $250-MILLION COMPLEX ON THE SITE OF A FORMER GINSENG FARM.
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SUBWAY ENTRANCE MAIN ENTRY ACCESS TO BELOW-GRADE PARKING HOTEL LOBBY FRONT DESK 80-SEAT RESTAURANT CAFÉ LOADING AREA COURTYARD
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PUBLIC PROMENADE 300-SEAT RESTAURANT APARTMENT DROP-OFF ENTRY TO APARTMENTS APARTMENT LOBBY ENTRY TO CONFERENCE CENTRE ABOVE ENTRY TO SPA PIANO BAR GIFT SHOP
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RIGHT DESIGNERS AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS HAD TO WORK HARD IN CONCEALING THE NUMEROUS MECHANICAL VENTS LOCATED AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE COMPLEX. MULTIPLE ENTRANCES SIGNALLED A NEED FOR A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE SENSITIVE TO PEDESTRIANS. MIDDLE A VIEW OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT. BOTTOM THE SITE PLAN ILLUSTRATES THE LOCATION OF THE THREE TOWERS AND THE SHOPPING PLAZA.
competition was held, as mandated by the government, and B+H won. They partnered with a local institute—a quasi-private company comprised of architects, engineers and draftspeople—to handle the production drawings and site supervision. The entry proposal consisted of two podium pieces divided by a small road, and a series of four point towers set on top. Three towers, oblong in shape, were originally lined up on one podium, and angled on the site to maximize views and sunlight. The fourth tower was set on another podium and would be twice the height and girth of the others. The shorter three would be for housing, while the fourth was to be allocated for a hotel and office complex. Retail space would be accommodated beneath the towers. Building codes are strict in Shanghai: all rooms, including kitchens and bathrooms, must have access to light and natural ventilation regardless of their height from the ground. Primary rooms, such as the master bedroom and living area, are required to face south. Long, doubleloaded corridors are not valued by Chinese consumers, and this results in compact, elegant building forms. This is what B+H eventually delivered for the You You project. Ultimately, the design shifted from four towers to three: one is currently a Sheraton Hotel, another is filled with rental apartments, and the third is devoted to office space. “The client is changing the entire project all the time,” said Torontobased Douglas Birkenshaw, the lead design partner for You You. Nothing in the program was definite as the project pieces developed through an iterative process. Construction financing is different in China: a solid business plan isn’t needed nor is a definitive timeline. It is far easier to acquire financing, assuming you have the right connections. San even began construction without a hotel partner—the prime tenant. “They are unusually cavalier about it all,” said Kevin Stelzer, a senior associate in the Toronto office, referring to the client’s appetite for risk. Meetings with San and his staff were filled with brief presentations by B+H, social protocol, and heavy smoking. San would speak the least and always last. Wendy Qiu, a Chinese architect, led the work in B+H’s China office. The studio is bilingual and staffed mostly by local architects, though translators were part of the project team. Despite cultural differences, the client and the city are serious about quality, both in urban design and architecture. Many of the city’s planners are young, fluent in numerous languages, and educated in
SITE PLAN
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TOP A VIEW OF THE LANDSCAPED INTERIOR COURTYARD. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT A SCULPTURAL STAIR TAKES VISITORS UP TOWARD THE CONFERENCE CENTRE; THE CENTRAL TOWER WITH A VIEW OF SHANGHAI’S PUDONG REGION IN THE BACKGROUND.
other places, often North America. Much of the sophistication comes from a willingness to improve. “The spirit of the place,” says Birkenshaw, “is about embracing the future and a young culture that is keen on experimentation.” Working with consultants like B+H, the Chinese construction industry is reacquiring an international expertise. Quality materials are now locally available, and much of the You You complex was fabricated nearby. A penchant by Chinese engineers for outsized, conservative concrete 32 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
structure has given way to steel and curtain-wall construction. It also helps that labour is cheap. The skin of the You You towers would be too expensive for a rental building anywhere other than perhaps New York or London. It takes on a zig-zag shape where the operable windows are located on the short, projecting side, and a frit pattern covers the top and bottom of each glass panel. “Any piece of construction is dependent on the individual assembling it,” said Karen Cvornyek, principal of B+H’s China office and a
Canadian who has lived there for five years. For this reason, government control is strenuous. A majority of the labour is unskilled, resulting in increased legislation to deal with its quality. When projects are complete, the contractor simply adds more workers, compounding the difficulties of quality control. Cvornyek believes that the regulations in China’s main cities are rigorous and that a repeat of the rural building failures caused by the earthquakes in May 2008 would be unlikely. After four years of design and construction, the You You International Plaza opened. B+H’s scheme was taken to a level of advanced design development and then detailed by the local institute in a manner consistent with the design drawings. In the hotel tower, an interior atrium garden carved out of the south side rises up the height of the building, and is defined on the exterior by a subtle change in glass treatment. The atrium air forms a dynamic buffer zone to reduce the mechanical loads. Displacement ventilation under the raised flooring of the offices and a green roof over the lobby of the hotel were also retained. A courtyard garden set in the middle of the block into which the restaurants, apartments and hotel lobby face, was built symmetrically. Originally not endorsed by Birkenshaw’s team, it was nevertheless well-crafted and in general conformity with B+H’s intent. In recent years, Chinese building codes have been published in a series of books and are changing constantly, but have been adapted to enforce greater energy savings. Insulation is not common in Shanghai, a climate milder than Vancouver, and the client asked that it not be included. B+H advised to the contrary and installed insulation to a thickness of 50 millimetres. The windows, originally single pane, were installed as double-glazed units. The You You Plaza is defined by mature landscaping, spare detailing, an urbane street canopy at the hotel entrance, and sunny, skylit retail spaces. All this signals a desire by Chinese clients to create structures that depart from dreary concrete blocks or garish icons. Simple apartment housing, considered old after only 10 to 20 years, is being replaced with architecture that is contemporary and sophisticated. However, it is important to note that the replacements evidence high standards of quality and design. There is an “overwhelming optimism and excitement,” says Cvornyek. “The majority of the country is involved in recreating the nation as a world power,” and there is “certainly collective agreement on realizing that vision.” CA David Steiner is a freelance writer living in Ontario. CLIENT SHANGHAI YOU YOU INTERNATIONAL PLAZA CO., LTD. ARCHITECT TEAM KAREN CVORNYEK, DOUGLAS BIRKENSHAW, WENDY QIU, MARK BEREST, KEVIN STELZER, SUSAN JIANG, YOUSUN XIE, BIN LIN, PHILIP SHEN, KAIYAN SU, HAZEL CHENG, CHRISTINE LUK, GEOFF HODGETTS, GABRIELA SAVU, TANTAN LI STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/LANDSCAPE ECADI INTERIORS HONGKONG HBA CONTRACTOR SHANGHAI CONSTRUCTION GROUP DIVISION 1 AREA 200,000 M2 BUDGET $251.5 M/1,700,000,000 RMB (INCLUDING INTERIOR) COMPLETION 2007
2008 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Canadian Architect invites architects registered in Canada and architectural graduates to enter the magazine’s 2008 Awards of Excellence. Eligibility
Projects must be in the design stage, scheduled for construction or under construction but not substantially complete by September 16, 2008. All projects must be commissioned by a client with the intention to build the submitted proposal. All building types and concisely presented urban design schemes are eligible.
4. Please do not submit any material in CD, DVD, or any other audio-visual format not confined to two dimensions, as it will not be considered. Entry Fee
$50.00 per entry ($47.62 + $2.38 GST). Please make cheques payable to Canadian Architect. GST registration #890939689RT0001.
Judging Criteria
Publication
Awards are given for architectural design excellence. Jurors will consider the scheme’s response to the client’s program, site, and geographic and social context. They will evaluate its physical organization, form, structure, materials and environmental features.
Winners will be published in a special issue of Canadian Architect in December 2008. Winners grant Canadian Architect first publication rights for their winning submissions. Awards
Presentation
1. Anonymity. The designer’s name must not appear on the submission except on the entry form. The project name and location should be identified. 2. Each entry must be securely fastened in a folder or binder of dimensions no greater than 14′′ × 17′′; oversized panels will not be accepted. One (1) copy of this entry form must be enclosed within an envelope and affixed to the front of each folder, preferably without the use of Scotch tape or adhesives. Clips are ideal. 3. Each project folder must include: a) first page—a brief description of the project b) second page—a brief description indicating the project’s ability to address some or all of the following issues: i) context and/or urban design components ii) integration of sustainable design iii) innovation in addressing program and/or the client’s requirements iv) technical considerations through building materials and/or systems c) drawings/images including site plan, floor plans, sections, elevations and/or model views
Framed certificates will be given to each winning architect team and client. Details to follow upon notification of winners. Notification of Winners
Award winners will be notified after judging takes place in October 2008. Deadline
Entries will be accepted after August 14, 2008. Send all entries to arrive by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 to: Awards of Excellence 2008 Canadian Architect 12 Concorde Place Suite 800 Toronto, Ontario M3C 4J2 Return of Entries
Entries will not be returned.
Name of Project
Name of Firm
Address
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City & Province
Fax
Architect/Architectural Graduate submitting the project according to the conditions above
Signature
Client
Client Telephone
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TECHNICAL
COURTESY ZEIDLER PARTNERSHIP
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ROLL UP THE BIM TO WIN
SOFTWARE COMPANIES CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT NEW BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (BIM) SOFTWARE AS ARCHITECTS LEARN TO ADJUST TO THE NEW REALITIES OF CAD PRODUCTION IN THEIR OFFICES.
TEXT
DOUGLAS MACLEOD
Writing about architecture and computers is not a lucrative profession, nor is it filled with the perks of more glamorous forms of journalism. In the more than 20 years that I have written for Canadian Architect, the free lunches have been few and far between—which at least keeps me honest. Last spring, however, I was invited on what can only be described as a “junket” to attend Autodesk’s World Press Days in San Francisco. What I saw and heard surprised, delighted, amused and occasionally disturbed me. The nature of the event is worth noting since 34 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
the junket itself revealed a great deal about the future of architecture. Over 100 journalists— including myself—from all over the world were flown to San Francisco where we were wined, dined and entertained at the luxurious Mark Hopkins Hotel. There is little doubt that the event was superbly organized. Theatrical lighting accented well-prepared speeches and announcements that rolled off teleprompters with clockwork precision. The PowerPoint presentations were carefully designed with a high degree of professionalism and sophistication, and each was informative and to the point. A promotional animation about Santiago Calatrava’s Spire in Chicago was created by a rising Hollywood director using various Autodesk packages, and its screening was worthy of consideration by the Academy. Key Autodesk personnel made themselves readily available for carefully scheduled one-on-one interviews. There was even a bag of
swag that included a free graphics card. There was also much to admire in Autodesk’s commitment to the critical issues of design. They are proactive in promoting and facilitating sustainable design; they are committed to Building Information Modelling or BIM; and they have funded a research chair in design education and innovation at the National Institute of Design in India. It was so impressive that it made me long for the days when dorks and weirdos would congregate in poorly organized panels to rant about the future of CAD in forums such as the now-defunct A/E/C Systems, to demonstrate software that rarely worked (but which they had made themselves), and to show off awkward graphics in garish colours that had taken days to render. These were the days when Autodesk’s only real product was AutoCAD and, as I often reminded readers, it wasn’t very good. Nonetheless, by bringing CAD to the personal computer in 1982 at a price of around $1,000 US, there is little doubt that Autodesk revolutionized the world of CAD and architecture. Autodesk’s current position was by no means guaranteed in those days. Its early attempts to diversify with products such as Xanadu for hypertext and Cyberspace for virtual reality were failures and its rat line for reporting illegal copies of AutoCAD was an unfortunate exercise in public relations. Quietly (but aggressively), however, AutoDesk came to dominate the world of visualization through a series of strategic acquisitions. In 1998 they purchased Montreal-based Discreet Logic, known for its digital special-effects software, for $520 million US in stock. In 2002 they acquired Revit for $133 million US in cash. In 2005 they purchased Toronto-based Alias for $182 million US in cash, which gave them packages such as Maya (for animation) and Studio (for automotive and industrial design). And in 2007, they bought construction-management software maker NavisWorks for $25 million US in cash. During World Press Days, they announced that they would acquire both Green Building Studio and Carmel Software for undisclosed amounts to strengthen their offerings in the area of sustainable design. Combined with their own offerings TOP AND ABOVE LEFT DESIGNED BY FOSTER + PARTNERS AND THE ZEIDLER PARTNERSHIP, THE ENCANA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS IN CALGARY WAS DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED WITH THE HELP OF AUTODESK’S REVIT, A BIM PROGRAM DESTINED TO OVERTAKE AUTOCAD IN A FEW YEARS.
SYVERSON MONTEYNE ARCHITECTURE INC. ABOVE GOOGLE’S POPULAR—AND PARTIALLY FREE—SKETCHUP CAD PROGRAM ALLOWS OFFICES LIKE WINNIPEG’S SYVERSON MONTEYNE ARCHITECTURE TO PRODUCE CONVINCING SPACE-PLANNING DIAGRAMS, MASSING MODELS, AND CONCEPTUAL DRAWINGS ILLUSTRATING THE DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION OF BUILDING COMPONENTS.
and packages, this means that Autodesk dominates or has major products in every area of visualization from GIS to character animation. As former CEO Carol Bartz is reported to have said, “Look around you: if God didn’t create it, AutoCAD did.” The only challenge to Autodesk in the foreseeable future may come from open-source or free products such as Google SketchUp. The latest version of AutoCAD retails for $3,995 US so while SketchUp doesn’t have anywhere near the capabilities of Revit or AutoCAD, it does have a distinct price advantage and is popular with students. Today, however, according to company president and CEO Carl Bass, the installed base of Autodesk products is 9 million worldwide with 750,000 new users being added each year. In a very real sense, the future of computer-aided design is the future of Autodesk. Such market dominance is always worrisome but in this case it is also confusing. AutoCAD and Revit, for example, would seem to be competing products but Autodesk continues to develop both products and has just released AutoCAD 2009. The same is
true of products such as Maya and 3ds Max. Nonetheless, it is clear that they now have sufficient resources and market share to drive the acceptance of BIM or any other approach they choose. BIM could be the most important development in CAD (and architecture) of this decade because it could transform our approach to design and documentation. Theoretically, BIM would allow architects to develop a data-driven model that would not only form the source of all representations of a building but would also be shared across all phases and disciplines involved in the design, construction and operation of a building. In effect, the model would be the contract and its documentation. Such a model would include not only the geometries of building components but also information such as their cost, performance specifications and even their carbon footprint. A complete model developed using BIM would provide architects and engineers with unprecedented opportunities for analyzing the behaviour of a building before it was built. The problem is that a complete model may be an unattainable goal. Given that one piece of inaccurate data can undermine the integrity of the model, who should enter, verify and maintain that data? The architect? The engineer? The manufacturer? Or a company such as Autodesk? Given the dominance of Autodesk, will BIM become a proprietary standard or an open-source format? What about transferring data between models? Given
the vast array of Autodesk packages, it was not surprising to find that files and data could not be easily transferred between its own products, but BIM demands that data be easily and accurately transferred between multiple packages by multiple vendors. The profession needs to think very carefully about BIM and its implementation. BIM could add a whole new layer of functionality to CAD, but it will probably mean more work (and perhaps liability) for architects and designers as they try to maintain an accurate model throughout the life cycle of a building. Unfortunately, if past history is any indication, the profession probably won’t be able to profit from this development although Autodesk probably will. Architects gave away the store when they began providing their AutoCAD files to clients at no extra cost so it’s hard to imagine that they won’t do the same with BIM. Unlike AutoDesk, architects have a poor track record in understanding the business of building. CA Douglas MacLeod is the Executive Director of the Okanagan Science and Technology Council and the former Executive Director of the Canadian Design Research Network. He invites you to participate in his latest research project, the Architecture of Cyberspace, by visiting the following URL and filling out the online survey: http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/ 13230518. For more information, please contact Doug at dmacleod@cdrn.ca.
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CALENDAR Shanghai Kaleidoscope
May 4-November 2, 2008 Taking place at the Royal Ontario Museum, this exhibition examines Shanghai as a laboratory for 21st-century urban creation, presenting four key aspects of the city’s vibrant culture: architecture, urban design, contemporary art, and fashion, bringing together a mix of architectural models and digital simulations; designer fashion apparel, drawings and runway videos; and paintings, photo-
works and video installations by the city’s leading contemporary artists. Adrian Blackwell: Models For Public Spaces
July 17-September 7, 2008 In this exhibition, Adrian Blackwell’s sculptures sit inside and outside the Art Gallery of Mississauga as infrastructures for both action and contemplation. These physical structures act as diagrams for the strategic structures between different people
in social spaces, opening up question about the boundaries of the “public” in a city like Mississauga. www.artgalleryofmississauga.com VOUSSIOR CLOUD
August 1-September 14, 2008 The SCI-Arc Gallery presents this sitespecific installation by San Francisco-based architecture and design practice IwamotoScott which explores the coupling of potentially conflicting constructional logics. www.iwamotoscott.com
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY Architect as Developer
Turn roof tops into landscaped decks. Paver Pedestal System Call or send for free descriptive literature
Envirospec Incorporated Phone (905) 271-3441 Fax (905) 271-7552
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August 24, 2008 This seminar at the Convention Center in Washington, DC will be hosted by Jonathan Segal, FAIA, who will examine case studies of his own work, explaining the entire process of architect as developer. www.architectasdeveloper.com
Hertzberger and Barry Bergdoll acting as keynote speakers. The conference will unite architects, architectural historians and preservationists in debate, reaching out to policy-makers, politicians, project developers, cultural theorists, philosophers, artists, clients and users. www.docomomo2008.nl Managing Risk at the Pre-Tender Stages of Your Construction Project
September 23-24, 2008 This conference takes place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, and offers valuable information on bonding and insurance factors, the pre-qualification process, comparing traditional and electronic bid advertising methods, and best practices for successful communications between owners and bidders. www.canadianinstitute.com
10th Docomomo conference
September 13-20, 2008 The central theme of this conference in Rotterdam is “The Challenge of Change— Dealing with the Legacy of the Modern Movement” with Herman
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CIRCLE REPLY CARD 24 08/08 CANADIAN ARCHITECT
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SACRED SPACE A 5 × 7 GRID OF FREELY SWINGING ACRYLIC RODS FORM AN ARMATURE OF SORTS FOR KEARNS MANCINI ARCHITECTS’ INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION ENTITLED CEREMONY.
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AN EXHIBITION AT TORONTO’S YORK QUAY CENTRE EXAMINES NOTIONS OF THE SACRED.
TEXT
LESLIE JEN TREVOR KAI
PHOTO
Curated by Patrick Macaulay, head of visual arts at Harbourfront, Sacred Space is the second exhibition in the architecture gallery at York Quay Centre, Toronto’s newest venue devoted to architectural practice and ideology. To address the issue of what constitutes the sacred within a spatial construct, Macaulay approached three Toronto architecture firms with no specifically religious projects in their building portfolios, each of whom responded with thoughtful investigations into the nature of sacred space. The resulting installations recognize that the sacred can indeed be secular and moreover, highly personal. Although the show would appear to have a regional bias in that all three participating firms are Toronto-based, the teams do recognize the subjectivity inherent in the question of what is sacred, and as such, have created installations that are open to interpretation and which are not determinative of experience. Of the three, Taylor_Smyth Architects’ approach is the most literal, as they have chosen to exhibit an array of existing spaces located within the urban fabric of Toronto—hence, the name of their contribution, In Search of the Sacred in the Space of the City. The manner in which this is accomplished is through a random arrangement 38 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 08/08
of large cardboard tubes suspended from the ceiling into which illuminated video screens are inserted at various heights. Like walking through a dense, dark forest, visitors can peer into the screens in each “tree trunk” for glimpses of the sometimes surprising choices by individual members of the firm. Whether it’s a massive chunk of granite located in an urban park or a frenetic and congested downtown intersection, the selections are united by a particular sort of resonance and a novel perception of what constitutes the sacred. Levitt Goodman’s Twilight presents an abstract experience that could be anywhere: in a barely lit section of the gallery, a shallow ramp leads to a small vaguely auricle-shaped space defined by a pale scrim stretched tautly around the organic curves of the enclosure. In keeping with the twilight theme, projected on the scrim is a bluish light that morphs—barely perceptibly—over six minutes, in a temporal compression intended to mimic the 24-hour daily cycle of light. Accompanying the lighting effects are a faintly vibrating floor and a disorienting soundscape resembling a constant rushing stream of white noise, courtesy of artist Yiu-Bun Chan. This subtle manipulation of the senses takes one outside—or perhaps inside—of oneself, to create a highly personal
and possibly sacred experience. Making an even stronger statement as to the subjective nature of the sacred, Kearns Mancini Architects present a rigorously detailed construction, inviting exhibition viewers to share what they feel to be sacred. In this darkened corner of the gallery, Ceremony dominates with a visually arresting installation of 35 thin clear acrylic rods suspended from the ceiling in a 5 × 7 orthogonal grid, each fibre-optically illuminated. The premise of this piece is that the meaning of sacred space is wholly subjective; in this case, it is derived from the viewers’ participation and engagement, as they are encouraged to take one of the many clear acetate strips available and with a Jiffy marker write down what sacred space means to them. These strips are then meant to be tied to the dangling rods to form organically generated foliage for this transparent forest. As in many interactive installations in galleries these days, participants seem eager to share their opinions—there are numerous statements dripping with heartwarming sentimentality describing sacred space as being wherever family members or beloved pets are, along with bizarrely irrelevant comments such as “Go Leafs Go!” (certainly less sacred, more profane). At times, the results are disappointing, as the comments reveal a lack of understanding of space but instead focus on condition. Nonetheless, the ethereal, pristine quality of the installation is undeniably appealing, animated by the brush of a hand which sets the rods asway, while the acetate strips flutter like transparent leaves. Sacred Space’s obvious departure from any defined religious or spiritual focus is telling, as it acknowledges the pluralistic quality of our contemporary culture, whether from a religious, socioeconomic or political perspective. It is a gesture wholly reflective of multicultural Toronto, and as such resists any kind of homogeneity. The investigations and questions provoked by the exhibition will perhaps encourage the public to be more conscious of and sensitive to their environments, to think in a more sophisticated manner about space, and about the rapidly changing cities in which they live. CA Sacred Space continues until September 7, 2008 at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.
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