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Toronto's Planning and Growth Management Committee has adopted a small but significant recommendation that will acknowledge architects contributions to our city by placing their name near the front entrance of new buildings. Councillor Peter Milczyn, himself a trained architect, put forth the proposal. The recommendation reads:
“The Chief Planner and Executive Director of City Planning require as a standard condition of Site Plan Approval for any new building of 1,000 square metres or greater in Gross Floor Area, that recognition of the Architect of Record, or primary Design Architect of the building be affixed or inscribed on the building at a location near the main entry or prominent façade of the structure. That the lettering for this recognition cover an area of at least 0.2m by 0.3m, or 0.06 square metres.”
Recognizing architects puts value on the profession that designs our urban environment. With their name on the building, architects may be less compromising with everyone involved in the project's development. Great designs will make it easy to see where credit is deserved. Perhaps even new big-box retail developments will try innovative designs with an architect’s name at the entrance.
Great fashion designers come from Paris because the French celebrate and give credit to the designers through favourable patents and copyrights. The City of Toronto could become a global centre for architectural design by passing legislation along the lines of what is proposed above that recognizes the value of architecture.
