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With the 16th annual Great Gulf Doors Open Toronto coming up on Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24, UrbanToronto is taking a look at some of your options from this year's offerings. In our first article, we looked at the sports-related buildings throwing their doors open, and yesterday we looked at the Walking Tours and Special Events. Today, we check out this year's architectural offerings from firms both large and small.
Agathom Co. Architects, located at 3 Gilead Place, will be open only Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Operating out of an architecturally idiosyncratic, and completely utilitarian cinder block structure known as the Formerly Building, Agathom encourages visitors to come check out their unique space—complete with exposed pipes and building mechanics—along with their fabrication shop, models, and working designs.
Cannon Design, located at 200 University Avenue, will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Housed within the former SunLife Building, a modernist, 1961-built John B. Parkin designed structure, Cannon will be offering guests an exclusive sneak-peek viewing of three exciting new sports facilities now underway for the upcoming 2015 Parapan/Pan-Am Games. Plans for the soon-to-be-completed, Cisco Velodrome in Milton, CIBC Athletics Stadium at York University, and CIBC Soccer Stadium in Hamilton, will be revealed.
Denegri Bessai Studio, located at 1088 Bathurst Street, will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Visitors to the studio will be able to view original models and designs, and will have the experience of live prototyping and 3D printing demonstrations.
Diamond Schmitt Architects, located at 384 Adelaide Street West, will be open Saturday and Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM. Housed within the recently-renovated 1922-built Ellis Building, the third floor offices of Diamond Schmitt will be open for public presentations and project updates which will run every half hour, with a special emphasis on this year's theme of sports and recreation. In addition to this, visitors are welcome to attend a screening of The Maestro & the Master: Building the New Mariinsky, by Yosef Feyginberg on Saturday, and on Sunday, Jack Diamond will lead a public discussion on what Toronto needs to succeed. Recent/ongoing projects include the Evergreen Brickworks and the new Globe and Mail Centre going up on King Street East. Here is Diamond Schmitt's full presentation schedule:
Saturday May 23
- 1:00 PM Screening of The Maestro & The Master: Building the New Mariinsky
- 2:00 PM Centennial College Residence and Culinary Arts building with Branka Gazibara
- 2:30 PM Emily Carr University of Art + Design with Martin Davidson
- 3:00 PM University of Toronto Scarborough Environmental Science and Chemistry Building with Nigel Tai
- 3:30 PM Brock Marilyn I. Walker School of Performing Arts with Joe Troppmann
- 4:00 PM Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre with Jarle Lovlin
- 4:30 PM Buddy Holly Hall with Mathew Lella
Sunday May 24
- 1:30 PM Jack Diamond leads a discussion on city building
- 2:00 PM Varsity Centre with Duncan Higgins
- 2:30 PM Community Building through Urban Agriculture with Jennifer Mallard and Heela Omarkhail
- 3:00 PM Architectural illustration in the digital age with Jon Soules
- 3:30 PM Designing for healthcare with Huda Juma
- 4:00 PM Sustainable building design: Discoveries at net zero with Michael Leckman
- 4:30 PM Creative City Toronto: Next generation urban environments with Michael Leckman.
DTAH, located at 50 Park Road, will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Situated within the beautiful Rosedale Ravine, this 1954 John B. Parkin designed building—the first permanent headquarters of the Ontario Association of Architects—welcomes guests to explore the exquisitely restored structure and grounds. Visitors will be treated to a historical journey through the highly influential past of Toronto architect John B. Parkin and Associates, along with the OAA's highly vetted architectural competition process, which has helped bring the city such iconic landmarks as the TD Centre and New City Hall. Recent projects include the Aqualina at Bayside, and the Berczy.
gh3, located at 55 Ossington Avenue, will be open only Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Housed within a small commercial building, visitors will be welcome to peruse the studio, meet with the architects, and view models and original designs. Recent work includes the acclaimed June Callwood Park.
Gow Hastings Architects, located at 275 Spadina Road, will be open only Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Visitors will be encouraged to participate in several hands-on demonstrations, including work with 3D printers, various computer software, and will be treated to a series of computer-generated 'fly-through' renderings of current projects.
Hariri Pontarini Architects, located at 602 King Street West, will be open only Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the recently renovated post-and-beam workspace found within the original 1904 structure, while perusing architectural models and displays. Recent/ongoing projects include the B.streets Condos at Bathurst and Bloor, and One Bloor East, currently rising in Yorkville.
Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts, HOK Architects, image courtesy of the Daniels Corporation
HOK Architects Corporation and HOK Inc., located at 400 University Avenue, will be open only Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Open for the first time to the public, HOK's newly designed studio will offer visitors a chance to experience the inner workings of the firm, and visitors will be encouraged to view projects stemming from their Sports and Entertainment division, in keeping with this year's theme. Recent/ongoing projects include the Limelight Condominiums in Mississauga, and the Daniels Waterfront - City of the Arts going up at Jarvis and Queens Quay.
Montgomery Sisam Architects, located at 197 Spadina Road, will be open only Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Housed within a beautifully repurposed, early twentieth century garment factory, the firm will be welcoming guests to tour the studio, meet with architects, and view models and original designs. Recent projects include, the CAMH Queen Street Redevelopment, as well as the ongoing construction of the Hazel McCallion Campus of Sheridan College.
Hazel McCallion Campus at Sheridan College, Mississauga, image courtesy of Moriyama + Teshima and Montgomery Sisam Architects
The current headquarters of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), located at 111 Moatfield Drive, will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Visitors will be granted access to the second floor of the building, which will be host to an exhibit by the 2015 OAA Award winners and the OAAAS Student Award winners. In addition to this, visitors will be encouraged to explore the grounds, and enjoy the peaceful setting provided by the airy, post-modernist structure.
Taylor Smyth Architects & Torp Inc., located at 245 Davenport Road, will be open on Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Guests will be welcome to explore an array of physical and 3D computer models, and will be able to meet the architects. In addition to this, visitors and vintage furniture lovers-alike, will be encouraged to check out the showroom, which will include the best of Danish modern and contemporary design by iconic names such as Georg Jensen and Hans Wagner. The work of Canadian designer Douglas Coupland will also be featured. Recent projects include the Market Street Redevelopment.
Market Street Redevelopment, image by Jack Landau
Lastly, Housing Toronto will feature a panel of five influential Toronto architects—Meg Graham of Superkul, Heather Dubbeldam of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Prishram Jain of TACT Architecture, Stephen Teeple of Teeple Architects, and Brigitte Shim of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects—who will show 20 images for 20 seconds each, in a Pecha-Kucha-style talk, in order to discuss a range of issues concerning every type of housing from dormitories, condos, convents, and more. The series will be hosted by the Masonic Temple (also a part of Doors Open), located at 888 Yonge Street, on Saturday from 2 PM to 3 PM.
Doors Open Toronto 2015 is promising to be yet another exciting event, with more than 150 sites included in this year's program. UrbanToronto is looking forward to it, and encourages all interested in the city to come out and participate. Best of all, it's free!
