U of Waterloo: School of Pharmacy (Dntn Kitchener, 8s, Hariri Pontarini/Robbie/Y+W)

[christiesplits]

How can such a gregarious tower have such a dull base?

 

[Urban Shocker]

Why, what does it need - a matching frilly, floral sham?

 

[taal]

For an institutional building I think the base is fine.

But what's up with the vents on the top! That ruins it.

p.s. if you've seen this in person it comes off even more flowery which could be a good or bad thing.

 

[alklay]

I really love everything about this building. And the base looks like a fine use of decent materials.

 

[Archivist]

Very lively building, I would like to see it in person. I can think of very few Canadian buildings that incorporate something genuinely new into their structures, mostly we are followers, but clearly this building represents a first for the world: It was the first time an interlayer had been integrated into a building's curtain wall rather than be simply a stand-alone artwork.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Yes, Canadian innovation strikes again - now every building in your city can have Dubai-like effects for a fraction of the price, folks.

And a Torontonian, Norman Breakey, invented the paint roller. There's no stopping us.

 

[Hydrogen]

The Pharmacy building looks like the perfect place to hide a grow-op in.

 

[jeicow]

A building with brains - and good looks
Christopher Hume

Mar 09, 2009 04:30 AM

KITCHENER

When it works, a building is more than a building; it can be an urban catalyst, an economic generator and a civic icon.

There's no better example of all three than the new University of Waterloo Pharmacy Building. Sitting on the corner of King and Victoria Sts., not far from Kitchener City Hall, this $53 million structure is already transforming the city around it.

"Our task was to bring life here – to make connections and be a magnet for development," explains architect Siamak Hariri.

The job was also to provide classrooms, labs and amenities for up to 650 staff and students. The site, once the location of a rubber factory, has sat empty for years. Now, another former rubber factory across the road has been turned into a loft condo and a nearby tannery will soon become a medical business centre.

Even more intriguing is the fact that the City of Kitchener invested $30 million in the project as well as the land.

"It was a controversial move," Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr admits. "It is unprecedented for a municipality to do that. But we were looking at this as a job-creation and revitalization effort.

"The recession notwithstanding, it has all come together as hoped. Our $30 million is now leveraged into $130 million to $150 million worth of development at that corner."

As the mayor also points out, his city's decision to stimulate its economy by investing in its infrastructure happened long before the rest of the world caught on. Kitchener set up an economic development fund of $110 million, from which money has also gone to Wilfrid Laurier University ($6.5 million) and the Kitchener Public Library ($32.5 million).

For the architects, who were expected to turn these ideas into three-dimensional reality, the project was especially rewarding. How many clients actually demand quality?

"We wanted to build something that illustrated our commitment to excellence," says Jake Thiessen, director of the School of Pharmacy. "Fifteen years from now, you won't recognize this place. The city had a lot of options; it could have built an arena for the Kitchener Rangers" – the local OHL hockey team – "but they decided to build an academic centre instead."

The new school will eventually form part of a Health Sciences Campus, a cluster of buildings organized around an outdoor courtyard. The medical centre, also designed by Hariri's firm, Hariri Pontarini Architects, with Young + Wright Architects, is under construction.

"They were very tough about budget and sustainability," Hariri says. "Jake told us he needed to attract the best people he could."

In addition to expansive corridors, airy light-filled spaces and a meticulous plan, the 7 1/2-storey building is partially clad in opaque glass panels decorated with images of flowers. This makes the school a landmark; it resembles an enormous piece of painted ceramic.

The play between scale, image and medium makes the building hard to ignore. Indeed, in its own quiet way, it proposes a new approach to the tower. This is architecture not simply as a container for content, but as container and content.

Inside, the building presents a carefully considered mix of materials, raw concrete and glass to walnut and tiles. The project was clearly done on a budget, but it doesn't have that cheap utilitarian look associated with such institutions. Interior spaces are alive with natural light and joined to some larger element.

"We're just trying to figure out how to do work that doesn't involve using cheap materials in gimmicky ways," Hariri says. "It can be done, but it takes time."

Some things are worth waiting for.

.

 

[urbandreamer]

6 August 2009 photo update

^Hmm, gotta say to Mr Zehr that I disagree! Building looks good at night, but by day it's a real clunker!

Day:

I hope a phase 3 or something fills in this dreadful parking lot!

Night:

 

[interchange42]

This fantastic addition to Kitchener's core has been complete for some time now. We'll move this off to Buildings, etc., shortly, but comments about it are appreciated!

The botanical prints in the spandrel glass reference the botanicals used in creating medecines of course.

42

 

[cfloryan]

That's a beaut! It has nice, crisp, modern lines which look beautiful from a distance, and also has a lot of details which bring aesthetic interest as one moves in closer. I really love these Hariri Pontarini designs. They do a very good job of incorporating a buildings purpose/theme into its architecture (botanical panels in this case).

 

[unimaginative2]

They're trying really hard to turn this part of downtown Kitchener into a warehouse district. Surprisingly enough, they seem to be succeeding. The Kaufman factory has been quite magnificently (at least from the outside) renovated into lofts. Another warehouse at Victoria and Joseph has become quite desirable office space. The white whale of the Lang Tannery, formerly the largest tannery in the British Empire, is even getting renovated into commercial and artist space. The project isn't without controversy because of an outbuilding being demolished for additional parking.

When I was a kid I used to spend a lot of time thinking about adaptive reuse prospects of the old Dominon Rubber/Uniroyal plant on Strange Street. It's designed by Albert Kahn and is one of my favourite buildings in K-W. It's a real industrial architecture masterpiece. It was in danger of abandonment a few years ago when Uniroyal shut down, though last I heard some company was in there making gas masks for the war on terrah.

 

[alklay]

Beautiful building and thanks for the exceptional photos.

 

[savevp]

Wooooow! Wow! This is a BEAUTIFUL building especially on the glass. I really like the stone job as well. Great photos too.

 

[interchange42]

Related news from Hariri Pontarini:

The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has released its 2011 award winners list, which represents the best in Ontario architectural design, innovation, and business. We are pleased to announce that Hariri Pontarini Architects has been honoured with two OAA Awards in the Design Excellence category for The University of Waterloo Integrated Health Science Campus as well as the Vancouver Winter Olympics’ Ontario Pavilion.


The University of Waterloo’s Integrated Health Sciences Campus, comprised of the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, was designed and built to not only provide a suitable learning environment for students and faculty, but also to act as a catalyst for its immediate community, as well as presenting the city of Kitchener with a distinct landmarks.

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND MEDICINE
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO CAMPUS
KITCHENER, ONTARIO
OCCUPANCY 2010
243,277 SF
JOINT VENTURE WITH
YOUNG + WRIGHT ARCHITECTS

Photo courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects

Photo courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects

Photo courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects



The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games’ Ontario Pavilion (Ontario House) was designed as a physical and experiential gateway to Ontario. Evocative, light, shimmering and seductive; the pavilion provided a unique impression of Ontario’s lively character.


VANCOUVER 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
WINTER 2010
14,600 SF

IN COLLABORATION WITH:
LORD CULTURAL RESOURCES
INFINITE STAGE DESIGN
NUSSLI EVENT CONSTRUCTION
IREDALE GROUP