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04 VIEWPOINT

STÉPHANE BRÜGGER

SHAWN BUKHARI

SITE INNOVATION

CANADIAN ARCHITECT

NOVEMBER 2020 03

How are Canadian architects faring in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic?

07 NEWS

Edmonton’s main library reopens; feds pledge $2 billion towards large building retrofits; letters to the editor on diversity in design.

13 RAIC JOURNAL

The winners of the 2020 National Urban Design Awards.

41 TECHNICAL 23

30

23 VANCOUVER HOUSE

A new tower by Bjarke Ingels Group, DIALOG, and James K.M. Cheng rises up and over Granville Bridge. TEXT D’Arcy Jones

30 ÎLOT BALMORAL

Provencher_Roy’s slick office block for the National Film Board of Canada completes the western edge of Montreal’s Place des Festivals. TEXT Olivier Vallerand

Anthony Pak and Kelly Doran outline key strategies for lowering the embodied carbon of building materials and assemblies.

47 INSITES

The pandemic highlights the urgency of building better residential high-rises, according to researchers Terri Peters and Ted Kesik.

50 BACKPAGE

Hudson Architecture crafts an airship-like addition to a home in Mississauga, Ontario.

36 M2 ANDREW LATREILLE

nArchitects tailors a terraced mixed-use building to a quirky waterfront site in downtown Calgary. TEXT Matt Knapik

Vancouver House, Vancouver, British Columbia, by Bjarke Ingels Group (design architect), DIALOG (architect of record), and James K.M. Cheng (advising architect). Photo by Ema Peter.

COVER

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THE NATIONAL REVIEW OF DESIGN AND PRACTICE / THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE RAIC

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VIEWPOINT

PANDEMIC PULSE How are architects faring as we head into the second wave of the pandemic? Two surveys in late August—one by the Ontario Association of Architects, the other by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada—took the pulse of the profession.

401 members responded to the OAA’s survey, 79 percent of whom work in practices of two or more people. The survey found that 38 percent of practices were able to take advantage of government programs to maintain staff levels during the first months of the pandemic. Many respondents saw an initial drop in work, but business picked up over the summer. Overall, 34 percent experienced a decline in business, 28 percent saw no overall impact, and 15 percent had more work than usual—particularly in healthcare projects.

In Quebec, Nicolas Demers-Stoddart of Provencher_Roy says that healthcare work allowed his firm to avoid layoffs.

“We’ve taken on projects that helped us push through, like rapid and temporary hospitals,” he says. “It speaks to the resilience and the capacity of the firm,” adds colleague Caroline Jerabek. “It’s satisfying to be helping out the first responders in the health sector.”

Ex-urban home design is another area that is faring well. “In some ways, we’re busier than before,” says Omar Gandhi, who heads offices in Halifax and Toronto. “People have become faster and bigger dreamers,” he says, noting that house clients have moved longterm projects to a shorter-term horizon.

At the end of August, 65 percent of the Ontario architects surveyed were working partially or fully from home, and 19 percent had returned to the office. 38 percent anticipated that remote working, at least part-time, will become a permanent option for some staff. Many participants cited coordinating staff efforts, designing remotely, and issues with building departments as key challenges of working remotely.

“In terms of having enough work, things are fortunately fine,” says Sasa Radulovic of Winnipeg practice 5468796. “In terms of how we do work, everything has changed.” With most staff working remotely, “we’ve lost all serendipity,” he says, noting that there are few occasions for “challenging ideas, pushing each other, having an argument.”

Janna Levitt of Toronto-based LGA Architectural Partners agrees. “Architecture is material and tactile—working with a stylus on a screen, I don’t find it as successful as a process.”

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The shift to virtual meetings has brought some potentially paradigm-shifting changes.

A group of BC architects noted that there’s been a shift in power from room-occupiers— historically men. “Online meetings give preference to a different skill set than traditional in-person meetings,” they note.

The RAIC has been running surveys since the beginning of the pandemic; their most recent one, in August, received 167 responses from across Canada. 82 percent of respondents are part of a practice with two or more people.

23 percent of the RAIC ’s respondents were able to access the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, 10 percent benefitted from the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program, and another 10 percent claimed provincial or territorial benefits. Notwithstanding, 37 percent of individuals saw their income reduced over the course of the pandemic so far, and 41 percent of organizations experienced a loss in revenue. 25 percent said that they were not yet back to “business as usual” in their service delivery.

Looking forward, firms need to consider their overall finances in a comprehensive manner, says CPA Elaine Pantel of ShimmermanPenn—a challenge in an uncertain environment. “Cash flow planning and management is a higher priority than ever,” she says.

Areas to consider include banking relationships heading into the fiscal year-end, staffing needs, and long-term physical space requirements.

17 percent of RAIC survey respondents continue to have reduced work hours, while another 11 percent had an initial reduction, but have now returned to normal work hours.

An employee from a practice in a mid-sized Ontario city reported she was initially cut back to a four-day work week, but has recently returned to full hours. “With a small firm, it’s easier to be flexible, but trust has been required on all sides,” she says—the owner has trusted staff to manage their time, and she and her colleagues have trusted that they will be compensated for overtime.

On the positive side, some architects say the slowdown has allowed them to rethink their business strategy and improve their office culture. “We’ve made a huge effort to prioritize well-being and safe connection in our team,” says Cynthia Dovell, principal of a seven-person Edmonton firm. “And because it’s a priority, we’re doing it more.”

Elsa Lam

EDITOR ELSA LAM, FRAIC ART DIRECTOR ROY GAIOT CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ANNMARIE ADAMS, FRAIC ODILE HÉNAULT DOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB, MRAIC ONLINE EDITOR CHRISTIANE BEYA REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS MONTREAL DAVID THEODORE CALGARY GRAHAM LIVESEY, MRAIC WINNIPEG LISA LANDRUM, MAA, AIA, MRAIC VANCOUVER ADELE WEDER, HON. MRAIC SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR ANNE LISSETT, ARCHITECT AIBC, LEED BD+C VICE PRESIDENT & SENIOR PUBLISHER STEVE WILSON 416-441-2085 x105 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER FARIA AHMED 416-441-2085 x106 CUSTOMER SERVICE / PRODUCTION LAURA MOFFATT 416-441-2085 x104 CIRCULATION CIRCULATION@CANADIANARCHITECT.COM PRESIDENT OF IQ BUSINESS MEDIA INC. ALEX PAPANOU HEAD OFFICE 101 DUNCAN MILL ROAD, SUITE 302 TORONTO, ON M3B 1Z3 TELEPHONE 416-441-2085 E-MAIL info@canadianarchitect.com WEBSITE www.canadianarchitect.com Canadian Architect is published 9 times per year by iQ Business Media Inc. 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.

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PROJECTS

07

Designed by Teeple Architects with Stantec, the renewed Stanley A. Milner Library in the heart of downtown Edmonton, facing Winston Churchill Square, celebrated its grand opening on September 17.

Many aspects of the original building, which opened in 1967 as Edmonton’s Centennial Library, had reached the end of their life cycle. The architectural team of Teeple Architects and Stantec used the key technical goals of the project—including replacement of the building’s deteriorating envelope, seismic upgrades, and a comprehensive interior renovation—as an opportunity to establish improved connections to public spaces and transit, a dynamic outward-looking form, and a reimagined interior spatial organization.

The building’s multi-storey interior atrium creates a variety of spaces, intuitive and accessible circulation paths, and improved sightlines. The updated interiors include a café, children’s library, makerspace, teaching kitchen and meeting spaces.

An Indigenous gathering space was designed in consultation with local Cree elders and communities to form the spiritual heart of the building. Additional upgrades include a high-performance envelope and new building systems to significantly improve energy performance. www.epl.ca

WHAT’S NEW Feds announce $2 billion for large building retrofits

On October 1st, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $10-billion investment in new major infrastructure initiatives to create jobs and economic growth. This includes a $2-billion investment in large-scale building retrofits to increase energy efficiency and help make communities more sustainable.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank’s Growth Plan is a three-year plan that will help build a low-carbon economy, connect more households and small businesses to high-speed Internet, and strengthen Canadian agriculture.

To accelerate the delivery of projects in which the CIB intends to invest, it will also allocate $500 million for project development and early construction works.

The Canada Green Building Council applauds the government for taking a significant step toward Canada’s low-carbon future. cib-bic.ca

CA Nov 20.indd 7

ANDREW LATREILLE

Revamped Stanley A. Milner Library opens in Edmonton

CANADIAN ARCHITECT 11/20

NEWS

ABOVE Teeple Architects and Stantec’s overhaul of the Stanley A. Milner Library in downtown Edmonton included replacing the building’s deteriorating envelope.

Coalition forms to protect Ontario Place

CBDX: Cities for All

The World Monuments Fund, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto, and Architectural Conservancy Ontario have formed a coalition to protect the legacy of Toronto landmark Ontario Place, designed by architect Eberhard Zeidler, landscape architect Michael Hough, and playscape specialist Eric McMillan.

The coalition’s Future of Ontario Place Project aims to safeguard the site’s landscape and built heritage from the threat of demolition and privatization. The project’s website is the first consolidated public resource on Ontario Place, and includes archival images, stories, and interviews with architects and urbanists about the development’s significance.

The coalition is hosting a series of live debates on the issues facing Ontario Place, and plans to facilitate a letter-writing campaign and host a Canada-wide design challenge calling for alternative proposals for the site.

Ontario Place was commissioned in 1969 by the Ontario Department of Trade and Development as a showplace for the province’s identity and culture. When it opened in 1971, it was a symbol of the province’s rapid economic growth and urbanization.

By 2012, steadily decreasing revenues led the provincial government to close large portions of the site. In 2019, the provincial government launched a global call for developers to submit proposals to “comprehensively develop and reinvent the site,” opening up the possibility of privatization, reinvention and demolition. Ontario Place was included on the “World Monuments Fund 2020 Watch,” a biennial list of at-risk cultural heritage sites.

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (SAPL) at the University of Calgary has launched an international design ideas competition intended to spark an international discussion around equitable, inclusive cities. CBDX : Cities for All invites interested participants to respond—using design—to the current social and political climate.

“The climate crisis and social inequality have converged against the backdrop of a pandemic, prompting us to rethink the way cities are being designed, built and operated,” says John Brown, SAPL Dean. “The ideas generated from this competition will offer a glimpse into how a city for all might look, how it might operate, and how it might come into being.”

The competition offers $6,000 in prizes.

The deadline for submissions is December 31.

www.futureofontarioplace.org

www.cbdxcitiesforall.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Distance education

I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of making design education available to those who are distant from major cities, part of marginalized communities, or whose work or age does not permit them to easily visit a campus on a regular basis. With this in mind, Douglas Macleod’s article (Going Virtual, CA, September 2020) was so refreshing to read.

Interestingly, the subject of making design education broadly accessible also relates to the McGill Continuing Studies courses I teach each year about architecture and the urban environment, directed to students in disciplines other than architecture. The intention is not to teach them to become designers, but rather

2020-10-22 8:06 AM

CANADIAN ARCHITECT 11/20

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NEWS to sensitize non-architects—business and engineering students especially, who tend to enrol in the course—to the arts and built environment.

Over the past decade, I have become very passionate about this.

When students tell me that they are beginning to look at the city in new and different ways, it’s a wonderful feeling. Who knows which ones among them will become developers or will, as engineers, deal more sensitively with architects in the future?

I conduct these classes in person, but last winter, like most everyone, I had to go online with the course. The big difference now is that I cannot take students out of the lecture room into different neighbourhoods in Montreal, as was my custom from time to time—so we’ll see how things work moving forward.

Vedanta Balbahadur, VBA and ékm architecture, Montreal, Quebec

CLIMATE CRISIS To mark the first anniversary of Canada’s Architects Declare initiative, we’re publishing the original text of the declaration, signed by over 200 practices. We are also printing a climate statement issued by KPMB LAB—the firm’s research group—to highlight how individual firms are bringing this issue to their work and clients. Finally, a text by recent graduate Jessica Piper, which was selected in a Call for Manifestos by the Canadian Architecture Forums on Education, points to emerging practitioners’ perception of the urgency of the climate crisis.

Canadian Architectural Professionals Declare Planetary Health Emergency and Commit to Urgent and Sustained Action

Our interconnected crises of climate breakdown, ecological degradation, and societal inequity are the most serious issues of our time.

The design, construction, and operation of our built environment accounts for nearly 40 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and pervasively impacts our societies and the health of the living systems that sustain us.

Building to support the intergenerational health of our communities and living systems will require rapid paradigm shifts in thought and action for everyone working in the design, construction, and procurement of our built environments. Together with our clients, collaborators, and communities, we need to develop our buildings, cities, and infrastructures as indivisible components of larger nested living systems—interconnected, resilient, and regenerative, now and for future generations.

The knowledge, research, and technologies exist for us to begin this transformation now. Through collective will and collaborative action, we will elevate, empower, and evolve our sustained action.

Accordingly, we commit to: R aise awareness of these interconnected crises, and the impact the built environment has on them, with our clients and colleagues; Take immediate action through our projects, and in our capacities as advisors, advocates, educators, and enablers within our communities, cities, and supply chains.

Towards this, we further commit to: Design for holistic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and advocate for investments in a rapid transition to resilient climate-positive alternatives; Eliminate waste and harm, and support a rapid transition to circular economies; Design for holistic health, resilience, and regeneration; respecting the rights and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples as outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

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Adopt regenerative design principles and practices to build the necessary capability to design and develop projects and environments that go beyond the standard of net zero in use; Advocate for the rapid systemic changes required to address the climate and ecological health crises, as well as the policies, funding priorities, and implementation frameworks that support them.

ca.architectsdeclare.com

KPMB LAB: Climate Statement

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Climate change is the problem Climate change is the defining issue of our time. The world is already 1°C warmer than it was in pre-industrial times and our current infrastructure will take us past 1.5°C by mid-century. The next ten years are pivotal. In order to avoid 2°C of warming—widely understood as the tipping point into ecological catastrophe—we must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings are associated with approximately a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, so architects have a special responsibility to help minimize the amount of warming to come, and to help our societies become resilient and adaptable in the face of the warming we have already caused.

We have the answers The technology needed to address the challenge of climate change already exists. Energy production across all industries accounts for almost 80 percent of global GHG emissions. Simply put, to arrest global warming we need to power the global economy with clean electricity instead of fossil fuels. Our imperative as architects is to electrify all buildings, both anticipating and helping to bring about a largescale societal shift to clean electric power.

In markets with clean electricity grids, this largely eliminates operational GHG emissions from buildings. In markets where the electricity is generated in a carbon-intensive way, electrified buildings are capable of becoming low/no carbon buildings when a clean electricity source becomes available and can reduce the current GHG impact with project-specific clean generation.

The resilience and adaptability measures required to address the warming already underway are more complex, and will require projectspecific design ingenuity. But here too, the technologies required to meet the challenges exist.

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Photo: Mendoza Photography

Growth is part of the solution Much of the current public conversation about addressing climate change presumes a false narrative: that we have to make a choice between privileging the economy or the environment—doing what is best for one entails sacrificing the other. This is false. Making the investments required to meet the challenge of climate change will generate economic activity in the short term, and unlock the potential for innovation across a range of industries that will power economic growth over the long term. Indeed, leading investors are concluding that “climate risk is investment risk” and sustainability-integrated portfolios will provide better risk-adjusted returns over time.

Taking a step back, we see that economic growth is vital for human well-being. While not every instance of growth may be desirable, in aggregate, the rapid economic growth the world has witnessed in the past generation is nothing short of a miracle. In the last 35 years, while the global population has doubled from 3.7 billion to 7.7 billion, the number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen from 1.5 billion to under 750 million (a proportional decline from over 42 percent of the population to less than 10 percent). Maintaining this level of growth is critical to the well-being of billions of our fellow citizens.

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CANADIAN ARCHITECT 11/20

NEWS

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Simultaneously, while the global population continues to grow to an estimated levelling off point of 10 billion people, mass urban migration has resulted in an unprecedented need for new buildings. The imperative for architects is clear: we must design the buildings needed for our growing population in a climate-positive way, while continuing to drive the economic growth that advances human well-being.

The next ten years will be transformational The next ten years are of critical importance to limiting the ultimate amount of warming that the globe will experience. The IPCC indicates that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require reducing GHG emissions by 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050. Indeed, the expected emissions from existing infrastructure over its service life is enough to take the earth beyond 1.5°C of warming. Thus, every decision moving forward needs to be the right decision—there is no room for kicking the can further down the road.

These years will also be transformational in the building industry.

In Canada, progressive jurisdictions have implemented building standards designed to dramatically elevate the level of performance of buildings being built by 2030. National and provincial codes are following this lead and, consequently, we can expect a generational shift in building practice over the decade.

Architects have a unique opportunity Many of the loudest voices in the climate change conversation today make solutions sound complicated and unattainable. In reality, many of the best climate change solutions will have the wonderful consequence of making life as we know it better.

Architects have a role to play in depicting that desirable future, to catalyze action today. Critically, this future is not a compromise or a sacrifice—it is a better, healthier, more enjoyable world that, given the option, anyone would choose.

KPMB is committed to championing this vision and working with our clients to make it a reality.

-Geoffrey Turnbull (Direector of Innovation) and David Constable (Principal), KPMB

Biological architectures: Designing for equitable futures

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1 Architecture and urban design have enormous and long-lived impacts on our collective economic, social and environmental well-being.

The cities and buildings we have crafted over decades, centuries, and millenia are some of the most egregious offenders in the ongoing anthropogenic climate crisis. Over their lives, the buildings architects design are responsible for approximately 40 percent of both energy consumption and carbon emissions worldwide.

2 As we face the ongoing climate crisis, it is imperative that we transition away from the finance-driven development that currently characterizes ‘green design’ towards a paradigm that values social equity and environmentally sound approaches over short-term financial gain.

This necessitates a pivot away from traditional, linear design and building strategies that consider buildings as discrete independent entities, into a comprehensive, systemic and resilient approach to design. Social sustainability is especially important to develop in this context: sustainable design principles simply cannot be effective if they are only accessible to the wealthiest, most privileged sectors of society.

3 A systemic approach to design must include active work towards building social equity; the first step in this process is to include diverse voices in decision-making processes. We need to expand, amplify and promote these voices if we wish to build equitable cities that

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respond to the complex and disparate needs of our local and global communities.

4 Considerations of equity in development must extend past the anthropocentric worldview that has dominated architectural thinking since the days of Vitruvius. Biocentric principles allow for a reworking of our collective worldview to consider, account for, and value the millions of non-human species currently living on earth. Merely ensuring that there are sufficient renewable resources to accommodate each human on earth could result in a catastrophic global ecosystemic collapse. Ecologists calculate if 12 percent of the earth’s biocapacity is allocated for other species, it should be sufficient to maintain systemic resilience.

Today we use 175 percent of Earth’s biocapacity each year for humanity alone.

5 Biomaterials offer plausible material options in the pursuit of environmentally responsible design practice. Biomaterials are derived from living organisms and systems, and can be used as potential low-carbon alternatives to traditional building materials.

As biomaterials are grown rather than extracted, in many cases, they can be developed

as local crops, mitigating the energy and carbon costs associated with extensive transportation and processing.

of renewable biomaterials, biological architectures are one of many possible trajectories towards an aspirational, equitable future.

-Jessica Piper, University of Manitoba M.Arch graduate

6 Substantial research, analysis, and theoretical work supporting a paradigmatic transiMEMORANDA tion towards equitable design practices has been ongoing for decades. Examples include Global Perspectives lectures continue applied biomimicry, which takes design inspiration from biological organisms and Canada’s 12 schools of architecture have systems, facilitating the discovery of unique organized a pan-Canada online lecture series and efficient solutions to design problems. that highlights issues of diversity, inclusion Regenerative design is a more systemic and equity. It includes talks by Syrus Marcus approach that aims to restore, renew and Ware, Tiffany Lethabo King, and Sara revitalize energy and resources through Zewde on November 10, and Anupama Kundesign. The framework of regenerative doo on November 19. design recognizes the complex, interdependstudy-architecture.ca/pancanada2021/ ent nature of ecosystems, and acknowledges the place of human community and economy Open Sky: Portrait of a Pavilion in Venice within them. Architects and architecture must acknowledge their historic and ongoing The documentary short Open Sky: Portrait failures to meaningfully address social inof a Pavilion in Venice, directed by Katerine equity and environmental sustainability.

Giguère, is now available for viewing online.

The cascading feedback loops of anthropoThe film documents the restoration of the genic climate change necessitate a swift and Canadian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. emphatic transition towards a new paradigm nfb.ca of comprehensive systemic thinking in design. Through applied principles of biocenFor the latest news, sign up for our free weekly trism and regenerative design, and the use e-newsletter at www.canadianarchitect.com/subscribe BisonIP-CANArchitect-3.8x4.85-April2020.pdf

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13 Briefs En bref 2021 Congress on Architecture Next October 4, 2021—recognized across the globe as World Architecture Day—the inaugural RAIC Congress on Architecture will address Climate Action and Architecture in Canada. Over the coming year, the RAIC will host a series of events leading up to the 2021 Congress on Architecture and the development of a Climate Action Plan. The countdown to Congress 2021 kicked off with a virtual panel that brought together four presenters to discuss Climate Action and Architecture in Canada on October 5, 2020, as a celebration of this year’s World Architecture Day.

Le Congrès d’architecture 2021 Le 4 octobre 2021—reconnu dans le monde entier comme la Journée mondiale de l’architecture—le premier Congrès d’architecture de l’IRAC portera sur l’action climatique et l’architecture au Canada.

Au cours de l’année prochaine, l’IRAC présentera une série d’événements menant au Congrès d’architecture 2021 et à l’élaboration d’un plan d’action pour le climat. Le compte à rebours avant le Congrès 2021 a débuté avec un panel virtuel qui a réuni quatre présentateurs pour discuter de l’action climatique et de l’architecture au Canada - qui a eu lieu le 5 octobre 2020 à l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de l’architecture.

RAIC Connects has launched RAIC Connects is a new online community platform that will be accessible to all members of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, as well as non-members that are active in committees/task forces. The platform is a forum-based website with multiple functionalities including announcements, email notifications, events, and file sharing.

Explore the platform for yourself at: raicconnects.raic.org

IRAC Connects a été lancé IRAC Connects est une nouvelle plateforme communautaire en ligne qui sera accessible à tous les membres de l’Institut royal d’architecture du Canada, ainsi qu’aux non-membres qui sont actifs dans des comités/groupes de travail. La plateforme est un site Web basé sur des forums avec de multiples fonctionnalités, notamment des avis, des notifications par courriel, des événements et le partage de fichiers.

Explorez la plateforme vous-même à l’adresse : raicconnects.raic.org

The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built environment in Canada, demonstrating how design enhances the quality of life, while addressing important issues of society through responsible architecture. www.raic.org L’IRAC est le principal porte-parole en faveur de l’excellence du cadre bâti au Canada. Il démontre comment la conception améliore la qualité de vie tout en tenant compte d’importants enjeux sociétaux par la voie d’une architecture responsable. www.raic.org/fr

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RAIC Journal Journal de l’IRAC RAIC Connects is a virtual space

for creating conversations.

IRAC Connects est un espace

virtuel pour créer des conversations.

Creating Connections in 2020 Créer des liens en 2020 Tanner Morton Editor, RAIC Journal Rédacteur en chef, Journal de l’IRAC

This year, the professional landscape for architects—along with countless other aspects of life—has shifted. We have had to learn to adapt to a new reality that, in a way, has shown how important spaces for socialization and conversation are for both the profession and across Canadian society.

As 2020 has worn on, there has been a rising desire to connect with other people in our communities, usually through a virtual platform—as many public spaces have either been closed or limited due to social distancing measures. Though it is uncertain when in-person events will return, the RAIC has developed a virtual space for creating conversations: we are introducing RAIC Connects.

While not a direct response to the pandemic, our aim is for RAIC Connects to be this muchneeded communal conversation space for RAIC members.

Having a dedicated space to bolster conversation in the profession will hopefully benefit Canadian architects both in our current moment, as well in the future—however that may look. Though a sense of disconnect might be more keenly felt during the COVID19 pandemic, creating connections and fostering a stronger sense of community is vital for the health of the profession in the years ahead. Our organization will endeavour to continue creating spaces and opportunities for connections and conversation to flourish in Canadian architecture.

Cette année, le paysage professionnel des architectes, comme d’innombrables autres aspects de la vie, a changé. Nous avons dû apprendre à nous adapter à une nouvelle réalité qui, d’une certaine manière, a montré combien les lieux de socialisation et de conversation sont importants tant pour la profession que pour l’ensemble de la société canadienne.

Au fur et à mesure que l’année 2020 s’est déroulée, la volonté de communiquer avec d’autres personnes de votre communauté, généralement par le biais d’une plateforme virtuelle, s’est accrue, car de nombreux lieux publics ont été fermés ou limités en raison de mesures de distanciation sociale. Bien que l’on ne sache pas encore quand les rencontres en personne reviendront, l’IRAC a mis en place un espace virtuel pour créer des conversations: voici IRAC Connects.

Bien qu’il ne s’agisse pas d’une réponse directe à la pandémie, nous souhaitons qu’IRAC Connects soit cet espace de conversation commun indispensable pour tous les membres de l’IRAC. Il faut espérer que le fait de disposer d’un espace destiné à favoriser les échanges au sein de la profession sera bénéfique pour les architectes canadiens, en ce moment et dans le futur, quelle que soit la forme qu’ils prendront. Même si un sentiment de déconnexion a pu être plus vivement ressenti lors de la pandémie de COVID-19, il est vital pour la santé de la profession dans les années à venir de créer des liens et de promouvoir un plus vif sentiment d’appartenance à la communauté. Notre organisation s’efforcera de continuer à créer des espaces et des possibilités de rencontres et de conversations pour que l’architecture canadienne s’épanouisse.

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National Urban Design Awards Urban design plays an important role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in Canadian communities.

Le design urbain joue un rôle important dans le maintien et l’amélioration de la qualité de vie dans les communautés canadiennes.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Canadian Institute of Planners and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, in cooperation with Canadian municipalities, work closely to promote awareness of that role. In 2006, the three groups established the National Urban Design Awards program to recognize individuals, organizations, firms, and projects in Canada that have contributed to the quality of life and the sustainability of Canadian cities.

L’Institut royal d’architecture du Canada, l’Institut canadien des urbanistes et l’Association des architectes paysagistes du Canada, de concert avec des villes canadiennes, collaborent étroitement pour mieux faire connaître ce rôle. En 2006, les trois organismes ont créé le programme des Prix nationaux de design urbain pour reconnaître les personnes, les organisations, les firmes et les projets situés au Canada qui ont contribué à améliorer la qualité de vie et la durabilité dans les villes canadiennes.

Twelve projects across Canada—each with a tremendous impact on the surrounding built environment—have been selected for the 2020 National Urban Design Awards.

The winning projects range from public art installations and parks to a revitalized underpass.

The awards are part of a two-tier program held in cooperation with Canadian municipalities. The National Urban Design Awards program judged winners of the 2020 municipal awards and entries submitted at large.

Douze projets de diverses municipalités canadiennes ayant chacun ayant un impact considérable sur le cadre bâti ont été sélectionnés pour les Prix nationaux de design urbain 2020.

Les projets primés vont d’installations d’art public et de parcs à un passage souterrain revitalisé.

Les prix font partie d’un programme en deux volets administré en collaboration avec des municipalités canadiennes. Le jury du programme des Prix nationaux de design urbain a évalué les candidatures des lauréats des Prix municipaux de design urbain de 2019 et 2020 et les autres candidatures générales qui ont été soumises.

Northwest view North elevation at dusk

DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY

Vue nord-ouest

Urban Architecture - Award of Excellence

Architecture urbaine - Lauréat

Casey House, Toronto, ON Hariri Pontarini Architects

Casey House, Toronto, ON Hariri Pontarini Architects

The renovation and extension to Casey House, a specialized healthcare facility for individuals with HIV/AIDS, meets the needs of patients and healthcare providers in a setting designed to evoke the experience and comforts of home. With a new Day Health Program servicing a roster of 200 registered clients and 14 new inpatient rooms, the addition brings much-needed space and modernized amenities to augment and renovate the heritage-designated Victorian mansion. The new structure embraces the existing building, preserving its qualities and organizing day-to-day user experience around a landscaped central courtyard.

Le projet de rénovation et d’agrandissement de la Maison Casey, un établissement de santé spécialisé pour les personnes atteintes du VIH/SIDA répond aux besoins des patients et des prestataires de soins dans un milieu conçu pour évoquer l’expérience et le confort d’un domicile. Le nouveau bâtiment comprend 14 lits pour patients hospitalisés et héberge le nouveau programme de soins de jour qui offre des services à quelque 200 clients inscrits. Cet ajout plus que nécessaire s’accompagne de la modernisation et de la rénovation de la maison patrimoniale de style victorien. La nouvelle structure englobe le bâtiment existant tout en préservant ses qualités et en organisant l’expérience quotidienne des utilisateurs autour d’une nouvelle cour intérieure paysagée.

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Élévation nord au crépuscule

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The library integrates into the suburban context along Bramalea Road Vue extérieure illustrant la relation entre le paysage et les géométries du plafond intérieur La bibliothèque s’intégre dans le contexte suburbain le long de Bramalea

NIC LEHOUX

Exterior showing the relationship between the parkscape and interior ceiling geometries

Urban Architecture - Certificate of Merit

Architecture urbaine - Certificat de mérite

The Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park, Brampton, ON RDH Architects (RDHA)

Bibliothèque Springdale et parc Komagata Maru, Brampton, ON RDH Architects (RDHA)

The Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park aspire to create an inclusive gathering place, a progressive architectural expression in the suburbs, and a point of pride for the city. The project’s concept is to establish a new type of suburban landscape through the organically shaped perimeter of the building, the creation of an undulating topography of fluid ceilings and mountainous green roof, and the sectional variation of the ground plane. The new Springdale branch provides Brampton with an emboldened organic presence and a sustainable public resource for the community.

La bibliothèque Springdale et le parc Komagata Maru aspirent à créer un lieu de rassemblement inclusif, une expression architecturale progressiste qui fait la fierté de la ville. Le concept du projet est d’établir un nouveau type de paysage de banlieue grâce à la forme organique du périmètre du bâtiment; à la création d’une topographie ondulante de plafonds fluides et d’une toiture verte au relief montagneux; et à la variation sectionnelle du plan du sol.

La nouvelle succursale Springdale de la bibliothèque de Brampton offre une présence organique audacieuse et une ressource publique durable pour la communauté.

Urban stairs and funicular landing

Vue aérienne donnant sur l’est

DIALOG

Escaliers urbains et débarquement du funiculaire

TOM ARBAN

Rendering of aerial view looking east

Civic Design Projects - Award of Excellence

Projets d’aménagements municipaux - Lauréat

Mechanized River Valley Access, Edmonton, AB DIALOG

Accès mécanisé à la vallée riveraine, Edmonton, AB DIALOG

The Mechanized River Valley Access connects Edmonton’s downtown with its spectacular river valley. The large elevation difference and steep slopes of the river valley are part of its great beauty, but it makes access difficult for users with mobility challenges. The Mechanized River Valley Access was designed to address this connectivity challenge. The intuitive, barrier-free journey includes a funicular, staircase, promenade and park, pedestrian bridge, lookout, and elevator, allowing people to overcome the steep riverbank slope.

It is not only a major infrastructure and accessibility project, but also a remarkable urban space defined by placemaking and delight throughout all seasons.

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L’accès mécanisé à la vallée riveraine relie le centre-ville d’Edmonton à sa spectaculaire vallée riveraine. La grande différence d’altitude et les pentes abruptes de la vallée font partie de sa beauté, mais elles rendent l’accès difficile pour les utilisateurs ayant des problèmes de mobilité. L’accès mécanisé à la vallée riveraine a été conçu pour relever ce défi de connectivité. Le parcours intuitif et sans obstacle comprend un funiculaire, un escalier, une promenade et un parc, une passerelle pour piétons, un belvédère et un ascenseur qui permettent aux personnes d’utiliser les lieux malgré la pente raide des berges. Il s’agit non seulement d’un projet d’infrastructure et d’accessibilité majeur, mais aussi d’un espace urbain remarquable défini par la création de lieux et le ravissement en toutes saisons.

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INDUSTRYOUS PHOTOGRAPHY

Form, colour, pattern and texture are designed to integrate with the urban context

Civic Design Projects - Certificate of Merit

Projets d’aménagements municipaux - Certificat de mérite

Berczy Park, Toronto, ON Claude Cormier et Associés

Berczy Park, Toronto, ON Claude Cormier et Associés

The revitalization of this iconic park in downtown Toronto adapts to rapidly evolving community needs that have arisen since the original Berczy Park was constructed 40 years ago. Next-generation needs are accommodated by shaping the park into three program-oriented spaces—a green area for play, a garden for dogs, and a plaza for gathering. The overall park experience is unified across these distinct spaces by a whimsical fountain at the centre of the plaza, inspired by the phenomenon and history of dogs at Berczy Park, becoming an essential agent of triangulation with universal appeal.

La revitalisation de ce parc emblématique du centre-ville de Toronto a dû s’adapter à l’évolution rapide des besoins de la communauté, qui n’avaient jamais été prévus lors de la construction du parc Berczy il y a 40 ans. Il a fallu prendre en considération les besoins de la prochaine génération en transformant le parc en trois espaces centrés sur des programmes—un espace vert pour jouer, un jardin pour les chiens et un lieu de rassemblement. Une fontaine ludique au centre de la place unifie l’expérience globale du parc. Cette fontaine, inspirée par le phénomène et l’histoire de la présence des chiens au Parc Berczy devient ainsi un agent essentiel de triangulation à l’attrait universel.

View of the foundtain and the backdrop of Toronto’s financial district La forme, la couleur, le motif et le texture sont conçus pour s’intégrer au contexte urbain Vue de la fontaine et du quartier financier de Toronto

HTFC PLANNING & DESIGN

Bertha Lane is shared between delivery vehicles and pedestrians A trellis sheltering Alexandra Pocket Park includes built-in lighting Alleyways Market takes over the back lane at Elgin for four Fridays each summer

Civic Design Projects - Certificate of Merit

Projets d’aménagements municipaux - Certificat de mérite

North East Exchange District Public Realm, Winnipeg, MB HTFC Planning & Design in collaboration with WSP Engineering, the City of Winnipeg & CentreVenture Development Corporation

Domaine public du nord-est du quartier de la Bourse, Winnipeg, MB HTFC Planning & Design en collaboration avec WSP Engineering, la ville de Winnipeg et la CentreVenture Development Corporation

Une voie partagée entre les véhicules et les piétons

Winnipeg’s North East Exchange District is home to a forward-looking public realm underpinned by the rich warehouse commerce story of the city. The people-first woonerfs, green lanes, plazas, and parklets of the district buzz with activity in all seasons. Together, these richly textured and accessible public places form the soulful connective tissue that is the lifeblood of Winnipeg’s hottest and fastest-growing neighbourhood. Completed in 2018, the six-year-long collaborative urban renewal project has been the catalyst for a private development that houses 2,000 new residents, and the area welcomes more than a million visitors a year to its urban delights.

Le nord-est du quartier de la Bourse de Winnipeg abrite un domaine public tourné vers l’avenir, qui s’appuie sur la riche histoire du commerce d’entrepôts de la ville. Les « woonerfs » qui privilégient les individus, les ruelles vertes, les places et les placottoirs du quartier bourdonnent d’activité en toutes saisons. Ensemble, ces lieux publics richement texturés et accessibles forment le tissu connectif qui est le moteur du quartier le plus dynamique à la croissance la plus rapide de Winnipeg. Achevé en 2018, ce projet de renouvellement urbain mené en collaboration pendant six ans a été le catalyseur d’un développement privé qui accueille 2.000 nouveaux résidents et plus d’un million de visiteurs par an attirés par son charme urbain.

Un aire de repos avec trellis comprenant un éclairage intégré

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Le marché Alleyways prend la relève de la ruelle d’Elgin pendant quatre vendredis de l’été

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Cavendish Boulevard perspective Perspective, parc PhillippeLaheurte Pespective, boulevard Cavendish

CIVILITI, LAND ITALIA, TABLE ARCHITECTURE, BIODIVERSITÉ CONSEIL

PhillippeLaheurte Park perspective

Sustainable Development Award - Award of Excellence

Prix du développement durable - Lauréat

Biodiversity Corridor, Borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC civiliti, LAND Italia, Table Architecture and Biodiversité conseil

Corridor de biodiversité, arrondissement de Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC civiliti, LAND Italia, Table Architecture et Biodiversité conseil

Giant powerlines—long identified with monotonous sterile landscapes—will soon hover above flowering meadows, frequented by birds, pollinating insects, small animals, and Montrealers.

The scene is part of a major ecological project: a Biodiversity Corridor that will extend from the junction of Cavendish Boulevard and Highway 40 to the end of Thimens Boulevard in the Borough of Saint-Laurent. The new network will connect existing and future green areas along a continuous corridor given over to nature. SaintLaurent’s Biodiversity Corridor is about reconciling the logic of the city with the logic of life.

Les lignes électriques géantes, longtemps identifiées à des paysages monotones et stériles, planeront bientôt au-dessus de prairies fleuries, fréquentées par les oiseaux, les insectes pollinisateurs, les petits animaux et les Montréalais. Cela fait partie d’un grand projet écologique, qui verra la mise en place d’un corridor de biodiversité, depuis le croisement du boulevard Cavendish et de l’autoroute 40 jusqu’à l’extrémité du boulevard Thimens, dans l’arrondissement de Saint-Laurent. Le nouveau réseau reliera des espaces verts existants et futurs le long d’un corridor continu réservé à la nature.

Le corridor de biodiversité de Saint-Laurent vise à concilier la logique de la ville avec celle de la vie.

Urban Design Plans - Award of Excellence

Plans de conception urbaine - Lauréat

Intervention plan for the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Old Quebec City, QC Groupe A / Annexe U

Plan d’intervention pour le confort et la sécurité des piétons et cyclistes dans le Vieux-Québec, QC Groupe A / Annexe U

Section and plan of a redeveloped shared road Coupe schématique du réaménagement d’une rue résidentielle Coupe et plan de la rue partagée, après réaménagement proposé

GROUPE A / ANNEXE U

Conceptual section of a redeveloped residential road

This intervention plan aims to improve the level of comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Old Quebec City, a historic neighbourhood that is popular with tourists. By developing families of streets according to the findings of a multi-criteria analysis, the plan serves as a decision and design support tool for redevelopment work in the area. Based on the complete streets concept, it includes proposals for the redevelopment of these groups of streets, an implementation plan spanning 15 years, and a multidisciplinary and participatory approach.

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Ce plan d’intervention vise l’amélioration du confort et de la sécurité des piétons et des cyclistes dans le Vieux-Québec, quartier historique à vocation touristique. Grâce à l’élaboration de familles de rues selon les constats découlant d’une analyse multicritère, le plan sert d’outil d’aide à la décision et à la conception pour les travaux de réaménagements dans le secteur. Basé sur l’approche des rues conviviales (complete streets), il intègre notamment des propositions de réaménagements de ces groupes de rues, un plan de mise en œuvre sur un horizon de 15 ans, et une approche multidisciplinaire et participative.

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Aerial view

MARINE INTARTAGLIA

RAPHAËL THIBODEAU

JEAN-FRANÇOIS SAVARIA

The installation maintains an unencumbered streetscape The project was used to advertise Montreal in Toronto, New York and California

Fragments urbains - Lauréat

Vue aérienne

18 Shades of Gay, Montreal, QC Claude Cormier et Associés

18 nuances de gai, Montreal, QC Claude Cormier et Associés

18 Shades of Gay, a one-kilometre-long ribbon-like installation of 180,000 multicoloured resin balls suspended over Sainte-Catherine Street East—in the Gay Village of Montreal—is part of the transformation of the street into a pedestrian mall during the summer.

The unexpected, joyful, and positive experience it creates has become the symbol of the Village. By integrating the community into its implementation, it facilitates a sense of belonging for the residents. The entire project has exerted a strong appeal for both locals and tourists, becoming a catalyst for economic and social development in the neighbourhood.

Le projet 18 nuances de gai, une installation de 180.000 boules de résines multicolores suspendues comme un ruban ininterrompu de 1 kilomètre au-dessus de la rue Sainte-Catherine Est, dans le Village gai de Montréal—fait partie de la transformation de la rue rendue piétonne pendant la saison estivale. L’expérience inattendue, amusante et positive qu’il crée est devenue le symbole du Village. En intégrant la communauté dans sa mise en place, ce qui a favorisé un sentiment d’appartenance pour les résidents, l’ensemble du projet a ajouté un fort attrait auprès des habitants et des touristes, devenant ainsi un catalyseur du développement économique et social du quartier.

L’installation maintient un paysage de rue sans encombre

THE MARC BOUTIN ARCHITECTURAL COLLABORATIVE INC.

Urban Fragments - Award of Excellence

Urban Fragments - Certificate of Merit

Fragments urbains - Certificat de mérite

The Fourth Street SW Underpass Enhancement, Calgary, AB the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc.

L’amélioration du passage souterrain de la 4e rue SO, Calgary, AB the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc.

The Fourth Street SW Underpass is a key corridor for pedestrian and vehicle movement between the Beltline and downtown communities in Calgary. The physical state of disrepair of the underpass— limited accessibility, poor lighting levels, and overall deterioration of materials—required immediate attention. In response, the Fourth Street SW Underpass Enhancement Project is founded on the notion of reclaiming this ‘space of removal’ as a ‘space for conversation’.

The introduction of animated light and colour, responding to the flow of people through the space, ensures the underpass experience becomes evocative, varied, and timeless.

Le passage souterrain de la 4e rue SO est un couloir clé pour la circulation des piétons et des véhicules entre la voie de contournement et les communautés du centre-ville de Calgary. L’état de délabrement physique du passage souterrain—accessibilité limitée, faible niveau d’éclairage et détérioration générale des matériaux—nécessitait une attention immédiate. En réponse, le projet d’amélioration du passage souterrain de la 4e rue SO est fondé sur la notion de récupération de cet « espace de déplacement » en tant qu’« espace propice à la conversation ». L’introduction de lumières et de couleurs animées, répondant au flux de personnes dans l’espace, assure aux utilisateurs du passage souterrain une expérience évocatrice, variée et intemporelle.

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Le projet a été utilisé pour faire de la publicité pour Montréal sur les marchés torontois, newyorkais et californien

View looking south Close-up view of veil Vue vers le sud Gros plan sur le voile

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Nuzzles installation, by RAW Design Hygge House, by Plain Projects + Pike Projects + Urbanink Stackhouse était déssiné par Anish Kapoor en 2017 L’installation Nuzzle, par RAW Design La maison Hygge, par Plain Projects + Pike Projects + Urbanink

THE FORKS RENEWAL CORPORATION

Stackhouse, designed by Anish Kapoor in 2017

Community Initiatives - Award of Excellence

Initiatives communautaires - Lauréat

The Warming Huts, Winnipeg, MB Sputnik Architecture Inc. & The Forks Renewal Corporation

Les abris pour se réchauffer, Winnipeg, MB Sputnik Architecture Inc. et The Forks Renewal Corporation

Warming Huts is an annual project that engages local and international designers, artists, and students to design structures that are installed on the city’s frozen rivers, along with public skating and pedestrian trails. Activating urban spaces in mid-winter, the project is an innovative and engaging example of urban design successfully bringing people together, from both Winnipeg and from all over the world. Visitors to the Warming Huts share in— and engage with—art, architecture, and culture in the public realm, and celebrate all that Winnipeg’s cold climate has to offer.

Le projet des abris pour se réchauffer à Winnipeg donne lieu à un concours annuel qui mobilise chaque hiver des designers, des artistes et des étudiants locaux et internationaux pour concevoir et créer des abris installés le long d’un sentier public de patinage et d’un sentier pédestre sur la glace des rivières gelées de la ville. En favorisant la vie active dans les espaces urbains au milieu de l’hiver, le projet est un exemple innovant et engageant de design urbain qui rassemble avec succès des gens de Winnipeg et d’ailleurs dans le monde. Ces abris sensibilisent les visiteurs à l’art, à l’architecture et à la culture dans le domaine public, et favorisent une célébration de tout ce que le climat froid de Winnipeg a à offrir.

Student Projects - Award of Excellence

Projets étudiants - Lauréat

Topographic Urban Expansion Qiwei Song (University of Toronto)

Expansion urbaine topographique Qiwei Song (University of Toronto)

View of social node Comparison of the six urbanized hillsides around Mexico City Exemple de noeud social Comparison de six collines qui on fait l’objet d’un modèle d’urbanisation autour de la ville de Mexico

As the population of Mexico City continues to grow, multiple factors push development and irregular settlements to peripheral hillsides of the city. The current informal urbanization pattern lacks infrastructural provisions and open space—which further increases social inequality. This project introduces a pre-emptive approach: a topographic landscape strategy that acts as an open space armature for future development on hillsides of the city. By connecting and planting hydraulic buffers along steep slopes and introducing topographic interventions in connected bands of open space, the project brings social, ecological, economic, and cultural amenities that support and sustain the inevitability of the informal growth pattern.

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Alors que la population de Mexico continue de croître, de multiples facteurs poussent le développement et les installations imptovisés vers les collines périphériques de la ville. Le modèle actuel d’urbanisation informelle manque d’infrastructures et d’espaces verts, ce qui accroît davantage les inégalités sociales. Ce projet introduit une approche préventive—une stratégie de paysage topographique qui agit comme une armature d’espaces verts pour le développement futur sur les collines de la ville. En connectant et en plantant des tampons hydrauliques le long des pentes raides et en introduisant des interventions topographiques dans des bandes d’espaces verts reliées entre elles, le projet apporte des aménagements sociaux, écologiques, économiques et culturels qui appuient et soutiennent le caractère inévitable du modèle de croissance informel.

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View of Phase 1 Residential Residential section

Become part of a passionate community working towards a stronger profession.

Vue de la phase 1 - résidentiel Coupe dans le secteur résidentiel

Membership with the RAIC is more beneficial than ever!

The RAIC fiercely advocates for its members. Being a member in 2021 means the RAIC will bring you ways to save money, provide career-building opportunities, and keep you connected to your peers and colleagues.

Education Members receive discounts and exclusive offers on first-class Continuing Education programming with content that helps them excel at every level of their professional practice.

Student Projects - Certificate of Merit

Practice Support From our Continuing Education offerings to a wealth of resources to support your professional practice, the RAIC is your constant partner throughout your career lifecycle.

The Drainage Filter for the Everglades Qiwei Song, Meikang Li and Chaoyi Cui (University of Toronto)

Amplified voice

Projets étudiants - Certificat de mérite

Pulse surveys, continued advocacy work, and community and legislative consulation have become pillars at the forefront of our organization, supporting members and listening to their unique experiences of practicing in the built environment.

Le filtre de drainage pour les Everglades Qiwei Song, Meikang Li et Chaoyi Cui (University of Toronto)

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Begin your membership at raic.org/howtojoin @RAIC_IRAC

@THERAIC.IRAC

raic.org T 1-844-856-RAIC

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Advocate. Educate. Celebrate.

To tackle the water pollution issue in the Everglades, this proposal is a cost-efficient alternative—and improvement—to existing expensive treatment infrastructures. The treatment areas are planned on current and future available land. The transformation starts from public open space to construct the fundamental infrastructure, which also serves to educate the private stakeholders who are expected to further incrementally improve the system.

The equestrian activities and the original drainage system function are well maintained. It creates a sustainable framework that benefits water quality, enhances the living experience, and preserves equestrian lifestyles—with an aesthetic, dynamic, cultural and functional landscape.

Pour s’attaquer au problème de la pollution de l’eau dans les Everglades, cette proposition offre une solution de rechange rentable et une amélioration aux infrastructures de traitement existantes, qui sont coûteuses. Les zones de traitement sont prévues sur les terres disponibles actuelles et futures. La transformation commence par un espace public ouvert pour construire l’infrastructure de base, qui sert également de fonction éducative pour les partenaires privés qui devraient améliorer progressivement le système. Les activités équestres et la fonction du système de drainage original sont bien maintenues. Cela crée un cadre durable qui favorise la qualité de l’eau, améliore l’expérience de vie et préserve le mode de vie équestre—dans un paysage esthétique, dynamique, culturel et fonctionnel.

2020-10-22 8:19 AM

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CASE STUDY

New Brunswick Performing Arts Center | New Brunswick, N.J.

Come Together: New Jersey Project Combines Theaters and Residences

Photos courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects

A project that combines the best of entertainment and residential living adds a show-stopping structure to the community in New Brunswick, N.J. The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center opened in September 2019, and unites 207 upscale apartments, two theaters and more into one 23-story building. Construction on the $172 million high rise, located about 40 miles south of Manhattan, began in 2017.

Putting together the financial jigsaw puzzle to fund the project began in 2010.

“We wanted to build an arts center that had no debt, and we had to do some unique things to do that,” said Christopher Paladino, President of the New Brunswick Development Corporation, which spearheaded the project.

Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the marquee attractions for New Jersey residents are the 463-seat Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater and the 252-seat Arthur Laurents Theater. The vibes from each theater are quite different – the larger theater is more striking, while the smaller is more quaint – but both allow the building owner to bring first-rate shows to town.

The 5,400 square foot lobby adds an inviting area for patrons and passersby, and three rehearsal rooms that replicate the stages allow for incoming shows to quickly set up in their new surroundings. The spaces can also be used for general classes, workshops, and small public performances. Four member companies, including the Mason Gross School of the Arts from nearby Rutgers University, call the NBPAC home.

The apartments include studios, 1-bed, 1-bath, and 2-bed, 2-bath units. The units come with appliances, panoramic views of New Brunswick and tons of amenities. A rooftop pool and deck, fitness center, demonstration kitchen, karaoke room and residents lounge are among the features that modern-day apartment dwellers crave.

Atop the building are eight acoustical smoke vents manufactured by The BILCO Company. The vents guard against noise intrusion while providing the security of automatic smoke venting. In 2020, BILCO unveiled a new acoustical smoke vent that offers an OITC-46 sound rating and an STC-50 sound rating. Both figures are the highest in the industry.

Two of the vents are 5-feet x 10-feet, and the others were 5-feet, 6-inches by 12-feet. Eliot Serebrenik of Fontana Metal Sales in New York City secured the smoke vents, which allow for the escape of smoke, heat, and gases in a burning building.

The vents include a positive hold/release mechanism that ensures reliable operation when a fire occurs. It also automatically releases vent covers upon the melting of a 165o F (74o C) fusible link.

“We were familiar with the manufacturer from previous projects and they offered the most advantageous sizes,” said Andrew Goetze, AIA, Project Manager for Elkus Manfredi Architects.

“The fire code stipulates a certain percentage of the stage area to be properly vented and BILCO had sizes that fit the bill.”

The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted shows just six months after the NBPAC opened. The show will go on, eventually, and Paladino promises a unique experience for visitors.

“The experienced theatergoers will see that the level of comfort, the sound, and the sightlines create an experience that is second to none,” he said.

Keep up with the latest news from The BILCO Company by following us on Facebook and LinkedIn. For over 90 years, The BILCO Company has been a building industry pioneer in the design and development of specialty access products. Over these years, the company has built a reputation among architects, and engineers for products that are unequaled in design and workmanship. BILCO – an ISO 9001 certified company – offers commercial and residential specialty access products.

BILCO is a wholly owned subsidiary of AmesburyTruth, a division of Tyman Plc. For more information, visit www.bilco.com.

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THE DARING VANCOUVER HOUSE IS A SYMBOL OF STRUCTURAL AUDACITY AND SOARING REAL ESTATE VALUES.

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Vancouver House cantilevers dramatically over the Granville Bridge, following the mandated setback lines while maximizing floor area on its highly desirable upper levels. OPPOSITE A Tetris-like array of balconies curves upwards from the eighth floor podium. ABOVE Commercial buildings topped with roof gardens slot between the bridge’s roadway and ramps. The buildings will host a university facility, as well as tenants including grocers, drug stores, spas and restaurants.

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Vancouver House, Vancouver, British Columbia Bjarke Ingels Group (design architect), DIALOG (architect of record), James K.M. Cheng Architects (advising architect) TEXT D’Arcy Jones PHOTOS Ema Peter Photography, unless otherwise noted PROJECT

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The most remarkable view of the recently completed Vancouver House is from Granville Bridge, where an eviscerated façade curves away from the bridge like a screen shot from a video game. The east façade’s cascade of drawer-like balcony boxes makes this residential tower an iconic addition to False Creek, and the kingpin in a cluster of buildings that squeeze up between three arms of the bridge at the edge of downtown.

Vancouver House’s top-heavy silhouette is emblematic of our era.

As Vancouver matures, developers are giving its empty and oddball sites a second look. Paltry pro formas mean that most of these real estate dregs get passed over. Downtown land is expensive, typically making up more than a quarter of a project’s costs. Combined with Vancouver’s hefty taxes and levies, more than half of a development’s proceeds are usually spent before construction starts.

Westbank saw potential in the parcel at the base of the bridge. At first, the developer’s go-to local architect, James K.M. Cheng, worked to fit

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a viable building onto the awkward site. A bridge setback only left a tiny 550-square-metre triangular floorplate for a tower. After factoring in elevators and stairs, there wasn’t enough area left to justify a building.

But Cheng had heard Danish architect Bjarke Ingels speak in Vancouver in 2010, and was impressed with Ingels’ approach. Cheng suggested that Westbank let Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have a go at the site. DIALOG’s Vancouver office, which was already working with Westbank on another project, teamed up with BIG. Ingels said he fiddled around with a study model himself, carving a 30-metre radius from foam to make a shape that encircled the bridge while satisfying the setback exactly. The tiptoed model stood up without help. The concept was set: this clever solution had been hiding in plain sight. The f loorplate’s areas double as the building rises, so that the top f loors are the largest where the real estate values are the highest.

Two of the city’s speediest elevators serve the upper floors, which are capped with eight two-level penthouses and six individual roof decks.

The resulting brawny tower has a nonchalant personality that belies its virtuosic structural engineering and labour-intensive architectural coordination. Walking columns on the cantilevered side of the building move outward at each f loor, supporting increasingly larger f loor slabs as the building rises. In elevation, these columns resemble a segment

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A cross-shaped bank of mailboxes has a sculptural presence in the building’s lobby. ABOVE The kitchen features prominently in the units, and is available in either white or black—options that aim to maintain the building’s clean-cut aesthetic.

OPPOSITE

of a corbelled arch. This creates atypical loads on each slab, that would have been equalized if the building also cantilevered out on the opposing west side. The building’s elevator and stair spine reside towards its southwest corner, creating more engineering challenges, comparable to how humans’ off-centre spines are the cause of most back problems.

These two structural quirks result in exceptionally high lateral and torsional loads. To resolve them, the building is constructed like a bridge. Its off-kilter concrete frame is anchored seven storeys underground with two massive 36-inch-thick concrete shear walls, and the entire structure is stiffened with horizontal and vertical post-tensioning.

The building’s robustness is obvious if you study the drawings, but its structural complexity is otherwise suppressed. This incongruity between what the building is saying, versus how it says it, is a theme that runs through the project, with uneven but ultimately satisfying results.

Take the building’s geometric exterior, which seems more body than skin. The muted grey cladding suggests concrete, but it is actually matte stainless steel, superior to the aluminum or steel panels on most towers.

The substantially proportioned vertical elements on the façade seem to denote structural importance, but in fact, they are non-loadbearing.

The building feels of the moment, though it was a smidgen fresher in 2011 when first designed. Its exterior will endure, as it wisely avoids decorative applique, surface wrinkling or any other current tower clichés.

The running bond façades on the north and south sides have an aesthetic somewhere between the domed ceiling of Borromini’s baroque San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and a Sonos speaker grille. Staggered south balconies suggest matching evenly spaced interiors, but thin partitions inside these BBQ-and-bike-hiding recesses are unevenly divided, revealing the misfit between the exterior’s steady rhythm and the interior’s layout.

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The project has 375 residential units, with 220 unique unit layouts.

This is extremely uncommon. Other similar sized towers have six to eight unit layouts. The south section of the tower’s podium has 106 rental units. However, all but 23 of them are studios—a far cry from the luxury of the condos. Even though the building’s market and rental units were built in parallel, they really only share a parkade.

There has been criticism about the functionality of the units, with their differing layouts. But with time, the jigs and jogs that characterize many of the unit layouts may become their strength. With most contemporary housing, halls and divided rooms are considered wasteful, so apartment plans have been gutted, usually to disguise how small the spaces are. The collateral damage of the ubiquitous open floor plan includes the loss of intrigue, spatial variety, privacy and the ability to leave dirty dishes in the sink until the morning. When projects like Vancouver House create domestic diversity, it feels like a disruptive force within a risk-adverse typology. But the idea that a certain space is perplexing to one person and perfect to another should be embraced.

Vancouver House is LEED Platinum, with a 60-40 glass-to-solid ratio, passive shading, triple-glazed windows, and thermal breaks at the balconies. These moves create a visceral feeling of substance, along with quiet, well-tempered spaces. Against this backdrop, as in most residential interiors, the kitchens get all the attention. They come in either white or black. In these trendy times when it is hard to know which wood is de rigueur—is it walnut, white oak or greyed oak now?—there is longevity to this project’s palette.

With DIALOG as BIG’s deputies, the project’s major moves were handled with aplomb. But value engineering’s inevitable effects show up in some smaller details. The building’s common spaces are somewhat bland, although neutral enough to work. Public corridors are white, black and mirrored. Because of the post-tensioning cables, building systems couldn’t share the floor slabs’ thickness, so the ceilings are fairly low. Polished metal ceiling panels compensate for the height. Commonarea walls that seem like gloss-painted drywall are actually high-quality Corian-like sheeting. Each unit has a heavy steel door with a funky handle, the clearest interior memento of the building’s youthful authors.

The podium’s eighth floor rooftop is dramatic, but puzzling. It’s the only place where the tapered tower visibly meets a horizontal plane, with dizzyingly impressive upward views. There were probably too many demands put on this amenity space, though. A sculptural swimming pool is partly covered with a half-open cocoon that does an honest job of blocking views of bridge traffic. The terrace is the backyard for some apartments, but they are fenced off. A cutesy and artificial feng shui pond is as small as the surrounding space is huge. The City of Vancouver’s Urban Agriculture program mandated specific plants on the roof, highlighting the program’s strange virtue signalling: growing edible plants is more authentic when someone who wants to eat them does the planting.

The building’s lobby is shoehorned into the southwest corner.

For an expensive building, its downslope side-street entry has all the ambience of a service door. To compensate, the interior is voluminous and finished as minimally as a high-end boutique. A cantilevered piano in the mezzanine above the vestibule is Westbank’s gift to the strata.

You have to squeeze past a cheeky, super-sized cross-shaped mailbox to reach the elevators, where it feels slightly deflating to wait in such a narrow corridor. Thankfully the elevators come quickly.

The tower’s two adjacent commercial buildings are flanked by sloping roads that run underneath the 66-year-old bridge’s main roadway and ramps. The buildings are topped with interlocking triangular roof gardens, lined with durable ipe wood. The roofs are f lush with the bridge; static gangplanks connect them to the bridge’s sidewalks. In the shadow of the bridge, the ground plane will be animated by grocers, drug stores, high-end spas and restaurants. A small university facility

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will be the anchor, bringing youthful energy. These lower buildings could be more porous, to encourage people to pause when the sloping sidewalks are saying shoo. The city’s engineers insisted on having parking right in the middle of the new cobbled thoroughfares, but five foodfocused kiosks are coming soon to punctuate the parking, bettering the balance between vehicles and people.

Vancouver’s housing hasn’t been influenced by Europe’s design sensibilities for generations, partly because architecture’s stars were mostly from the USA, but often because developers didn’t have any reason to look beyond the city’s considerable local talent. But when property values soar, there is an expectation for design standards to follow.

Bjarke Ingels and his team are savvy at synthesizing the tics, diagrams and values of the international avant-garde, while putting their own identifiable spin on things. Ingels worked for Rem Koolhaas and OMA before starting his own firm, and whether it was consciously referred to or not, one of Vancouver House’s precedents is an unbuilt OMA tower in New York from 2007. BIG’s preoccupation with pixelating its buildings might be traced to MVRDV ’s oeuvre. As built, Vancouver House certainly has a splash of OMA’s sophisticated sass and a dash of MVRDV ’s smirking sincerity, all kneaded through BIG’s agreeable confidence.

More broadly—and in good and inf luential ways—the building feels European. Much has been written about Vancouver’s inf luence on global urbanism; this building marks the opposite, bringing a global take on urbanism to Vancouver.

D’Arcy Jones is principal of Vancouver-based D’Arcy Jones Architects.

The building’s iconic profile claims its place on Vancouver’s skyline, marking the arrival of global urbanism to the city.

ABOVE

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CLIENT WESTBANK PROJECTS CORPORATION | ARCHITECT TEAM BIG—BJARKE INGELS, THOMAS CHRISTOFFERSEN, BEAT SCHENK, AGUSTÍN PÉREZ-TORRES, MELISSA BAULD, AARON MARK, ALAN TANSEY, ALEJANDRA CORTES, ALEXANDRA GUSTAFSSON, ALEX WU, ALINA TAMOSIUNAITE, AMINA BLACKSHER, ARAN COAKLEY, ARASH ADEL AHMADIAN, ARMEN MENENDIAN, BARBORA SRPKOVÁ, BENJAMIN CALDWELL, BENJAMIN NOVACINSKI, BENNETT GALE, BEN ZUNKELER, BIRK DAUGAARD, BLAKE THEODORE SMITH, BRIAN FOSTER, BRIAN ROME, BRYAN HARDIN, CARL MACDONALD, CAROLIEN SCHIPPERS, CORLISS NG, CRISTINA MEDINA-GONZALEZ , CHRISTOPHER JUNKIN, CHRISTOPHER JAMES MALCOLM JR., CHRISTOPHER JUNKIN, CHRISTOPHER TRON, DAVID BROWN, DAVID DOTTELONDE, DOUG STECHSCHULTE, DEBORAH CAMBELL, DOUG STECHSCHULTE, DOUGLASS ALLIGOOD, EDWARD YUNG, ELENA BRESCIANI, ELNAZ RAFATI, EMA BAKALOVA, ERIK BERG KREIDER, FABIAN LORENZ, FILIP MILOVANOVIC, FLORENCIA KRATSMAN, FRANCESCA PORTESINE, GABRIEL HERNANDEZ SOLANO, GABRIEL JEWELL-VITALE, HECTOR GARCIA, IVY HUME, JAN LEENKNEGT, JANICE RIM, JOHN KIM, JONAS SWIENTY ANDRESEN, JOSIAH POLAND, JOSHUA WOO, JULIAN LIANG, JULIANNE GOLA, JULIE KAUFMAN, KAROL BOGDAN BORKOWSKI, KELLY NEILL, KURT NIEMINEN, LAUREN TURNER, LORENZ KRISAI, LUCIO SANTOS, MARCELLA MARTINEZ, MARTIN VOELKLE, MATTHEW DLUGOSZ, MEGAN NG, MELISSA JONES, MICHAEL EVOLA, MICHAEL ROBERT TAYLOR, OTILIA PUPEZEANU, PAULA DOMKA, PHILIP MACDOUGALL, RYAN DUVAL, RYAN YANG, SEAN FRANKLIN, SEBASTIAN GROGAARD, SHU ZHAO, SIMON SCHELLER, SPENCER HAYDEN, TAYLOR FULTON, TERRENCE CHEW, TERRY LALLAK, THOMAS SMITH, TIANQI ZHANG, TOBIAS HJORTDAL,TRAN LE, VALENTINA MELE, XINYU WANG, YAZIEL JUARBE, YOANNA SHIVAROVA, ZACH WALTERS, ZHIFEI XU. DIALOG—VANCE HARRIS (PRINCIPAL-IN-CHARGE), ADRIAN POLITANO, AIDA AGUILAR, ALAN BONIFACE, ALEXA BUSTAMANTE, ALICIA STIRLING, ALISON MCNEIL, AMY BRITTLETON, ANDREA SILVA, ANITA POP, ANNE SEWELL, ANTHONY PIENKOS, ASHTON STARE, BILJANA NIKOLIC, BRADLEY PHILLIPS, BRIDGET FREEMANMARSH, BRUCE HADEN, CAMERON VERES, CARLY KANDRACK, CAROLE HOVELAND, CHANI JOSEPH RITCHIE, CHRIS HEINARANTA, CHRIS MONEY, CHRISTINE LEUNG, CHRISTINE WILSON, COLIN BRUCE, CRISTINA RANALLI, DAVE YEUNG, DAVID TRAN, DERYK WHITEHEAD, DONALD JAMES BUSCHERT, DORIS FISCHER, DOUG CINNAMON, ELIZABETH ORALLO, ERIN PARCHOMA, ERLINDA MONTINOLA, EVAN DYSART, GALVIN LEE, GARY MCAULEY, GAVIN SCHAEFER, GEORGE UNGER, GINNY CHIU, HASAN CAVKA, HEATHER BANYARD, HERNANDO MOGOLLON, HUI HU, IVY USI, JANAY KOLDINGNES, JENNEKE VAN GASTEL, JENNIFER CUTBILL, JENNIFER LOCK, JENNY CHOW, JERRY LIU, JIAMENG ZENG, JILL STEWART, JONI SPARROW, JOOST BAKKER, KATHERINE GERSON, KEITH ROBINSON, KEN JOHNSON, KIMBERLY REA, KYLE ELDERHORST, LAURA DEACON, LAURA HERBERT, LAURA SLATER, LAUREN FEHR, LISA TOWE, LYSANDER ZIMMERMAN, MAHDI ASKARZADEH, MAHSA TASHAKOR, MARCELO CAULA, MARIE DE MONTIGNY-SIMONEAU, MARION LARUE, MARK SHERWOOD, MARTIN NEAULT, MELINDA SPRING, MELONIE BESKOWINEY, MICHAEL CHEUNG, MICHELLE DUONG, MICK DUGGAN, MOLLY STEEVES, NICOLE BROUGHTON, OSKAR WINNAT, PAIGE ALIX, PATRICIA RYNKUN, PATRICK WALSH, PAUL JARDINE, REY TADIFA, RHEA SPROULE, RICK PICCOLO, ROBERT JIM, RYAN MCCLANAGHAN, RYAN TURNER, SAEED JHATAM, SARA REMOCKER, SARAH BJORNSON, SHELDON UBLANSKY, STAN BURY, STEPHANIE FARGAS, SUSAN KOMPCH, TARYN CHISHOLM, TRACY LIU, TREVOR THIMM, VASHTI FROST, WON KANG,BLAIRE SCHILLE, DAVE VALADE, ELIZABETH HAND, ESMAIL KALAF, IRENE NEVEN, JUSTIN TOMPSON, PALLAVI SANGWAN, ROBERT VENIERE, RYAN VAN MARLE, STEPHANIE DALO, STEVE BINGHAM, TIM LAZARUK, WELLINGTON HAU. | STRUCTURAL GLOTMAN SIMPSON | MECHANICAL INTEGRAL GROUP | ELECTRICAL NEMETZ & ASSOCIATES | LANDSCAPE PFS STUDIO | INTERIORS DIALOG | ENVELOPE MORRISON HERSHFIELD | CURTAINWALL BVDA FAÇADE ENGINEERING | CIVIL WSP CANADA | CONTRACTOR ICON PACIFIC CONSTRUCTION | AREA 64,418 M2 | BUDGET WITHHELD | COMPLETION FALL 2020

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A NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR THE NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA COMPLETES THE URBAN BLOCK FLANKING MONTREAL’S PLACE DES ARTS. Îlot Balmoral, Montreal, Quebec Provencher_Roy TEXT Olivier Vallerand PHOTOS Stéphane Brügger PROJECT

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The new Îlot Balmoral building in downtown Montreal was a long time coming. Designed by Provencher_Roy, it spectacularly completes the redevelopment of a long-abandoned urban block alongside Place des Arts.

Place des Arts’ development started in the 1950s as an urban renewal project that completely altered the area’s urban fabric. A 2002 international competition laid out ambitious plans for the Balmoral block, on the west side of the original complex: it was to house a massive cultural and administrative complex including a symphony hall, offices, and theatre and music conservatories. But the project was cancelled, and parts of the site were subsequently redeveloped with the outdoor Place des Festivals (see CA, February 2013) and the renovation and expansion of the Wilder Building (see CA, January 2018). Now, a new thirteen-story office building boldly occupies the block’s last unoccupied space, without overshadowing the already diverse urban ensemble.

The para-municipal Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), owner and developer of the project, successfully The new headquarters of the National Film Board of Canada occupies the last parcel of the Balmoral block, overlooking Place des Festivals in the city’s Quartier des Spectacles.

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ABOVE A canyon-like void through the centre of the building is lined in red cladding, like parting stage curtains. The split plan brings natural light deep into the building’s floorplates and creates a soaring lobby that joins Place des Festivals to the Place-des-Arts metro station. RIGHT Walkways cross between the two sides of the building, offering framed views of the arts district and Old Montreal beyond.

attracted the National Film Board (NFB) as the building’s flagship tenant. The NFB was looking to move from its former home, a gigantic building in an industrial area along the Metropolitan Highway, where much of the existing equipment (and the studios it occupied) had been rendered obsolete by digital technologies.

The NFB occupies six floors; a second major tenant, the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi’s School of digital arts, animation and design (NAD), occupies three floors.

Together, the two tenants anchor the building in the culture, performance and digital arts focus of the Place des Arts sector, while the downtown location makes both institutions much more accessible than previously. Appropriately, over the past few years, the Quartier des spectacles partnership has commissioned a series of digitally animated shorts that have been projected onto the neighbouring building’s facades—a program that will no doubt continue to thrive under the watch of Îlot Balmoral’s new tenants.

While the structure was planned as a traditional office building, the client was also well aware of Îlot Balmoral’s symbolic position in the city. Provencher_Roy thus came up with a highly memorable design, marked by a large red vertical canyon through the otherwise cubic

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shape. The separated volumes allow natural light to penetrate the building’s interior all the way to the ground f loor, where the lobby is planned as a passage joining Place des Festivals and the Place des Arts metro station. This function is somewhat redundant—the outdoor plaza is already well connected to the metro network—but the canyon nonetheless creates an inviting interior public space that will add to the visibility of the NFB and other tenants.

Inside, a section of the red wall on the north side of the canyon lifts up and over the ground floor, opening the NFB’s lobby and its large digital screen wall directly to Place des Festivals. Other tenants access their floors through the elevator core and walkways crossing through the canyon. A restrained white, glass and concrete palette is used for most elements in the interior and exterior public areas, further magnifying the impact of the red cladding. The colour was chosen for its associations with performing arts, but also with the heart; certainly, these soaring spaces elicit a thrill of emotion.

Responding to federal guidelines that came with having the NFB as a tenant, the client aimed for LEED Gold, seeing the certification as a way to prioritize users’ comfort as well as to control air quality— a necessity for its tenants, and even more so in light of the current

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pandemic. Measures to create an energy-efficient envelope also included a green roof—which already hosts a few beehives—as well as a fritted-glass curtain wall, equipped with blinds, to control solar gain.

The architects’ careful, iterative process to balance views, daylight and thermal control led to the design of a highly dynamic façade that enlivens a fairly simple volume, giving it visual complexity from afar.

Despite the somewhat odd-shaped floorplates created by the canyon, many of the light-filled, flexible office spaces enjoy long views over the open plazas around the building.

On the NFB floors, the typical office floorplates are sectionally broken by two screening rooms—one for sound editing and processing, and the other with seating for public presentations. These two specialized rooms are dark, subdued spaces. They’re designed as floating boxes within the building, with an acoustic treatment both inside and out to protect the rooms from exterior noise. Around the rooms, dimmed lighting and darker materials create a quiet atmosphere that encourages people to lower their voices. Elsewhere, Provencher_Roy’s design for the interiors remains restrained, with occasional flashes of bold colours in spaces such as dining areas, or on butterfly-shaped acoustic panels floating above hallways and larger rooms.

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ABOVE The National Film Board’s iconic aluminum sign was relocated from the previous headquarters to a prominent place in the new lobby. The logo was designed in 1968 by Georges Beaupré, creative director of the NFB’s publicity department, and selected through an internal competition.

When developing Ilôt Balmoral, SHDM and Provencher_Roy took on the bold role of creating a legacy project, but also paid tribute to the main tenant’s prominence in the history of Canadian cultural production. The emblematic NFB sign—with a logo merging an eye and a human figure designed in 1968 by Georges Beaupré—was moved from the exterior of the former building, where it overlooked the highway, to the new lobby.

It can be seen from many angles in its new location, positioned by the stairs leading to the public screening room. Outside, the NFB’s logo also adorns the façade in signage that looks black during the day and white at night, a nod to the dynamic experience of cinema. Another throwback to the institution’s history is a feature chandelier in the public screening room’s foyer, made from light projectors salvaged from the earlier studios.

Since its inception in 1939, the NFB has been a pioneer in many areas of film production, playing key roles in areas from cinéma verité, to CGI animation, to digital storytelling, to establishing the world’s first publicly funded women’s film studio. The NFB has explored the everyday life of Montreal in numerous films and shorts, such as the celebrated docu-

CA Nov 20.indd 34

mentary September Five at Saint-Henri (1962). The agency’s new location in Montreal’s downtown cultural core brings fresh visibility to the NFB, and renews its relation with urban life. Moreover, just as the NFB has shaped the landscape of film and interactive media, the Ilôt Balmoral is an urban actor, filing in one of the last pieces in a decades-in-themaking transformation of Place des Arts. It does so with efficiency, elegance and élan, making it bound to be a classic.

Olivier Vallerand is Assistant Professor at The Design School, Arizona State University.

CLIENT SOCIÉTÉ D’HABITATION ET DE DÉVELOPPEMENT DE MONTRÉAL (SHDM) | ARCHITECT TEAM CLAUDE PROVENCHER, EUGENIO CARELLI, JULIE CHARBONNEAU, JONATHAN BÉLISLE, DANIEL LEGAULT, MARIE-LYNE LAPOINTE, MARTIN PETITCLERC, MAURICIO MURO, OLIVIER CHABOT, NORMAND DESJARDINS, CÉLINE C. MERTENAT, MATTHIEU KIEKEN | STRUCTURAL NICOLET CHARTRAND KNOLL | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL DUPRAS LEDOUX | INTERIORS PROVENCHER_ROY | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER GROUPE TEQ | CODE TECHNORM | ACOUSTICS LEGAULT & DAVIDSON | HARDWARE ARD | ELEVATORS EXIM | INTERIOR GLASS PARTITIONS CPA GLASS | LIGHTING CS DESIGN | AREA 27,850 M2 | BUDGET $124 M | COMPLETION FALL 2020

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AN ANGULAR MIXED-USE BUILDING IS TAILORED TO ITS QUIRKY SITE ON CALGARY’S WATERFRONT. M2 Mixed-Use Building, Calgary, Alberta nARCHITECTS (design architect) with Riddell Kurczaba (architect of record) TEXT Matt Knapik PHOTOS Andrew Latreille PROJECT

ARCHITECTS

An eye-catching, angular new mixed-use building is the latest addition to the south bank of the Bow River in Calgary’s East Village, just a few blocks east of the city’s commercial core. The first Canadian work for Brooklyn-based nArchitects, M2 plays a critical role in fulfilling the riverfront redevelopment vision for the East Village, a neighbourhood that has taken shape over the past decade as a vibrant mixed-use hub.

The four-storey building provides an intimate and cinematic experience of the river that remains inexplicably scarce in Calgary. Looking down from its upper terrace, the architecture feels like an inevitable part of the city’s waterfront. Architect Eric Bunge, the Canadian-born principal of nArchitects (which he co-founded with Mimi Hoang in 1999) graciously suggests that the project’s success in this regard is not the result of clever design, but of clear thinking from regulators, planners, and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the City’s arms-length entity responsible for the East Village. “We just help move the ouija board,” says Bunge. “If we’ll take credit for something, it’s allowing those forces to prevail as design ideas.”

Historically, there have been many fingers on the ouija board of Calgary’s riverfront, and not all of them were pulling toward parks, trails, and people-focused development. Over the decades, the south side of the river has been home to residential yards, a dumping ground, and industrial storage. It’s been the site of serious proposals for a rail mainline and high-volume freeway. If it weren’t for strong coordinated opposition—led largely by the organized women’s movement of the 1950s— there would likely have been no riverfront green space left to capture the city’s imagination in the succeeding decades.1 More recently, even as the river parks became a deeply rooted part of Calgary’s identity, few buildings have managed to capture the potential of fronting onto the city’s rivers and river pathways.

Occupying one of downtown Calgary’s last waterfront sites, the mixed-use M2 building presents a series of terraces that cascade towards the Bow River.

LEFT

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M2 occupies one of the last unbuilt pieces of downtown riverfront property, a roughly triangular parcel formed as the Bow River bends to meet the street grid. To the north, the site fronts onto a broad reach of the city’s revitalized riverfront pathway. To the south, it faces an urban street. On its west edge, M2 shares a short lane with the Simmons Building, a century-old warehouse repurposed in 2015 as a culinary haunt for the rising neighbourhood. Surrounded by animation on all sides, the site has no obvious front or back.

The resulting building’s massing is largely dictated by the odd shape of this narrow parcel, along with riverside shadowing requirements.

The four-storey building steps back on each floor, resulting in a zig-zag of long terraces overlooking the river and adjacent promenade. Programmatically, Bunge describes M2’s stacked uses as “a tower without a middle”—with a commercial ground floor, residential penthouse, and a small sliver of office space in between. In its form and program, the building bridges between the small-scale pedestrian waterfront and the much larger towers that rise immediately to its south.

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Developer Kate MacGregor of Calgary-based XYC, who completed her studies in architecture at Columbia in 2011, spent much of the design period in Brooklyn, embedded with the nArchitects team. This unconventional way of operating was welcomed by nArchitects, which Bunge describes as an eclectic practice that is inevitably drawn to “weird projects with strong, progressive agendas.”

The combined insights of the developer and designers are evident in a building that plays adeptly with the site’s ambiguities and constraints.

Bunge aimed to create an experience that “unfolds as you move around the building, encouraging and responding to the mobile observer.”

The team settled on two distinct architectural treatments: one tailored to the urban streetscape, and the other addressing the river promenade.

The street-facing south elevation bears the weight of most of the building’s functional elements. The building’s core is pushed against this edge; it also accommodates the entrance to the underground parking and a range of other services. A black, two-dimensional façade scheme provides material continuity. Functional elements are

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SITE AXONOMETRIC

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OPPOSITE A terrace wraps around the west elevation, creating a sheltering awning over a secondary entry to the ground-level restaurant.

ABOVE LEFT The street-facing faรงade is carefully composed to integrate back-of-house functions, including a service entrance and two fire exits, as well as the main entries to a restaurant and to a bike shop.

ABOVE RIGHT A detailing study aimed to resolve the geometry of key elements at the intersection between the terraces and the main faรงade.

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ABOVE A series of terraces offers views towards the Bow River from the office floors and residential penthouse. The terraces create a stepped-back volume that transitions between the waterfront, with its pedestrian and cycling trails, and the more densely developed East Village district.

graphically integrated, and the composition is accented with wellcomposed window perforations.

This strategy required purposeful orchestration, says Bunge: “At the root is a desire for the building to be understood in its most simple way.

Servicing elements are integrated where possible, and masked where not possible. It’s all about working within the logics of the façade.”

Facing the river to the north, the building presents a more welcoming front. Silver aluminum composite panels frame long clusters of horizontal windows along the terraces. Part of the façade projects outward on the site’s west face, creating a covered laneway entry for the restaurant and producing a subtle gateway between the neighbourhood and the river.

The cladding system is off-the-shelf, but deployed with careful proportions and thoughtful detailing. “We are rarely afforded the luxury of fancy materials,” says Bunge, “and so we have become attuned to making something special out of generic systems.” When seen from across the river, the shiny aluminum cascade of terraces presents a kind of urban porch— a bright and well-defined forecourt to the densely urban East Village.

The name of the building—M2—was drawn directly from the site’s lot code in the East Village master plan. In a way, this tells the full story.

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Here is an architecture that finds interest in ordinary things, allows straightforward things to be straightforward, and is content to inherit the cadence of its place. To any designer, city, or business scrambling to find innovation in every corner, perhaps there is a lesson to learn. In Bunge’s words, “The main trick is to have only a few very good ideas.”

1 See Nelles, H.V. (2005). “How Did Calgary Get Its River Parks?” Urban History

Review / Revue d’histoire urbaine, 34 (1), 28-45. https://doi.org/10.7202/1016045ar Matt Knapik studied architecture and urban design at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary, where he has taught as a sessional instructor since 2011. He is an associate at Calgary-based O2 Planning & Design.

CLIENT XYC DESIGN + DEVELOPMENT | ARCHITECT TEAM NARCHITECTS—ERIC BUNGE, MIMI HOANG,

MARC PUIG, AMANDA MORGAN, KATE MACGREGOR, TONY-SABA SHIBER, ALBERT FIGUERAS. RIDDELL KURCZABA—KIKO QI, PIO DAYAWON, SAMEER DESHPANDE, PETER SCHULZ | STRUCTURAL LEX 3 ENGINEERING | MECHANICAL SMITH + ANDERSEN | ELECTRICAL DESIGNCORE | CIVIL RICHVIEW ENGINEERING | INTERIORS BOZENA INTERIOR DESIGN WITH XYC DESIGN CORP | CONTRACT0 00 OR ELLISDON | AREA 2,323 M2 | BUDGET $12 M | COMPLETION NOVEMBER 2019

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REDUCING THE EMBODIED CARBON OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Operational carbon—the energy used to operate all existing buildings—is responsible for 28 percent of global CO2 emissions each year. But embodied carbon is a blind spot that’s only recently coming to light.

At least 11 percent of annual global CO2 emissions are attributable to the carbon associated with materials such as concrete, steel, wood, glass, and insulation used for new construction just in the past 12 months. Between now and 2050, the operational and embodied carbon associated with new construction will

be responsible for equal shares of global carbon emissions from buildings—making them both major concerns in the climate crisis.

Canadian Architect’s attention turned towards embodied carbon last year with an article by Life Cycle Assessment specialist Anthony Pak (CA , July 2019) and continued with a primer on embodied carbon accounting by Athena Sustainable Materials Institute president Jennifer O’Connor (CA , February 2020).

Our series continues with two articles offering practical advice on design strategies for reducing embodied carbon.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR KEY MATERIALS

To meet the 2030 Challenge, we need to not only achieve net zero operational carbon, but also radically reduce embodied carbon.

We need to face new questions: How do we now choose between two different window options, two wall assemblies, two concrete mixes, two structural systems? Assuming both options perform and cost the same, does either contain materials that were sustainably sourced, processed and transported? Does either option have half the carbon footprint of the industry norm? What is the norm?

There are many facets to the carbon profile of materials—the Carbon Smart Materials Palette website by Architecture 2030 is among the best resources for further research. But architects often ask me for a basic primer on the main materials used in building structures and envelopes.

Here’s a material-by-material assessment, focusing on the biggest carbon considerations for each material.

TEXT

Anthony Pak

The challenge we face is overwhelming and complex. Our industry’s emissions currently account for 40 percent of total global annual CO2 emissions. Of that, a third is attributable to embodied carbon. The attention we have paid to energy efficiency—via improved insulation properties, renewable energies, and passive systems—has led to significant operational improvements in the last two decades. But over that same period of time, we’ve put half of all historical CO2 into the atmosphere. This is in part due to the fact that we’ve been largely focused on only part of the problem.

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TECHNICAL

Embodied carbon in building materials

An LCA evaluation by Priopta looks at the embodied carbon, or Global Warming Potential (GWP), of the materials used in a building.

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TECHNICAL

CONCRETE

The main environmental impact associated with concrete stems from its cement. Although cement makes up only 10 percent of the concrete mix, it is responsible for over 80 to 90 percent of concrete’s embodied carbon. Cement production involves heating a mixture of limestone, silica, alumina and gypsum to 1,400-2,000 degrees Celsius. The heatintensive process often uses fossil fuels, but also, the chemical reaction itself generates CO2. Anything you can do to reduce the amount of cement in your concrete mix will have a significant impact on the overall embodied carbon of the concrete.

One suggestion is to use Portland Limestone Cement (sometimes called general-use limestone cement) in place of regular Portland Cement.

In this type of mix, limestone displaces some of the cement. This substitution has no major structural implications, and can lead to a 10 percent reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP). Supplementary Cementitious Materials, such as fly ash or slag, can also be substituted for cement. Strategies such as using post-tensioned slabs or voided concrete— such as hollow-core slabs, waffle slabs, or bubble-deck systems—may also help reduce the overall amount of concrete in a structural system.

Performance-based specifications can also be a useful tool to choose instead of prescriptive specifications. This may require testing or other procedures. Prescriptive requirements may prevent ready-mix suppliers from delivering the lowest embodied carbon concrete for a particular application.

Electricity Grid Carbon Intensity by province (gCO2e / kWh)

Global Warming Potential of different concrete mixes 417.1

35 Industry Average Benchmark

0.00%

449.8

35 GU with air 0-14% FA/SC

7.85%

403.7

35 GU with air 15-29% FA 35 GU with air 25-34% SC

364.1

35 GU with air 30-40% FA

353.8 329.8

35 GU with air 35-50% SC

-3.21% -12.71% -15.16% -20.93%

386.6

35 GU without air 0-14% FA/SC

347.9

35 GU without air 15-29% FA

-7.30% -16.59%

35 GU without air 25-34% SC

314.6

-24.57%

35 GU without air 30-40% FA

306.0

-26.63%

285.8

35 GU without air 35-50% SC

-31.48%

362.8

35 GUL with air 15-29% FA

329.4

35 GUL with air 25-34% SC

318.8

35 GUL with air 30-40% FA

299.7

35 GUL with air 35-50% SC

313.5

35 GUL without air 15-29% FA

285.4

35 GUL without air 25-34% SC 35 GUL without air 30-40% FA

276.6

35 GUL without air 35-50% SC

260.5 GWP

-13.01% -21.03% -23.55% -28.14% -24.82% -31.56% -33.69% -37.54% % difference in GWP

A chart based on data from the CRMCA Industry Average EPD (2017) compares the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of different concrete mixes, including differences between general use (GU) and general use limestone (GUL) mixes, and different levels of inclusion of fly ash (FA) and slag (SC).

STEEL

There are two ways of producing steel: using a basic oxygen furnace or an electric arc furnace. The steel made with basic oxygen furnaces is much more emissions-intensive. These furnaces burn coal or natural gas, and the feedstock is largely virgin iron ore, with 25 to 37 percent recycled material. This type of steel makes up 71 percent of global steel production and is the predominant type produced in Asian steel plants.

Some 68 percent of steel produced in the United States, and 40 percent of Canadian steel, is made using electric arc furnaces. This lower-

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A comparison of the carbon intensity of electricity grid mixes in provinces across Canada. Source: National Energy Board, Canada’s Renewable Power Landscape, Energy Market Analysis, 2017.

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emissions method uses more recycled steel scraps—up to 100 percent, with an average recycled content of 93 percent for hot rolled shapes.

Because it’s an electricity-driven process, the carbon-intensity of the local electricity grid impacts the carbon-intensity of the resulting steel.

For most materials, transportation is only a small slice of the carbon impact—production technology and the electricity grid (in the case of electricity-driven processes) tend to matter more. This holds true for steel, where typically over 90 percent of carbon emissions come from steel production, and less than 10 percent from transportation and fabrication.

In a steel structure, consider using steel that comes from electric arc furnaces in areas with a low-carbon electricity grid, and specify highrecycled content steel whenever possible. Look for shapes that come from electric arc furnaces. In North America, these typically include hot rolled shapes such as wide-flange members, angles, channel shapes and rebar. Hollow structural shapes and metal deck are typically made at mills with basic oxygen furnaces.

WOOD

In Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) calculations, wood structures generally show lower emissions compared to concrete and steel, although this is not always the case. Using wood in buildings is one of the best uses of the material, as it locks in its captured carbon for a long period of time.

We suggest specifying wood that comes from sustainably managed forests and avoiding wood harvested from primary old growth forests.

Forest management practices can significantly impact the carbon footprint of wood. However, there are still many questions around the forest-related impacts on biogenic carbon that aren’t fully captured in LCA studies. For instance, what’s the impact on soil carbon of increased wood harvesting? What would the carbon sequestration have been if you left the forest alone?

On a landscape level, BC’s wildfires in 2017 and 2018 generated three times the province’s emissions from all other sources. Climate change is making our forests more prone to large wildfires; consideration and additional research is needed as to whether the forestry sector plays a role in increasing or decreasing wildfire risk, as there are arguments on both sides.

What happens in the forest sector will have a huge impact on global emissions. Our forests can be one of our biggest carbon solutions, but also one of our biggest emitters if we don’t treat them the right way. It’s on a whole different scale than trying to distill how much carbon is stored in a cubic metre of wood.

ALUMINUM, GLAZING AND ENVELOPE DESIGN

Primary aluminum production is energy-intensive, using about ten times as much electricity as steel and accounting for four to five percent of global electricity demand. As such, the key factor that impacts the embodied carbon of aluminum is the carbon intensity of the electricity used. Canada is the world’s fourth largest producer of aluminum and has the lowest carbon footprint of the large producers, since it uses mostly hydroelectricity and the latest generation of technologies. For example, primary aluminum production from Asia emits around 17 kgCO2e/kg aluminum, while the same material produced in Canada emits around 2 kgCO2e/kg aluminum.

Using recycled aluminum has even lower emissions, as it uses 95 percent less energy than primary aluminum production and is infinitely recyclable. However, recycled aluminum can only satisfy less than 30 percent of global demand, so low-carbon primary aluminum production remains essential.

Ideally, building envelope design should consider impacts on both operational and embodied carbon. For instance, triple-paned windows will be higher-performing on the operational side, but the extra layer

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of glazing will have impacts on the embodied side. Glass itself is not particularly carbon-intensive, but the materials used for framing it can drive emissions up. Curtain wall assemblies, for example, can have high carbon emissions because of the aluminum content of mullions.

Aluminum should be treated as a high-value material and should be used sparingly, where possible. Specify aluminum from regions with low-carbon electricity mixes. Timber-framed glazing is a great low-carbon option for residential construction, as timber has low embodied carbon and better thermal performance than steel or aluminum.

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INSULATION

XPS and spray foam insulation can have extremely high embodied carbon due to the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents used. All XPS and most spray foam in North America currently uses HFC blowing agents.

This gas has a greenhouse impact over a thousand times greater than the equivalent amount of CO2, so small traces released during installation and through off-gassing carry a huge Global Warming Potential. Through my research, I realized that some building LCA tools have significantly underestimated the embodied carbon of XPS and spray foam insulation, as they did not properly account for the HFC blowing agent impacts.

In Europe, HFC blowing agents are banned, and in Canada, they are due to be banned starting in 2021. Some US States will also have legislation in place to limit the use of HFC. New XPS and spray foam products using lower GWP blowing agents will be coming to market next year, so be sure to specify them—particularly in projects outside of Canada that will not have HFC regulations in place.

Where possible, consider using insulation materials that naturally sequester carbon, such as cellulose, wood fibre, and straw. However, it is important to consider the impact on both embodied and operational carbon when comparing insulation options.

BEYOND LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS

Embodied carbon, as a field, is a blind spot. But there are blind spots within the blind spot—such as the forestry side of wood production and the blowing agents used for insulation.

Life Cycle Assessment studies typically only look at structure and the envelope, but the materials used in HVAC systems and cyclical tenant improvements can also tally up in carbon impact.

Another major blind spot is refrigerants. The near-term impact of refrigerants released into the atmosphere has an outsized role in global warming, compared to other greenhouse gases. We typically quantify the operational carbon savings from using a mechanical system such as Variable Refrigerant Flow, but neglect to account for the global warming impacts of refrigerant leaks.

With Life Cycle Assessments, we are generally focused on finding lower-carbon material options. A bigger lever is choosing to retrofit existing buildings, where the structure and envelope are repurposed, taking advantage of the carbon already expended.

Efficient space planning is also important. In the UK, the housing demand is 34 m 2/person, whereas in the United States, it’s 68 m 2/person. In Canada, residential f loor area per capita varies from city to city—it’s 34 m 2/person in Toronto and 63 m 2/person in Calgary.

How can we make more effective use of space?

When we think about problems worth solving, we’re looking for problems that are big, solvable and ignored. Operational carbon is a very big, solvable problem, but one where there is already significant focus. Embodied carbon is a place where we have significant potential for mitigating carbon. It’s a problem that merits our attention— and action—as an industry.

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TECHNICAL

LEARNING FROM KIGALI: LESSONS FOR CLIMATE-POSITIVE DESIGN TEXT

Kelly Alvarez Doran

When presenting our work on reducing embodied carbon in our projects in Kigali, we’re often asked some version of the question: “You can do that in Rwanda, but how can this translate to a developed context?”

The simple answer is that at this point in time, all places around the globe have much in common. COVID-19 has revealed just how much our industry—from developed markets in North America to land-locked emerging markets in Africa—depends on a global network of material and labour exchanges. Our projects in Rwanda have faced the same delays and material shortages as those in Boston, most notably with specialty items related to electrical and water infrastructure, manufactured in Southeast Asia.

Fortunately, construction on our Kigali-based projects resumed largely unimpeded after an initial eight-week shutdown. This was a direct result of actions taken by the Government of Rwanda to manage the pandemic, along with early design decisions to source the vast majority of materials and labour for our projects in-country. After a decade of working in this manner, our Kigali office has become deeply familiar with the materials, processes, and people that it engages. As a result, our projects have become more resilient and impactful—and our practice more sustainable.

The more nuanced answer to this question is contingent upon one’s willingness to challenge the status quo. Our initial unfamiliarity with Rwanda was somewhat of a blessing, as we had no preconceived notions of what was normative construction practice. The opportunity to work in Rwanda has fundamentally changed our understanding of how to practice architecture and engineering.

Conversations like those held over the window schedule for Munini Hospital with Bruce Nizeye, our long-time mentor and quantity surveyor, have lifted our eyes past the pages of the catalogue to see the actual materials, labour, and supply chains that are activated by specifications. In responding to a sketched window, Nizeye asked us: “ What glass do you want? If you want this kind, it comes from this supplier in Tanzania, along this road, and can’t exceed this size, because of the type of trucks that make that journey.”

Similarly, the dimensions specified for the window’s frame would dictate whether it could be manufactured on site in rural Rwanda, or would come from a metal shop in Kigali, or Nairobi, or India.

The specifics of how our team drew that opening quickly began to have significant, direct impacts on the project’s supply chain. By drawing with certain dimensions—ones that were not necessarily the “norm”—we could direct the enormous capital associated with the project towards Rwandan labour, specifically in the underserved rural area immediately around the project.

TOWARDS HALF

A year ago, we wrote a letter to the editor of this magazine outlining the urgent need for Canadian architects to undertake a “radical refocusing towards embodied energy.” MASS has been working hard to ensure this conversation is front and centre for all of our projects— whether in Santa Fe, Boston, or Mombassa—at all stages. We’re doing Life Cycle Assessments and material research early on to ensure projects track towards the 2030 emissions targets.

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From the outset of designing the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), we’ve been focused on finding ways to halve the project’s embodied footprint. We’ve dug test-pits, conducted structural analysis of soils and timber, visited timber mills in Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, inspected steel sections in Nairobi, and worked with a ceramic tile manufacturer to establish the country’s first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). These efforts have allowed us to confidently specify low-carbon materials and assemblies that are certainly not the regional norm. The structure is largely made of earth blocks harvested from the project’s site, while the overall design minimizes the use of cement and steel, optimizes passive systems, and embodies only 58 percent of the emissions of “business as usual.”

We’re actively exploring the advantages and limitations of existing Life Cycle Assessment tools in the various contexts we operate, and have developed our own accounting systems to fill the gaps.

We’re collaborating with industry leaders like Arup, Transsolar, Atelier 10, Bionova, and Priopta to improve and expand how we’re accounting for emissions across the life of a project—including strategies for on-site sequestration through landscape. Through engaging and acting to address this challenge, we have learned some basic lessons that we’re now bringing to all our projects, in North America and Africa alike.

LEAN

The big ticket in emissions reductions is a project’s structure. We are achieving lighter, less carbon-intensive structures by working with structural engineers early to reduce spans, introduce columns, and reduce reliance on steel and concrete to transfer loads.

At RICA, we established structural grids and constrained window and door dimensions to allow compressed earth blocks and rammed earth walling to take the majority of the loading. This led to a dramatic reduction of reinforced concrete across the project, resulting in a 48 percent embodied carbon reduction in that aspect of the assembly.

CLEAN

Simple changes to the materials being specified in a project’s assembly can result in big Global Warming Potential reductions. Spending time to become familiar with EPDs and the databases and tools used to compare them (EC3, One Click, and Athena) often reveals significant differences between material choices.

At JJ Carroll, a seniors’ housing project in Boston, we switched our under-slab insulation from XPS —a material that uses harmful HFC blowing agents—to EPS. We also changed our above-grade insulation from glass-wool to cellulose. We see these as low-hanging-fruit from an emissions standpoint.

OLD SCHOOL

Looking at how buildings in a certain region were constructed a century ago can bring up options for emission reductions. What systems were employed? Where were the materials sourced and manufactured? How have they performed? What locally abundant materials have fallen out of fashion, and might we look to engage them in new ways?

At RICA , we discovered that a huge proportion of the project’s carbon footprint was hidden in the reinforced concrete foundations we had initially designed. We had worked with stone foundations on other smaller-scale projects to save costs, so we began evaluating the feasibility of using stone foundations at RICA . Rolling back the clock to employ stone reduced the emissions of the foundations by 250 percent.

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QUESTION THE STATUS QUO

We often come across statements like “We don’t have access to these products,” or “That isn’t how things are done here.” We see these as opportunities to help make the dramatic changes required of our system.

We can encourage new materials and suppliers into the market by specifying them now. We’ll spend the additional time needed to advocate for why importing something or supporting an upstart is the right move from a climate perspective. We often question standard practices, and

work with engineers and contractors to find lower-emitting solutions.

At JJ Carroll, we are working with the project’s structural engineer to fine-tune the use of concrete and achieve reductions. We’re asking basic questions: How are we specifying concrete mix proportions? Have strengths been specified based on what is needed in different parts of the building, and at different times in the construction process? What prescriptive requirements are placed on the concrete? How many mixes are being used? Do we require EPD s?

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Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture 214 kgCO2e/m2

Business-as-usual local construction assembly 507 kgCO2e/m2

58%

Reduction in A1-A3 embodied carbon

07 | ROOF ENVELOPE

0.75 MM METAL SHEET ROOF 30 MM HAT CHANNEL SPACERS 4.4 MM ROOF MEMBRANE 12 MM COVERBOARD

06 | ROOF STRUCTURE

STEEL TRUSS (UC 203 X 203 X 46) SHS 80 X 80 X 4 MM PURLINS AT 500 C/C CHS 63 X 3 CROSS BRACING & INTERMITTENT STEEL

05 | CEILING

19 MM MINERAL FIBRE CEILING

07 | ROOF ENVELOPE

04 | WALL & RING BEAM

257 X 436 MM DOMINO CLAY TILES 30 MM FURRING 30 MM SLEEPERS 4.4 MM WATERPROOF MEMBRANE 20 MM WOOD BOARD ROOF DECKING

240 X 250 MM CONCRETE RING BEAM 240 X 250 MM RING BEAM REINFORCEMENT 250 MM REINFORCED CMU 12 MM HORIZONTAL REINFORCEMENT 12 MM VERTICAL REINFORCEMENT 250 X 250 MM CONCRETE COLUMN 250 X 250 MM COLUMN REINFORCEMENT PAINT - INTERIOR 20 MM INTERIOR PLASTER PAINT - EXTERIOR 20 MM EXTERIOR PLASTER

06 | ROOF STRUCTURE

TIMBER TRUSS (2NR. 200 X 50) 50 X 200 MM TIMBER PURLINS AT 500 C/C CHS 63 X 3 CROSS BRACING & INTERMITTENT STEEL

05 | CEILING

NO CEILING REQUIRED FOR HEAT REDUCTION

04 | WALL & RING BEAM

03 | GRADE BEAM

240 X 250 MM CONCRETE RING BEAM 240 X 250 MM CONCRETE RING BEAM REINFORCEMENT 200 X 100 MM TIMBER RING BEAM 240 MM REINFORCED CSEB 12 MM HORIZONTAL REINFORCEMENT 12 MM VERTICAL REINFORCEMENT 200 X 200 MM TIMBER COLUMN STEEL & CONCRETE COLUMN BASE INTERIOR 20 MM EARTH PLASTER EXTERIOR 20 MM EARTH PLASTER

240 X 400 MM CONCRETE GRADE BEAM B16 GRADE BEAM REINFORCEMENT W/B8-200 LINKS

02 | SLAB

40 MM SCREED 150 MM CONCRETE SLAB A252 REINFORCEMENT 50 MM UNDERSLAB SAND 150 MM UNDERSLAB HARDCORE 1000 GAUGE PLASTIC DPM

03 | GRADE BEAM

240 X 400 MM CONCRETE GRADE BEAM B16 GRADE BEAM REINFORCEMENT WITH B8-200 LINKS

02 | SLAB

01 | FOUNDATION

A252 MESH REINFORCEMENT 50 MM UNDERSLAB SAND 150 MM UNDERSLAB HARDCORE 1000 GAUGE PLASTIC DPM

800 X 300 MM CONCRETE STRIP FOUNDATION B12-150 B1/B2 CONCRETE FOUNDATION REINFORCEMENT 50 MM CONCRETE STRIP FOUNDATION BLINDING 1.2 X 1.2 X0.4 M CONCRETE PAD FOUNDATION PAD FOUNDATION REINFORCEMENT 50 MM PAD FOUNDATION BLINDING

01 | FOUNDATION

0.45 M 3/M MASONRY STRIP FOUNDATION 50 MM STRIP FOUNDATION BLINDING

kgCO2e/m2

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TECHNICAL

How do mixes compare to NRMCA benchmarks?

Over the past year, Canada has taken globally recognized actions to address the embodied emissions of construction. The leadership displayed by Vancouver’s City Council, the National Research Council, Builders for Climate Action, and local chapters of the Carbon Leadership Forum illustrates what is possible if we place emphasis on this issue. I’m hopeful that Canadian architects and engineers

JJ Carroll residence Boston, Massachusetts Exterior wall assemblies CO2e/m2 per material

can learn from the experiences of colleagues—including our work in Kigali—to inform projects across the country, taking full advantage of each region’s constraints and opportunities.

Canadian ex-pat architect Kelly Alvarez Doran is a Senior Principal at MASS Design Group. He leads the practice’s office in London, UK, and oversees its work in Europe and East Africa.

WALL

TYPE B TERRACOTTA SHINGLE ON METAL STUDS 1 T ERRACOTTA SHINGLE (7/8”X 14”X 9”). BASIS OF DESIGN: TERREAL NEXCLAD 14

W ALL TYPE A CMU VENEER ON CMUS 1 4 ” NOMINAL GROUND-FACE CMU (4” X 8” X 8”)

1 F IBRE-REINFORCED CEMENTITIOUS PANEL 2 1 -1/2” HCI RAINSCREEN ATTACHMENT SYSTEM. BASIS OF DESIGN: KNIGHT WALL SYSTEM

3 SELF-ADHERED WEATHER BARRIER

2 1 -1/2” AIR CAVITY

4 3 -1/8” R 15.9 PANEL WITH 5/8” FRT PLYWOOD, NAILABLE SHEATHING AND 2-1/2” CLOSED-CELL POLYISOCYANURATE FOAM INSULATION

3 T HERMALLY BROKEN METAL MASONRY TIES AS SPECIFIED, SPACED VERTICALLY EVERY 6 BRICK COURSES MAX.

3 S TAINLESS STEEL SCREW BY ATTACHMENT SYSTEM MANUFACTURER 4 2 -1/2”MINERAL WOOL INSULATION

5 1 /2” FRT PLYWOOD SHEATHING

” R 11.4 POLYISO RIGID BOARD 4 2 INSULATION

ssemblies

W ALL TYPE C FIBRE CEMENT PANEL ON WOOD STUDS

/16” RAINSCREEN DRAINAGE MAT 2 3 PERFORATED AND CORRUGATED PLASTIC MADE OF PRECONSUMER RECYCLED HIGHIMPACT POLYSTYRENE WITH AN ADHERED SPUN-BOND POLYPROPYLENE FABRIC

5 1 /2” FRT PLYWOOD SHEATHING

6 6 ” LGM STUD FRAMING 16” O.C. MAX. AND BLOWN-IN CELLULOSE INSULATION

6 CMU

7 (2) 5/8” GWB

5 S ELF-ADHERED WEATHER BARRIER

Exterior Walling Assemblies

l

CO2e/m2 per material

2 107 kgCO2e/m2110 kgCO kgCO2e/m2 2e/m

6 1/2” FRT PLYWOOD SHEATHING 7 2 X6 WOOD FRAME AND BLOWN-IN CELLULOSE INSULATION

2 110 kgCO2e/m2107 kgCO kgCO2e/m2 2e/m

110 kgCO2e/m2

8 (2) 5/8” GWB

9 E XPOSED FASTENER WITH LOCK WASHER BY FAÇADE MANUFACTURER 10 JOINT

59 kgCO2e/m2 Wall TypeWall B Type A Wall Type C CMU Veneer Terracotta on shingle on cement panel Fibre CMUs metal studs on wood studs

Wall Type B CMU Veneer on CMUs 1

1

3

2

4

3 4

6

Wall Type CWall Type B Fibre cement panel CMU Veneer on on wood studs CMUs

Wall Type C Fibre cemen on wood stu

1 2

2

5

2 59 kgCO kgCO2e/m2 2e/m

5

3

4 5 6 7 8

6

9 10

7

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CANADIAN ARCHITECT 11/20

INSITES

HIGH-RISE HABITATS, 55 YEARS LATER TEXT

Terri Peters and Ted Kesik Jesse Jackson courtesy Ted Kesik, unless otherwise noted

PHOTOS

IN 1965, CANADIAN ARCHITECT RAN A CRITIQUE OF CANADA’S BURGEONING RESIDENTIAL TOWERS. HAS ANYTHING CHANGED SINCE? High-rise living in multi-unit residential buildings is, historically speaking, a relatively recent development. Traditional housing typologies—including mid-rise residential buildings in Europe—have benefitted from centuries of incremental improvement, resulting in high levels of liveability. This is particularly true of mid-rises in cities developed before the advent of the automobile, where people are privileged over cars. By contrast, residential high-rises started appearing in Canada only sixty years ago—at the height of the automobile age. With only a few decades to evolve, the typology is still troubled by quality-of-life issues and performance problems.

In Spring 1965—as residential towers started to appear quickly and seemed to be permanently changing the country’s urban centres—Canadian Architect published a half-dozen articles both cautious and hopeful for the future of high-rise housing in Canadian cities.

In High Rise Habitat: The Great Controversy (CA, March 1965), urban planner Albert Rose dissected “the apartment problem” with socio-

CA Nov 20.indd 47

economic arguments for and against apartment dwellings. His essay was particularly concerned with the impact of apartment living on family life and social standards. “The phenomenon of metropolitan growth […] has produced a whole new society of apartment dwellers in the mid1960s,” he wrote. “There are far more households in proportion to the past which are composed of one of several single persons, married or unmarried, but both working in the financial and commercial pursuits of the central city. Many of these are newcomers—from abroad, from smaller urban places, from rural areas. They are the beneficiaries, in Canada, of a relaxing and loosening of social, moral and economic standards and values. Above all, they are the inhabitants of the new high-rise apartment structures in downtown and suburban Toronto and Montreal.”

Such apartments, as a result, were inadequately designed for more established residents—and rarely took the larger city into account. “There has not been enough serious study and competent qualitative research to say very much about the effects, if any, of apartment living upon family

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INSITES

life,” noted Rose. “It is clearly not inevitable that apartment buildings be poorly designed, badly planned, crowded on the site, ugly and monotonous. If we are not to duplicate the suburban experience on the vertical, rather than a horizontal scale, there will have to be a great deal more exercise of scruples by architects, planners, developers, and elected councillors than has been our fortune in the first half of the 1960s.”

In a companion article, High Rise Habitat: A Matter of People (CA March 1965), urban planner Margaret Buchinger questioned the affordability of apartments, speculated on the psychological effects on inhabitants, and examined the impact of high-rise housing on neighbourhood culture.

Little has changed since 1965 in regards to “the apartment problem.”

And yet, many more Canadians live in high-rise habitats—a number bound to grow with the next wave of post-COVID immigration. This makes it ever more urgent to closely and comprehensively examine the design of multi-unit residential towers.

The pandemic adds to this urgency. With the growth of work-fromhome and online schooling, the stakes are raised for housing of all types—but especially for high-rises, whose residents are often from lower-income demographics, with few alternative housing choices.

Presently, it is questionable whether we are adequately designing high-rise units as homes, let alone as work-from-home and learnfrom-home spaces. Our technological might makes it possible to grow housing towers like mushrooms, transforming neighbourhoods and skylines in just years. Will the resulting high-rise habitats become a legacy or a liability for succeeding generations? Affordability is perhaps the most pressing issue for Canadians currently trying to rent or buy condo units, but there are also a number of equally important architectural questions about high-rise habitats. Here are a few.

HOW HIGH IS TOO HIGH?

The Greek architect Constantinos Doxiadis, founder of the Ekistics movement, believed that humans should not live higher than treetops, based on our biological heritage. Practically, there are physical and psychological challenges to living in high-rises. Parents can’t supervise their children playing outdoors, so they end up using hallways as playgrounds. Balcony microclimates vary considerably as you ascend a tower, with higher units buffeted by winds that can make these outdoor spaces uninhabitable.

A lack of easy ground access can also present complications in emergency situations. A 2016 Toronto medical study revealed that the higher someone lives in a tower, the lower their chances of surviving cardiac arrest—above the 16th floor, the survival rate is nearly zero. The elderly and tower-dwellers with medical conditions may be in increased danger with the growing frequency of extreme weather events expected from climate change, which could bring prolonged power outages.

Is this housing typology able to keep us healthy? The current generation of high-rise condos is plagued by problems with indoor air quality, daylighting, visual privacy and sound transmission. A CBC news analysis found that COVID-19 is most prevalent in neighbourhoods with higher proportions of multi-unit residences and low-income residents.

Outbreaks have led to a need for isolation centres to serve these buildings, since apartment common areas, unit sizes and floorplans are unsuitable for people in quarantine. Most of these environmental issues are related to the poor quality of design and construction that is permitted within our planning framework and building codes—notwithstanding the fact that even minimum requirements are often not properly enforced by municipal authorities.

Last year, we worked with collaborators to develop a Canadian MURB Design Guide, supported by BC Housing and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. It presents research-based solutions to resilience and liveability in high-rise units. But much work remains

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to be done. First and foremost, the performance gap between the construed and the constructed needs to be closed. This is not possible until building codes and planning guidelines raise their standards, while banning dubious practices such as allowing bedrooms without windows.

HOW CLOSE IS TOO CLOSE?

Related to the issue of building height is proximity. In areas where clusters of high-rise buildings have resulted in “spiky” developments—such as at Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto—many residents complain about negative impacts on daylight and views. Once-sunny balconies and backyards are now shadowed, and their views of the sky obscured. The “right to light and views” has been embraced in a number of developed nations, but it has never gained traction in Canada. Many foreign planners and architects are shocked by how a country as large and open as Canada does not enshrine solar access rights in its planning framework.

Somehow, in the craze to embrace the intensification mantra, the critical factors affecting environmental quality have been discarded.

HOW DENSE IS TOO DENSE?

Anyone who has used public transit consistently knows the impact of too-dense developments on congestion. Line-ups to subways often extend all the way to the surface in densely developed areas. This is compounded by long wait times for elevators in residential towers.

The impacts of intensification on services and infrastructure have never been properly studied. This explains the poor planning-forgrowth that can be seen in Canada’s large urban centres, especially in areas dominated by dense high-rise developments.

WHO ARE HIGH-RISES FOR?

In the 1960s, high-rise living was introduced to Canada in the form of 14-to-20-storey concrete apartment towers. The intent was to provide affordable, convenient housing for single people and young families through the early stages of their adult lives. Eventually, families would save their money and purchase a house.

The housing development industry has since claimed that high-rise living addresses all stages of life—but little thought is given to how a 30th-f loor-unit can accommodate raising a family, or living alone

2020-10-22 8:07 AM

as a senior with mobility issues. What is glamorous for swinging singles may not be so appealing to young families, the aged and the infirm.

The City of Toronto’s Growing Up Guidelines (2020) identifies some strategies for making high-rise habitats more liveable for families— family units should be lower to the ground and larger, for instance—but without the policy to back it up.

The communal dimensions of high-rise living—and in particular, the system of by-laws governing condominiums—can also be challenging.

Underground parking, hallways, garbage/recycling rooms, laundry facilities, mailrooms, exercise rooms and pools, and common social areas are often governed by majority rules that do not consider minority rights.

Smoking—whether it be of cannabis or tobacco—is one of the most contentious issues. Restrictions on how balconies may be occupied and used comes in a close second. Most condo-dwellers are unaware that they are buying into a system of rules that will shape many aspects of their daily routines and habits. The individual freedoms that are enjoyed by freehold house dwellers are not guaranteed within high-rise habitats, and the rules can change depending on who controls the condo board and its agenda.

THE FUTURE OF HIGH-RISE HABITATS Unfortunately, our large urban centres have been shaped by a scarcity of affordable housing choices, combined with their delivery by a tiny group of developers. Self-determination in housing is only possible for residents of rural areas and small towns—and this proportion of the Canadian population is rapidly shrinking.

It would be an interesting experiment to see what housing type and location people would choose, if availability and affordability were not factors. How many people would choose to live in a downtown high-rise, if they could have a terrace townhouse within walking distance from work? How will people change their housing plans if work-from-home becomes a dominant mode of employment? Is it possible to enjoy the same quality of life in a tower apartment building as in a low- or mid-rise housing development?

These questions are not new. Over half a century ago, this very discussion was taking place among architects and planners, including in the pages of this magazine. But there was little follow-up at that time—likely because high-rise housing was not the dominant typology.

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PREVIOUS PAGE Balconies at the 1969 Bralmark Court Apartments, in Scarborough, Ontario. OPPOSITE TOP An archival view of St. James Town, one of the earliest tower developments in Toronto, with its first buildings completed in the late 1950s. Over 17,000 people live in the neighbourhood’s 19 towers, making it one of Canada’s most densely populated communities. ABOVE The 1973 Briar Hill Towers overlook the Allen Expressway, on the west side of downtown Toronto.

Today, a statistically significant proportion of Canadians live in high-rise habitats. It is now imperative to conduct comparative postoccupancy evaluations for various housing forms, which can inform codes and policies with evidence rather than conjecture. The history of urban development has been to race headlong into the latest fad, often to discover it is dysfunctional. A case in point is the old Regent Park in Toronto—and there is little evidence that the new Regent Park will fare much better.

There is a great deal of basic research that is needed to fill knowledge gaps in the urban planning, infrastructure, architecture, sociology and building science aspects of high-rises. To understand current and future housing needs, we need better and more specific insights into how people actually use spaces. To use and interpret these findings, we need to involve a more diverse group of decision-makers. Structured post-occupancy evaluations and surveys of inhabitants would enable designers and planners to see how new initiatives are impacting the liveability and quality of life offered by high-rises.

As Margaret Buchinger concluded in her 1965 essay, High Rise Habitat: A Matter of People, “The evidence of extensive scientific research into density is the only realistic base from which we can develop an effective and human building policy.” Now, more than ever, these major issues need to be addressed with evidence-based design, if we are to get high-rise habitats right.

Terri Peters is an assistant professor in the Department of Architectural Science at Ryerson University.

Ted Kesik is a professor of building science in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.

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BACKPAGE

NANNE SPRINGER

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BLYTHE ROAD RESIDENCE TEXT

Pamela Young

A SOARING WOOD ATRIUM ADDS DRAMA TO A HACIENDA-STYLE HOME IN MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO. In a Scottish accent sanded down by nearly three decades of living in Toronto, architect Will Hudson promises we will see “some funny fish” in the neighbourhood we are approaching for a site visit. The older homes in this Mississauga suburb are large and serve up a cheery potluck of ranch styles on generous lots. The newer residences are gargantuan and incline toward Versailles variations, with just enough Bond-villain lairs tossed in to keep things interesting.

A few years ago, a mutual acquaintance recommended Hudson Architecture to the owners of a 1940s hacienda-style house in this neighbourhood. They wanted an addition that would connect them, year-round, to the beautiful mature trees on their front lawn and across the street, where a hydro corridor running parallel to the roadway fortuitously precludes the materialization of a McMansion. Another architect had proposed stacking some new boxes on top of their existing home. Underwhelmed, the owners sought an alternative. Hudson had one, but wondered whether it was too “out there” to share.

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The house’s main façade was chock-a-block with arches: a row of arches pierced the courtyard-delineating wall that spanned from the garage on the left to what was then the master bedroom on the right, and a triplet of arched windows added another smidgen of ¡ole! to the master bedroom’s front wall. The idea that seized Hudson—to the point, he admits, of being unable to formulate any other compelling options—was to sweep away all the little arches and sub in one soaring, central arched volume. Nervously, he presented the concept. The clients said yes on the spot.

Working with heavy timber fabricator Timber Systems and YCL Structural Designs, Hudson designed an atrium addition supported by glulam horseshoe arches, each fabricated from paired members that were craned in, seated on base plates, and joined at the crown through concealed f litch plates.

The cedar-lined front arch cants outward, forming a canopy that provides some shade on the southeast exposure. The construction also included more conventional renovations to the largely retained original house.

Getting the drywall and lighting just right

ABOVE Glulam horseshoe arches frame an addition that extends through this suburban home’s former courtyard.

on the arched ceiling was challenging, but the result is a remarkably serene space for living and dining, with church-like proportions and spectacular views of trees and sky. In the living area, located just inside the front entry, the tall coated-steel doors balance the transparency of the glazing. The sense of openness in even the most exposed part of the atrium is ‘pavilion’, not ‘fishbowl’. Over long family dinners at the central dining table, the owners enjoy how natural light streams in through the front of the house at the start of the meal and then glows through the opposite end of the atrium as the sun sets.

Hudson particularly liked the existing house’s original clay tile roof, which was restored in the renovation. He chose the atrium’s powder-coated steel tiles to complement it. “In fact, I liked a lot about the house,” he says with a trace of a smile. “All it needed was an airship parked in the courtyard.”

Surrounded by 21st-century palaces, the new atrium is indeed a lighter-than-air intervention.

Pamela Young is a Toronto-based writer and communications manager.

2020-10-22 8:07 AM

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