78 225 Brunswick Suulin Architects Inc. (now Suulin Inc.)
82 Belfountain House UUFIE INC.
86 Hazel McCallion Central Library RDH Architects Inc.
90 Landscape of Landmark Quality, University of Toronto
KPMB Architects | Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.
94 Niagara Falls Exchange DTAH Architects Limited
98 Red Lane Housing
Steven Fong Architect (now Steven Fong Architecture Inc.) in collaboration with ONE:1 Designs
102 UBC MacLeod Building Renewal
Teeple Architects (Design Architect; now Teeple Architects Canada Inc.) and Proscenium Architecture + Interiors (Architect of Record)
106 Union Station Revitalization
NORR Architects & Engineers Ltd. in collaboration with EVOQ Architecture (Heritage Architect)
110 University of Windsor Law Transformation
Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Di Maio Design Associates | Architects Inc.
114 Ziibiing—Indigenous Landscape at Taddle Creek
Brook McIlroy Inc.
Juxta Architects Inc.
Brigitte Shim and A. Howard Sutcliffe
Michael McClelland
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS
This book you are about to read contains some of the most exciting recent projects by Ontario architecture practices. There are beautifully unique homes and cottages, libraries given new life, community centres and outdoor public spaces that bring together diverse users, and academic buildings to inspire learning. All these places need to be experienced to be fully appreciated (though the stunning photographs will help you in the meantime).
These projects are the winners and nalists of the 2026 Design Excellence Awards, a biennial celebration program run by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). The OAA regulates the practice of architecture in our province, and as president of its governing board of directors, I help lead our Council in ensuring we carry out our mandate to protect and serve the public interest.
The OAA, as part of its service to the public, is mandated to advance the public’s understanding and appreciation of architecture and the allied arts and sciences. These awards are an instrument for recognition that architecture is integral to the quality of life and well-being of our society—showcasing the contributions of thoughtful design and the project teams behind them. The community buildings, residences, and other places represented in these pages most certainly improve the quality of life and well-being of the people they serve.
The OAA takes the universal need for climate action seriously. Therefore, part of the submission criteria for Design Excellence consideration is mandatory inclusion of Total Energy Use Intensity (TEUI) data—information that provides a measure of a building’s energy consumption. Increasingly, we are nding some of the best buildings are also some of the greenest! The OAA very much wants the public to understand that beauty and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
In addition to celebrating the Design Excellence projects, this book honours individuals who have made signi cant contributions to the architecture profession, the built environment of Ontario, or both. Read on to learn more about Juxta Architects Inc., the Ottawa-based rm that received this year’s Best Emerging Practice Award. You will also learn about Medal of Service winner Michael McClelland, founding principal of ERA Architects, outspoken advocate, and renowned expert in heritage conservation and urban design. Finally, enjoy a very brief overview of the enduring work of architects Brigitte Shim and A. Howard Sutcliffe, the OAA’s Lifetime Design Achievement Award recipients.
As OAA President, I am grateful to have been part of the Service Awards Jury. At times, nding consensus in selecting these award-winners was challenging as there were many deserving nominees. The Design Excellence Jury spent even longer in deliberations, and also said that their nal decisions were dif cult.
I hope you enjoy reading about the exceptional architects and design teams being honoured, in addition to seeing such beautifully photographed ne examples of Design Excellence.
Yours truly,
Lara McKendrick, Architect, OAA, MRAIC, President
2026 OAA AWARD JURIES
DESIGN EXCELLENCE JURY
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS
The Ontario Association of Architects gathered an esteemed group of Architects and educators to select the 20 projects honoured on these pages. The projects, all designed by rms led by OAA licensed members and completed within the last six years, are stellar examples of architecture that elevates the human spirit and enriches the public realm. From 96 submissions, the jury selected 10 Winners and 10 Finalists, applying the criteria of creativity, context, sustainability, good business, and legacy.
Tyler Walker
A Principal and Architect at MJMA Architecture & Design in Toronto, Tyler Walker led the design of the Neil Campbell Rowing Centre and the Churchill Meadows Community Centre, both past winners OAA Design Excellence awards. His focus within MJMA has been the advancement of mass timber structures that are rooted in a community-based design approach.
Carol Moukheiber
Carol Moukheiber is Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and co-founder of Studio (n-1). In 2012, the studio received the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York. Her publications include The Living, Breathing, Thinking Responsive Buildings of the Future and Wild Wild Urbanism: Redesigning California
Nathalie Dion
Nathalie Dion is Partner at Provencher_Roy in Montreal, with 30 years of experience designing major projects in the transportation and hospitality sectors. She has served as Vice President and President of the Ordre des architectes du Québec (OAQ), where she helped establish the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) and promoting the recognition of architecture in public spaces.
Lola Sheppard
Lola Sheppard is a Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture and a founding partner of Lateral Office, a Toronto practice focusing on work with First Nation and Inuit partners in remote regions. With Mason White, she co-authored Many Norths: Spatial Practice in a Polar Territory and Pamphlet Architecture 30: COUPLING—Strategies for Infrastructural Opportunism
Paul Cravit
Paul Cravit is Principal Emeritus of CS&P Architects and former Director of Design. He has led many significant civic, institutional, recreational, residential, and educational projects, including buildings and master plans for several Ontario colleges and universities. Paul focuses on design that enriches the public realm and strengthens the sense of community.
Andrew Grinton
Mary Ellen Lynch
Mary Ellen Lynch is a Partner at Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light, a Toronto-based design studio. Mary Ellen has worked on architectural, interior, and lighting projects from New York City to Toronto and beyond. She has also been actively involved in teaching design, contributing to OAA Committees, and participating in such creative urban initiatives as Nuit Blanche.
Eman Abdelsabour is a Sustainability Lead and Senior Architect at BDP Quadrangle. She leads firm-wide sustainability strategy, embedding embodied and operational carbon targets into all project phases, and has helped develop carbon-tracking tools used across hundreds of projects. She also contributed to Canada’s first WELL Platinum–certified architecture studio.
Sam Dufaux is a Principal at SvN Architects + Planners and an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. Sam leads design and innovation at SvN, focusing on the integration of architecture, landscape architecture, and ecological systems to build a post-carbon world.
Sam Dufaux
Eman Abdelsabour
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORS
Andrew Grinton
JURY FACILITATOR
SERVICE AWARDS JURY
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ARCHITECTS
Tamara King (Facilitator)
Tamara King is the Website and Communications Lead at the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). In addition to leading the OAA Website and Awards programs, Tamara spearheads the SHIFT Challenge, the Design Excellence Awards, and the Service Awards, guiding all phases from jury selection and submission platform development to event planning and execution.
This year, the Ontario Association of Architects conferred three Service Awards. The Best Emerging Practice Award recognizes the contribution of a young rm that has demonstrated a clear vision, well-articulated goals, and highly effective design strategies. The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates an architectural team whose career and body of work leave a legacy of design excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievement. Finally, the Medal of Service honours an individual who has provided exceptional service and leadership for the profession and the public, through advocacy, education, and other contributions.
Tim Wickens
Tim Wickens is principal of Toronto-based Nicholson Sheffield Architects Inc. In addition to his broad range of experience in architectural practice, Tim has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, design instructor in the RAIC Syllabus program, and member of the City of London Urban Design Peer Review Panel. Tim currently chairs the London Society of Architects.
Amy Lin
Amy Lin is the founding principal of Suulin Inc. Her early experience includes the Sisters of St. Joseph Home, with Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, and the Clinton Presidential Library and the Standard Hotel, with Ennead Architects. Suulin was the OAA’s 2018 Best Emerging Practice and has received a Governor General’s Medal, an AIA Interior Architecture Award, and a Toronto Urban Design Award.
Lara McKendrick
Ottawa-based Lara McKendrick is the OAA Council President, where she helps lead the governing board of directors for the regulating body of the practice of architecture in the province. Lara worked with several prominent Ottawa firms before establishing Lara McKendrick Architecture Inc. in 2011, specializing in adaptive reuse, custom residential projects, and deep energy retrofits.
Craig Race
Craig Race is the principal of Toronto-based Craig Race Architecture Inc. and the co-founder of Lanescape Architecture Inc., a firm specializing in laneway houses and garden suites, and named the 2024 OAA Best Emerging Practice. He also spent part of his career on the West Coast, when laneway housing was emerging as a legitimate concept, bringing him deep insight into this housing typology.
Andrew Grinton
Andrew Grinton
DESIGN EXCELLENCE WINNERS
The Angle of Repose house is conceived as an eloquent sculptural object strategically sited on a wooded property overlooking Hindon Lake. Commissioned by a professor of art history who supports contemporary architecture, the brief was to design a unique home to the highest level of sustainability.
The strong architectural vision was realized through digital fabrication of a mass-timber structure. Two vernacular gable elevations of varying proportion are lofted across a trapezoidal plan, and the roof peak is lowered from east to west, creating a hyperbolic-paraboloid roof. The final form subverts conventional residential references with dynamic perspective effects, creating an experience at once familiar and surprising. The thick walls, punctured by deep-set fenestration, express a primary driver of the house’s performance and help render it visually inscrutable, following the client’s directive. Monolithic black metal-shingle cladding reinforces the house’s sculptural aspect.
The experience of inhabiting the house is highly mediated by the landscape. Arrival is via a long driveway that winds through tall evergreens and rocky outcroppings. The dark north façade starkly contrasts with the warm, luminous double-height interior. Glazed south and west facades provide expansive views through the trees to the lake while serving as the principal engine of the structure’s passive heating and cooling. Airtight, three-foot-thick walls, ultra-high-performance glazing, and a compact electric system with heat recovery result in dramatic greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Outside, the terraced landscape, with its triangulating, cascading forms, mirrors the architecture of the house.
The result is a building of exceptional performance and architectural clarity: a sculptural object nestled in the landscape and Passive House certified.
WINNER
ANGLE OF REPOSE
REASONABLE PROJECTS INC.
Algonquin Highlands, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“The elusive form and cladding of the house subvert conventional ideas of the Canadian cottage. The luminous and warm interior spaces mark a powerful contrast with the beautiful, brooding exterior.”
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR COMMENTS
“An exemplary demonstration of sustainability leadership through certified Passive House performance, all-electric systems, mass-timber construction, exceptionally low operational and embodied carbon, and quantified life-cycle analysis.”
PROJECT
Angle of Repose
LOCATION
Algonquin Highlands, Ontario
COMPLETION 2023
BUDGET
Withheld
AREA
195 m² (2,100 ft²)
CLIENT
Evonne Levy
ARCHITECT
Reasonable Projects Inc.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Geoffrey Turnbull, Richard Unterthiner
STRUCTURAL
Aspect Structural Engineers
LANDSCAPE
D.I.R.T. studio
CONTRACTOR
TJS Construction
PASSIVE HOUSE CONSULTANTS
JMV Consulting, RDH Building Science
TIMBER ENGINEERING
Styxworks
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jeremie Warshafsky
The Beaverton Heights project offers a dignified response to homelessness within tight budgets and timelines. The project achieved the rapid delivery of 47 high-performance, high-quality, affordable homes. In addition to housing, it provides a network of wraparound supports: dining, meeting, and social support rooms for primary care, employment assistance, skills training, and addictions treatment, within a dedicated community hub. Open to the broader North Durham community, it acts as a catalyst for social cohesion.
The project sits along the edge of a residential neighbourhood. Buildings are set back to embrace the mature landscape. The residence adopts a subdued, elongated form with a continuous roofline, while the community hub introduces a more playful expression. Its smaller scale softens the transition between multi-unit housing and single-family dwellings across the street. Sloping roofs echo the local vernacular, complemented by a warm, durable material palette of tongue-and-groove siding, board-and-batten cedar siding, and galvanized corrugated aluminum. These materials create a deliberate dialogue between the building, its natural setting, and its neighbourhood.
Modules are manipulated as building blocks to achieve an elegant composition, comfortable proportions, and a strong relationship with the landscape. Shorter modules create recesses that form courtyards, signaling the main entrances and tenant patio, while strategic openings frame views and draw in daylight, reinforcing a residential feel. Pitched roofs and a warm wood palette root the architecture in its agrarian context. A continuous perimeter walkway weaves indoor and outdoor spaces together, fostering connection between residents.
Beaverton Heights achieves significant reductions in energy use, thermal energy demand, and greenhouse gas emissions. A fully electric heating and cooling system, highefficiency on-demand water heaters, and automated thermostats optimize performance, while an airtight envelope ensures superior thermal comfort.
The project demonstrates equity, inclusion, and resilience, removing barriers, fostering integration, and de-stigmatizing supportive housing through design.
BEAVERTON HEIGHTS MODULAR TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
MONTGOMERY SISAM ARCHITECTS
Beaverton, Ontario WINNER
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“Generous and warm interior communal spaces, and a thoughtful relationship of interior and exterior spaces, challenges the rigidity that modular construction might engender.”
Modular contruction process Typical module
Image: Tom Ridout. Illustration: Montgomery Sisam Architects
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR COMMENTS
“Strong sustainability performance through modular construction, all-electric systems, high-performance envelope, and a large rooftop PV array. The project demonstrates meaningful operational carbon reduction and waste minimization for supportive housing delivery.”
PROJECT
Beaverton Heights Modular Transitional Housing
LOCATION
Beaverton, Ontario
COMPLETION
2024
BUDGET
Withheld
AREA
3,500 m² (38,200 ft2)
ARCHITECT
Montgomery Sisam Architects
CLIENT(S)
Regional Municipality of Durham
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Daniel Ling, Enda McDonagh, Kevin Hutchinson, Jake Pauls Wolf, Sonja Storey-Fleming, Zheng Li, Grace Chang, Mateusz Nowaski
STRUCTURAL Design Works
MECHANICAL/ELECTICAL Design Works
LANDSCAPE
Baker Turner
INTERIORS
Montgomery Sisam Architects
CONTRACTOR
NRB Inc. (ATCO)
PHOTOGRAPHY
doublespace Industryous
Tom Ridout
Building on an addition completed in 2000, the Carmen Corbasson Community Centre project encompassed the expansion and renovation of the existing facility with a new natatorium, fitness centre, and aerobics studio, all integrated with the existing arena and gymnasium complex. Located adjacent to Cawthra Woods and designed as a “pavilion in the forest,” the project transforms a formerly blank façade into a porous edge between building and forest.
The original timber lobby roof is replicated and extended to form a connective spine uniting old and new. Defined by exposed mass timber, the natatorium is a light-filled, outward-looking space with strong visual connections to Cawthra Woods. Resilient and low-carbon terra cotta cladding provides a complement to the existing masonry, while glazing with a linear frit pattern provides a cohesive exterior expression. The use of mass timber reduces embodied carbon while introducing warmth and biophilic qualities into interior spaces. Expansive glazing, linear openings, and skylights bring natural light deep into the interior, reducing reliance on artificial lighting and strengthening visual connections to the adjacent forest, while ceramic frit glazing provides solar shading, glare control, and reduced solar gain. New glazed openings establish clear navigation from the lobby and offer passing visitor glimpses of the arena, aquatics, fitness areas, and gymnasium, encouraging engagement and participation. An overhead canopy with an exposed wood soffit extends along the southern façade, supporting sheltered movement, intuitive wayfinding, and a continuous pedestrian link to the adjacent seniors’ centre and bus stop.
The Carmen Corbasson Community Centre project revives aging civic facilities while preserving the history of existing structures in ways that balance durability, openness, and environmental responsiveness. By demonstrating the viability of mass timber construction within a high-performance aquatic environment, the project expands its application in public architecture.
WINNER
CARMEN CORBASSON COMMUNITY CENTRE
DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS
Mississauga, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A strong, highly legible plan seamlessly ties together the circulation for a large, complex building of community and recreational uses that had expanded through additions over time. Elegant and simple use of interior and exterior materials creates a welcoming, but highly civic building.”
SUSTAINABILITY
ADVISOR COMMENTS
“A strong, credible sustainability package for a high-load typology. The embodied-carbon approach is unusually robust, and includes specific measures like higher SCM concrete, reuse, recycled content, and exposed structure.”
PROJECT
Carmen Corbasson Community Centre
LOCATION
Mississauga, Ontario
COMPLETION
2025
BUDGET
$52M
AREA
4,180 m² (45,000 ft2)
CLIENT
City of Mississauga
ARCHITECT
Diamond Schmitt Architects
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Greg Colucci, Ashraf Hanna, Joe Troppmann, Euan Cox, Peter Kirby, Melina Davari
STRUCTURAL
Moses Structural Engineering
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Crossey Engineering Ltd.
LANDSCAPE
PMA Landscape Architects
INTERIORS
Diamond Schmitt Architects
CONTRACTOR
Aquicon Construction Co. Ltd.
CIVIL ENGINEER
Husson
LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Salas O’Brien
AUDIO/VISUAL CONSULTANT
Novita Techne Limited
SUSTAINABILITY
CEL Gruenn
BUILDING ENVELOPE RJC
PHOTOGRAPHY
Scott Norsworthy
Kìwekì Point reimagines a spectacular limestone bluff in Ottawa. A collaboration between architecture and landscape architecture, the project uses design as a tool for reconciliation. Anchoring the site is Whispering Point, a cantilevered circular outlook clad in yellow cedar. It creates a new iconic destination, turning a forgotten corner of Ottawa into a celebrated landmark that drives tourism and draws visitors to the river’s edge.
The Kìwekì Point project recontextualizes a colonial landmark by resituating a historic statue, dismantling its pedestal to create a gathering circle, and elevating Indigenous narratives. The comprehensive redevelopment of the former Nepean Point restores city connections with the Pìdàban pedestrian bridge and makes the cliff edge accessible with a perimeter walkway.
Architecturally, Whispering Point reinterprets the lookout typology. Its cantilever projects for panoramic views, while the yellow cedar fins below create an intimate, glowing “lantern,” acknowledging the need for a human-scaled response on the expansive site.
At the detail level, the design reimagines the 18th-century “ha-ha”—a sunken boundary historically used to keep livestock away from formal gardens—as a modern safety solution. A recessed guardrail concealed within a pollinator garden secures the cliff edge while preserving unobstructed river views.
The site’s topography challenged inclusivity; reshaping the site allows visitors of all mobilities to reach its apex. Additionally, the ha-ha approach to the site’s perimeter allows wheelchair users to experience stunning river views without the visual obstruction of a guardrail, ensuring equity in experience.
The project evolved through consultation with the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and Pikwàkanagàn First Nation. This directly informed the decision to recontextualize the Champlain and Scout statues, while elevating Indigenous narratives through renaming the site and storytelling through Indigenous art. For the community, the project converts a passive, inaccessible lookout into an active, inclusive gathering place, transforming a site of colonial memory into a shared future.
WINNER
KÌWEKÌ POINT
JANET ROSENBERG & STUDIO INC. (PRIME CONSULTANT AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT) AND PATKAU ARCHITECTS INC. (ARCHITECT)
Ottawa, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“The project stands out for the strength of its concept and the care in its detailing, from the sculpted cedar lookout to the subtle integration of safety, transforming a former colonial landmark into an inclusive, accessible public space.”
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR COMMENTS
“This project contains strong landscape-led sustainability emphasizing biodiversity, passive stormwater systems, material reuse, and long-term ecological resilience in lieu of operational energy metrics.”
Whispering Point
1 Emerging from the landscape at the site’s apex, Whispering Point cantilevers over the perimeter path offering a spectacular, unobstructed panorama of the Kichi Zībī (Ottawa River).
2 A contemporary “ha-ha” strengthens the connection to the Kichi Zībī, concealing a recessed guardrail within the planting to ensure safety while preserving unobstructed river views.
3 Acting as green infrastructure, the biodiverse perimeter planting absorbs excess rainwater from the middle of the park, reducing cliff erosion and relieving strain on the city’s stormwater system.
4 Beneath the cantilever, laminated yellow cedar fins create a warm, human-scaled shelter. Illuminated by the setting sun and uplighting, the wood glows at night, transforming the structure into an emblematic lantern visible from the city.
5 Stones from the former Champlain monument plinth were repurposed into a sunken seating area, literally deconstructing the pedestal to foster new conversations and dialogues.
6 A continuous 264m undulating concrete bench integrates circulation with seating. The central meadow enriches biodiversity with 150 new trees, 7,600 native plants, and 13,500 bulbs, providing habitat and seasonal interest.
1915–1918
Original monument
Erected in 1915 as a statue of Samuel de Champlain, the monument had an Anishinabe scout figure added in 1918 to acknowledge the role of the Indigenous peoples in guiding early European explorers.
Deconstruction
Samuel de Champlain
Originally positioned triumphantly atop a tall pillar, the statue of Samuel de Champlain was lowered and relocated to the meandering path, placing the explorer among the people rather than above them.
2025
Kichi Zībī Innini
That statue of the Anishinabe Scout, formerly positioned at Champlain’s feet, was renamed Kichi Zībī Innini (great River man) and reloacted to a prominent, standalone site overloking the river he once navigated
Whispering Point: Cultural resilience and recontextualization
The project engages in a broader conversation about social and cultural values by recontextualizing the site. The original design, following European traditions, established an urban landmark with a central hill topped by a statue of Samuel de Champlain. The renewed design erases this colonial geometry by reshaping the site’s topography to grow organically from the land, with a gentle rise toward the west. The project involved extensive consultation with stakeholders and First Nations. In response to this dialogue, the site’s monuments were reconsidered.
PROJECT
Kìwekì Point
LOCATION
Ottawa, Ontario
COMPLETION
2025
BUDGET
$45M
AREA
12,700 m² (1.27 hectares)
CLIENT
National Capital Commission (NCC)
ARCHITECT
Patkau Architects Inc.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND PRIME CONSULTANT
Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Greg Boothroyd, Roy Cloutier, Thomas Gaudin, Marc Holland, Edward Kin, Dimitri Koubatis, Heba Maleki, John Patkau, Patricia Patkau, David Shone
LANDSCAPE
Janet Rosenberg, Wayne Swanton, Nicholas Gosselin, Glenn Herman, Robert Beaudin, Bang Wang
STRUCTURAL
Blackwell Structural Engineers
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/CIVIL/GEOTECHNICAL
EXP
CONTRACTOR
Pomerleau
LIGHTING
Martin Conboy Lighting Design
HERITAGE & INTERPRETATION
ERA Architects
TRANSPORTATION CIMA+
IRRIGATION
Smart Watering Systems
SOUND AND WIND
Gradient Wind Engineering Inc.
ARCHITECTURAL FIELD REVIEW CONSULTANT
Provencher_Roy (previously GRC Architects)
DESIGN ASSIST FABRICATOR
Spearhead
PHOTOGRAPHY
doublespace (pgs. 34-36, 38)
Patkau Architects Inc. (pg. 3)
ILLUSTRATIONS
Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc
Patkau Architects Inc.
The Dining and Operations Centre blends a traditional collegiate model with a contemporary interpretation of local agrarian architecture. Spaces for living, learning, and socializing frame three sides of a central quad. Asymmetrical pitched roofs carve a striking silhouette against the landscape, while elongated façades with slender vertical glazing flood interiors with daylight and transform the building into a luminous beacon at night. Dark Shou Sugi Ban wood cladding adds a richly textured finish that echoes the site’s heritage. Inside, soaring sloped ceilings and an exposed timber structure continue the agrarian vernacular, creating warm, expansive spaces that invite both connection and community.
The Centre transforms the Koffler Scientific Reserve into a cohesive campus, replacing several outlying buildings. It honors its unique natural setting by occupying the footprint of three former barns, preserving habitats and natural topography. Without a built context, it aligns with cardinal coordinates to respond predictably to the sun. Large perimeter windows frame uninterrupted views of wetlands and forests, deep overhangs, and a continuous bench inside and out blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors and cultivate a deep connection with the land. Moreover, the building literally brings people together, strengthening the social dimensions of fieldwork through shared experience.
Sharply angled rooflines accommodate an array of south-facing solar panels, while precisely positioned sunshades welcome low winter light and shield interiors from harsh summer rays. A highly insulated, airtight envelope wraps the structure, and sloped ceilings collect warm air as it rises, which automated windows release as needed—a reinterpretation of traditional barn construction, where gaps between boards enable passive conditioning. Earth tube ventilation pre-conditions outdoor air underground, extending natural ventilation seasons, reducing heating and cooling loads, and even mitigating noise pollution.
Every gesture responds to history, climate, context, and program, resulting in a resilient, refined architecture deeply rooted in time and place.
WINNER
KOFFLER SCIENTIFIC RESERVE’S DINING AND OPERATIONS CENTRE
MONTGOMERY SISAM ARCHITECTS
King City, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“This project introduces a relevant typology for the agrarian campus. It demonstrates the synergy between the centre’s aims for ecological research and architecture’s role in modelling ecological principles through the calibration of form.”
SUSTAINABILITY
ADVISOR COMMENTS
“Exemplary performance with very low energy use intensity (EUI), strong passive strategies, renewable energy generation, and a clear alignment between program, climate, and low-carbon design.”
East elevation
West elevation
North elevation
South elevation
Building section
PROJECT
Koffler Scientific Reserve’s Dining and Operations Centre
LOCATION
King City, Ontario
COMPLETION 2025
BUDGET
$15.8M
BUILDING AREA
2,680 m² (28,860 ft2)
CLIENT University of Toronto
ARCHITECT
Montgomery Sisam Architects
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Robert Davies, Karine Quigley, Robert D’errico, Esther Cheng, Camelia Melchiori
STRUCTURAL
Blackwell
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Introba
LANDSCAPE
PMA
INTERIORS
Montgomery Sisam Architects
CONTRACTOR
Van Horne
SUSTAINABILITY
Introba
PHOTOGRAPHY doublespace
Simon Fraser University (SFU) sought to establish its first stand-alone art gallery to raise the profile of its collection, better accommodate its archives, and extend an invitation to the wider campus and community to its programming. The high-profile site and the building itself support these ambitions by emphasizing openness, connectivity, and integration with the surrounding natural landscape.
The SFU campus reflects the strong horizontal language of Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey. The Gibson honours this legacy through a linear one-storey composition with a long, free-flowing spine that gestures toward Strand Hall. The Gibson also reaches out to the neighbouring mixed-use community with a vision for cultural engagement.
This Class A gallery is conceived as a passageway that invites end-to-end movement with flexible gallery and lounge spaces providing an inclusive, resilient model for how cultural facilities can serve students, artists, and the public. Unusual for a university art gallery, the Gibson takes pride of place as a campus gateway. A bronze-sheathed entry pergola and fully glazed façade extend a welcoming embrace on the community-facing plaza. Conceived as a cultural thoroughfare, the building invites movement between two entrances at either end, connecting a transportation hub and the heart of the campus. In this way, the museum fosters unforced exposure to art and encourages casual interdisciplinary interaction.
In plan, the Gibson is composed of a series of independent structures—self-contained gallery “pods” held within the larger armature—allowing for curatorial and programmatic flexibility. A defining feature is the strategically located planting of 99 trees between and around the pods, which has established a living relationship between architecture and forest.
The LEED Gold-registered, all-electric facility features enhanced air-quality systems and controlled acoustics and provides generous daylighting throughout. Along the south façade, the university’s historic Ceremonial Walkway is now animated by gallery windows revealing art, teaching, and student life within. Its irregular, angular form extends boldly outward, creating a dynamic campus presence.
THE MARIANNE AND EDWARD GIBSON ART MUSEUM
HARIRI PONTARINI ARCHITECTS (DESIGN ARCHITECT) IN ASSOCIATION WITH IREDALE ARCHITECTURE (ARCHITECT OF RECORD)
Burnaby, British Columbia
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“An engaging sequence of uniquely configured daylit gallery and collaborative workspaces embedded with the landscape, creating distinct places of repose and reflection on art and nature.”
WINNER
SUSTAINABILITY
ADVISOR COMMENTS
“This has a strong embodied-carbon story (mass timber and all-electric on a lowcarbon grid) and meaningful ecological repair through site re-naturalization.”
PROJECT
The Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum
LOCATION
Burnaby, British Columbia
COMPLETION
2025
BUDGET
$21.3M
AREA
1,125 m² (12,100 ft2)
CLIENT
Simon Fraser University
ARCHITECT
Hariri Pontarini Architects (Design Architect) Iredale Architecture (Architect of Record)
Iredale Architecture: James Emery, Denis Gautier, Susanna Houwen, John Viera, Hayley Robbins, Tong Zheng, Ilya Dorakhau
STRUCTURAL
Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. (RJC)
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Introba
LANDSCAPE
Durante Kreuk
INTERIORS
Hariri Pontarini Architects
CONTRACTOR
Scott Construction Group
ENVELOPE
Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. (RJC)
ENERGY MODELLING
Scott Construction Group
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ema Peter
The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus West (SRIC) reimagines the research building as a vertical campus where discovery, enterprise, and public life converge.
Its flexible, loft-like interiors support shifting teams, evolving research models, and emerging partnerships. A continuous social circuit and multi-storey winter gardens counter the tendency toward insular research cultures, creating spaces for encounter and debate. A generous public ground plane and tapered civic form establish a new gateway to the University and the city. Durable materiality and long-life planning anchor innovation in permanence.
The design dissolves conventional boundaries between institutional and commercial research environments, creating a hybrid typology that supports academic inquiry alongside enterprise and venture activity. Urban height and shadow constraints are transformed into a continuous tapered form, challenging Toronto’s typical podium-and-tower condition with a singular civic mass.
The project occupies a pivotal site between Queen’s Park, the University of Toronto campus, and the MaRS Discovery District. Its tapered massing frames sightlines to the Provincial Legislature grounds, while respecting shadow and height constraints. The robust precast concrete façade, fabricated with locally sourced aggregate, establishes material continuity with Toronto’s masonry traditions while expressing contemporary craft and precision.
The project’s green roofs restore impervious areas, provide habitat, and reduce urban heat island effects, while rain gardens and on-site stormwater retention systems manage runoff and local water cycles. A high-performance building envelope, radiant in-floor heating and cooling, daylight-responsive lighting, and low-emitting materials reduce operational energy demand.
As the University’s first commercial property and landlord-led venture, the project programming allows for proximity between academic institutes, venture partners, and public-facing spaces without compromising focused inquiry or intellectual property needs.
SCHWARTZ REISMAN INNOVATION CAMPUS WEST, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
WEISS/MANFREDI ARCHITECTURE/ LANDSCAPE/URBANISM (DESIGN ARCHITECT) AND TEEPLE ARCHITECTS (ARCHITECT OF RECORD; NOW TEEPLE ARCHITECTS CANADA INC.)
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A creative urban design response that strongly and more convincingly relates to its context than the conventional and default podium and tower solution. Flexible floorplates with sectional connectivity between them, as well as outdoor terraces at various strategic points in the building, provide opportunities for casual, serendipitous interaction and collaboration – essential for innovation.”
WINNER
Younes Bounhar
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR COMMENTS “The
PROJECT
Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, University of Toronto
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION
2024
BUDGET
Withheld
AREA
1,727 m² (185,900 ft2)
CLIENT
University of Toronto
ARCHITECTS
Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/ Urbanism (Design Architect) and Teeple Architects (Architect of Record; now Teeple Architects Canada Inc.)
PROJECT TEAM
Weiss/Manfredi: Marion Weiss, Michael Manfredi, Matthew Ferraro, Mike Harshman, Paúl Duston-Muñoz, Clarissa Luwia, Nash Waters, Lee Lim, Sergio Saucedo, Andreas Hausler, Catherine Qi, Heather McArthur, Jackie Krasnokutskaya, Madison Butler, Mark Jongman-Sereno.
Teeple Architects: Chris Radigan, Richard Lai, Wes Wilson, Stephen Teeple, Robert Cheung, Darryl Biedron, Iman Johnson, Yasser Raees, Advi Ahmadi, Richard Lam, Kiera Hughston, Aidan Mitchelmore
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
EllisDon
STRUCTURAL
Thornton Tomasetti
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Crossey Engineering Ltd (MEP/FP/IT/Security)
CIVIL
Cole Engineering Group Ltd
LANDSCAPE
DTAH
INTERIORS
Weiss/Manfredi
CONTRACTOR
EllisDon
SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT
Atelier Ten, RJC
ENVELOPE CONSULTANT
Heintges & Associates
ACOUSTICS
NOVUS Environmental
LIGHTING
Lighting Workshop
PLANNING
Bousfields Inc.
HERITAGE
ERA Architects Inc.
TRAFFIC
BA Consulting Group Ltd.
CODE
LMDG Building Code Consultants Ltd.
COMMISSIONING
RWDI
GEOTECHNICAL
OHE Consultants
COST ESTIMATING
Hanscomb
VERTICAL TRANSPORT
Van Deusen & Associates
ENVELOPE ACCESS
Probel
WIND
SLR Consulting
PHOTOGRAPHY
Albert Vecerka
Nic Lehoux
Younes Bounhar
Albert Vecerka
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) was formed to enhance the region’s natural environment, protect lands, water, and communities from the impacts of extreme weather events across nine watersheds and the Lake Ontario shoreline. The project site is located on the edge of Black Creek Ravine, where TRCA’s objective was to create a tangible exemplar for sustainable development in the sensitive ravine transition zone over which they hold stewardship.
The brief for the TRCA Headquarters was to create a workplace that would facilitate public engagement as well as interdisciplinary science-based work, in response to its mission of conserving, restoring, and managing natural resources. The design team has created a workplace for TRCA embedded in the natural environment of the ravine trees, crafted of mass timber echoing its setting. The presence of water is made visible in the project’s “waterwalls”: full-height “glass ducts” within which water flows vertically and is visible from most parts of the building. The sight and sound of the waterwalls evoke the primary purpose of TRCA: the protection of Toronto’s watersheds.
The building accommodates over 400 staff with public interfacing spaces, rising to four storeys from the top of the ravine edge. Open atria allow daylight to penetrate deep into the floor plate while facilitating natural ventilation, providing a path for exhaust air flow through solar chimneys. A generous open-plan working environment offers diverse work settings for various types of work and groupings. The building is designed for adaptability, durability, flexibility, supporting long-term use, and future resiliency
Acting as an extension of its landscape setting, it integrates with the existing natural systems to minimize its impact on the land. Rainwater is directed into rain gardens, visible features in the landscape that offer amenity value. The overall design promotes openness and accessibility for all, prioritising cycling, pedestrian, and public transport use.
TORONTO AND REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY HEADQUARTERS
BUCHOLZ MCEVOY ARCHITECTS AND ZAS ARCHITECTS INC.
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“This project embeds sustainability into its DNA, but also puts it on display in a very public and engaging manner. Children and adults alike are fascinated and entranced by the water wells. It sets a new benchmark for ambitious sustainable design within the City of Toronto.”
WINNER
SUSTAINABILITY
ADVISOR COMMENTS
“This building offers a strong, coherent “buildingas-demonstrator” narrative with credible performance reporting and a clear embodied-carbon strategy. The environmental systems are architecturally legible (atria ‘lungs,’ solar chimneys, waterwalls tied to geothermal) and materially aligned with wellness and long-life adaptability.”
PROJECT
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Headquarters
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION
2025
BUDGET
Withheld
AREA
8,257 m² (88,900 ft2)
CLIENT
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
ARCHITECTS
Bucholz McEvoy Architects + ZAS Architects Inc.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Bucholz McEvoy Architects: Karen McEvoy, Merritt Bucholz, Diane Harrington. ZAS Architects : Marek Zawadzki, Andrzej Gortat, Carmine Canonaco
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
RJC
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
Introba
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS
MBii
CLIMATE ENGINEERS
Transsolar
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Schollen and Company
CIVIL ENGINEERS
TYLin
CONTRACTOR
Eastern Construction
PHOTOGRAPHY
Michael Moran
This project involved the conversion of a portion of a closed grocery store in a suburban shopping mall into an expanded neighbourhood branch library, creating a welcoming entrance from inside the Bridlewood Mall. The Toronto Public Library’s Bridlewood Branch boasts an improved exterior frontage through the reconstruction of the exterior wall to incorporate branding, signage, lighting, increased exposure, views, and a new entrance directly into the library from the parking lot. The design creates a variety of adaptable spaces to accommodate collections, study and lounge seating, and the staff work areas that serve to support the services and programs offered.
The exterior storefront is a testament to environmentally responsible design: the vertical solar panel installation, with integral programmable LEDs, creates a visual reference to rows of books by day and opens up into a Northern Lights dreamscape at night. The interior is inspired by great spaces of historic libraries and community history, creating a unique and relevant expression for this neighbourhood. The expanded library provides needed space for a Youth Hub for neighbourhood teens, more programs for seniors, a Computer Learning Centre, a Virtual Interview Room for job-seekers, a KidsStop Early Literacy Centre in the Children’s Area, and a secure exterior Reading Garden for children as well as for other library functions and events.
Interior demolition was minimized where possible; new sinks and washrooms were placed where it was possible to reuse existing plumbing lines and drains. The exterior exposed steel structure to support solar arrays was left with a shop-applied galvanized finish. The existing terrazzo flooring was restored instead of replaced.
The project establishes a benchmark for revitalizing an unremarkable building façade into a high-functioning, technologically innovative, and artistic design for the community.
TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY BRIDLEWOOD BRANCH
KEN FUKUSHIMA ARCHITECTURE IN ASSOCIATION WITH DAVID FUJIWARA ARCHITECT
Toronto, Ontario WINNER
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“An imaginative example of a sustainability strategy that uses vertical solar panels as a primary design tool to create an identifiable, visually striking, and powerful transformation of a banal shopping centre into an attractive library hub.”
SUSTAINABILITY
ADVISOR COMMENTS
“This project offers a strong adaptive-reuse case with its clear operational energy improvement and thoughtful envelope upgrades within leasehold constraints. The PV façade is a compelling civic and educational gesture.”
PROJECT
Toronto Public Library — Bridlewood Branch
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION
2024
BUDGET
Withheld
AREA
1,748 m² (18,800 ft2)
CLIENT
Toronto Public Library
ARCHITECTS
Ken Fukushima Architecture in association with David Fujiwara Architect
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Ken Fukushima Architecture: Ken Fukushima, Jim Hurtubise, Luciana Woodward, Valentina Jaimez.
David Fujiwara Architect: David Fujiwara, Onat Kavakli
STRUCTURAL
LEA Consulting Ltd., Shahe Sagharian
MECHANICAL
Skybuild Energy Inc., Ravi Konat
ELECTRICAL
G.R. & Associates Inc., Ghassan Sadek
LANDSCAPE
David Fujiwara Architect
INTERIORS
Ken Fukushima Architecture
CONTRACTOR
BDA Inc.
PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY
Morgan Solar
EXTERIOR LED LIGHTING
Urban Visuals
PHOTOGRAPHY doublespace
Ulster House exemplifies how multiplexes and single-family homes can co-exist harmoniously, and offers a replicable model for gentle density in established neighbourhoods. Such locations are ideally suited for higher-density urban living, having existing infrastructure and essential services within a walkable and tightknit urban fabric that fosters social relationships and a shared identity. Currently, the predominant model for new housing delivery in Toronto is the “tall and sprawl” approach, which sees a high volume of residential development concentrated in specific areas and the rest spread out into the underdeveloped outlying areas. The environmental impact of this approach is well documented: modern towers are carbon-intensive in their construction, composition, and operation, and are often victim to poor maintenance, reducing the lifespan of materials. Ulster House demonstrates an alternative approach that creates more sustainable, liveable, and socially vibrant housing options.
Ulster House comprises five condominiums, offering adaptable unit layouts, shared and private outdoor spaces, and the domestic experience of a traditional house, contained within a three-story building and laneway house. The two buildings are carefully scaled to resemble a typical home and garage, and the modulated terracotta shingles are a contemporary interpretation of the predominant brick vernacular that soften the building’s massing through light and shadow. By adding additional dwellings to a walkable, amenity-rich area, the project demonstrates how multiplexes can support neighbourhood vitality, increase foot traffic for local businesses, promote transit use, and create more affordable options for young families. Expanded landscape areas and a shared accessible courtyard foster further social interaction and community building.
The Ulster House landscape reimagines the conventional garden as a layered and resilient ecosystem. Native planting with layered understory, canopy, and edible ground cover supports pollinators while boosting resilience to local flood and drought conditions.
The Ulster House project is proof of the viability of gentle neighbourhood density, highlighting the importance of addressing limitations in policy and using design as a tool to guide our cities toward better futures.
ULSTER HOUSE
LGA ARCHITECTURAL PARTNERS LTD.
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A great model for the multiplex, Toronto’s emerging typology, it creates a diversity of units for various inhabitants without compromising spatial qualities. That is a feat, given the constrained footprint. It allows us to imagine an optimistic future for Toronto’s yellow belt.”
WINNER
1 Kitchen A 2 Living/Dining A
3 Bedroom A1
4 Bedroom A2
5 Bathroom A 6 Mechanical Room
Foyer B
Photovoltaic Array
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR COMMENTS
“All-electric systems with on-site PV and a low-carbon structural approach are well-aligned with practical decarbonization in small residential.”
PROJECT
Ulster House
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
BUILDING AREA
377 m² (4,058 ft²)
BUDGET
$4.85M
COMPLETION
2024
CLIENT
Janna Levitt and Dean Goodman
ARCHITECT
LGA Architectural Partners Ltd.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Janna Levitt, Dean Goodman, Kara Burman, Andria Fong, Megan Cassidy, Joshua Giovinazzo
STRUCTURAL
Blackwell Structural Engineers
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
RDZ Engineers Ltd.
CIVIL
Blue Grove Engineering Group Inc.
CONTRACTOR
Desar Construction Studio inc.
NATIVE PLANT CONSULTANT
Lorraine Johnson
BUILDING CODE CONSULTANT
David Hine Engineering Inc.
ACOUSTICS
Thornton Tomasetti
PHOTOGRAPHY
doublespace
DESIGN EXCELLENCE FINALISTS
Situated near Bloor and Spadina, 225 Brunswick Avenue is an adaptive reuse of a storied building in the heart of Toronto. Built circa 1910, 225 Brunswick served as a church, synagogue, and art school before becoming an office in the 1980s. The project created seven new apartments within the footprint of the existing walls.
The design team transformed the property into apartments that have maximized density while blending into the existing fabric of a small-scale residential neighbourhood. The existing building sat over the property lines on all sides, so the only way to increase density and make the project viable was to add to the building vertically. Through careful interlocking and coordination, each unit is two storeys, with direct street access and natural light at a minimum of two sources. The double-height living rooms recall the building’s original airy worship space.
The design team maintained the original roofline and rhythm of the existing façade while adding 1.5 storeys in keeping with the massing of adjacent houses. The fenestration is concentrated on the south elevation and minimized on the north to reduce heat loss. All of the windows and doors are aluminumcapped wood frames, sourced domestically. For sustainability, the walls and roofs are insulated with closed-cell spray foam to achieve high R-values and the tightest possible air seal on the interior of the existing brick walls. The building’s systems are all electric, include air source heat pumps and water tanks.
The electrical, gas, water, and communication services were all accommodated in the northwest corner of the property so that the boulevard areas could be dedicated to walk-out gardens for each of the lower units. The result is a reciprocal space which connects to the public realm while maintaining a sense of privacy. 225 Brunswick is a restored neighbourhood landmark that strengthens the urban fabric by reinvigorating social networks through a deeper physical connection.
225 BRUNSWICK
SUULIN ARCHITECTS INC. (NOW SUULIN INC.)
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“Thoughtful reuse of an existing building to create high-quality multi-unit housing through gentle densification, wellintegrated into a historic neighbourhood.”
FINALIST
PROJECT 225 Brunswick
LOCATION Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION 2025
BUDGET Withheld AREA
790 m2 (8,500 ft2)
CLIENT Kopas Developments
ARCHITECT
Suulin Architects Inc. (now Suulin Inc.)
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Amy Lin, James Chavel, Valerie Arthur
STRUCTURAL
Blackwell Structural Engineers
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
BK Consulting
LANDSCAPE
Suulin Architects Inc. (now Suulin Inc.)
INTERIORS
Suulin Architects
CONTRACTOR
Oben Build
HERITAGE
ERA Architects
PHOTOGRAPHER
Scott Norsworthy
Belfountain House is an adaptive reuse and expansion of a 1970s chalet into a four-level residence embedded within a steep escarpment. Reimagined for a family of four, the project unfolds longitudinally along the slope through selective retention of the existing structure and a reorganization of program and circulation. The project translates the intellectual and creative practices of the clients—a philosopher and an artist—with an architectural framework that also supports family life.
The building design responds to the Niagara Escarpment; its compact, elongated massing aligns with the slope to minimize excavation and envelope area. The elongated roof traces the slope, mediating between ground and canopy while minimizing visual disruption within the densely forested terrain. A highly insulated roof assembly, continuous insulation, airtight construction, and high-performance envelopes substantially reduce heating and cooling demand in a cold-climate context.
Situated adjacent to a ski resort, the house engages a landscape defined by movement and gradient rather than fixed views. The adjacent forest operates as an active condition, shaping light, privacy, and seasonal perception. Radiant concrete floors enable efficient low-temperature heating, while forestfiltered daylighting and operable glazing support visual comfort, natural ventilation, and reduced reliance on artificial lighting and mechanical cooling.
Circulation serves as the primary ordering device, producing sequences of compression and release, ascent and descent through which the escarpment is experienced. A clear hierarchy between shared and private spaces organizes domestic life, while framed views, varied thresholds, and sectional shifts strengthen interior-exterior relationships.
Structure functions as both concept and technique, with angled steel members resolving forces while establishing an oblique counter-order within the wood framework.
Elements such as the suspended net define the space between occupation and boundary, allowing play, rest, and observation to coexist within a single architectural element.
FINALIST
BELFOUNTAIN HOUSE
UUFIE INC.
Belfountain, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A playful and surprising extension to a cottage embeds itself in the land, opens up striking views to the landscape, upending all expectations of a home in a delightful way.”
PROJECT
Belfountain House
LOCATION
Belfountain, Ontario
COMPLETION
2025
BUDGET Withheld
AREA
238 m² (2,560 ft2)
CLIENTS
Joanie Ellen, Alex Klein
ARCHITECT
UUFIE Inc.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Irene Gardpoit, Eiri Ota
STRUCTURAL
Moses Structural Engineers
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Hayward Consulting & Design
LANDSCAPE
UUfie, Bonnie Hicks
INTERIORS
UUfie
CONTRACTOR North Arrow Limited
CONSULTANTS
Rope + Cable Canada
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ema Peter
Located within Mississauga’s civic heart beside City Hall and Celebration Square, the project comprises the complete interior renovation of all five floors of the existing Hazel McCallion Central Library and the addition of a 5,000 sq. ft. glazed rooftop reading lounge. Work included redefining interior geometries, opening floor plates, connecting two atria, introducing new program spaces (including maker studios, event and learning environments, community and administrative facilities), and revitalizing key exterior elements to enhance light, access, and civic presence.
The design establishes a new language within a postmodern framework, reshaping two heavy atria into bright cylindrical volumes that visually and spatially unify the building. Perforated acoustic skins, suspended felt clouds, contemporary lighting, and flowing geometries create legibility, warmth, and coherence. “Glowing” glazed additions reinterpret the exterior through a dialogue between original postmodern mass and new minimal interventions, while interior reorganization introduces intuitive wayfinding, vibrant colour identity, and flexible spaces supporting new modes of learning, creativity, and community use.
The project supports Mississauga Public Library’s broad civic, cultural, and administrative mandate. A formerly underperforming facility is now transformed into a highly flexible public resource that accommodates new technologies, creative production, learning, community programming, outreach services, and system-wide library administration. Clear organization, intuitive wayfinding, and renewed identity have improved the user experience and operational efficiency. Delivered at an exceptional value of approximately $200 per square foot, the project also demonstrates responsible stewardship of public resources.
The revitalized library strengthens the surrounding urban precinct. Subtle exterior interventions enhance presence and accessibility, while new transparent additions connect interior life to the surrounding city. Internal spaces that had been previously dark, and compartmentalized are now opened to light, views, and community activity. By re-energizing a major public landmark, the project repositions the library as a welcoming cultural hub and social connector, reinforcing community identity and participation.
FINALIST
HAZEL MCCALLION CENTRAL LIBRARY
RDH ARCHITECTS INC.
Mississauga, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“The reimagining of a somewhat tired and confusing postmodern building into a renewed, generously daylit, and more welcoming structure both inside and out, appropriately suited to its important civic site.”
PROJECT
Hazel McCallion Central Library
LOCATION
Mississauga, Ontario
COMPLETION
2024
BUDGET $39M
AREA 14,000 m² (150,000 ft2)
CLIENT City of Mississauga
ARCHITECT
RDH Architects Inc.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Tyler Sharp, Bob Goyeche, Sanjoy Pal, Jessica Hoang Chen, mJuan Cabalero, Patrick Liu, Tori Hamatini
STRUCTURAL
LEA Engineering Inc.
MECHANICAL
MCW Consultants Ltd.
ELECTRICAL
MCW Consultants Ltd.
LANDSCAPE
NAK Design Strategies
INTERIORS
RDHA
CONTRACTOR
Aquicon Consulting
CODE CONSULTANTS
LRI Engineering Inc.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tom Arban
This project is a comprehensive landscape, infrastructure, and campus-planning project encompassing 17 acres at the heart of University of Toronto’s St. George Campus. The scope included the redesign of four historic precincts: King’s College Circle, Hart House Circle, Sir Daniel Wilson Quad, and the Back Campus Fields, along with the removal of surface parking, construction of below-grade parking, and creation of a pedestrianized campus core.
Landscape of Landmark Quality advances a systemsbased approach that unites landscape, infrastructure, and climate strategy within a sensitive heritage setting. By removing surface parking and consolidating vehicles below grade, the project restores permeable landscapes, reduces heat-island effects, and minimizes disruption to the historic campus. A large-scale geo-exchange system significantly lowers dependence on fossil fuels by providing low-carbon heating to existing buildings, forming a critical component of the University of Toronto’s climate strategy. Newly permeable landscapes and intensive planting enhance biodiversity, stormwater absorption, and air quality. Below grade, the garage and pavilion incorporate natural daylight, durable low-impact materials, and high indoor air quality standards. Integrated bioswales, engineered soils, and tailored irrigation strategies support healthy plant growth. More than 90 new gardens were introduced, comprising tens of thousands of perennials and bulbs, hundreds of trees and shrubs, and a diverse palette of native and climate-adapted species. These landscapes function as carbon sinks, pollinator habitats, and microclimate regulators, providing shade, cooling, and seasonal interest throughout the year. Integrated bioswales, engineered soils, and tailored irrigation strategies support healthy plant growth while improving water efficiency and resilience to increasingly intense rainfall events associated with climate change.
The Landscape of Landmark Quality project reinforces the campus’s role as a shared civic realm for the university and the city. By removing vehicles and prioritizing pedestrians, the project reconnects academic buildings, residences, and cultural institutions through a continuous, accessible landscape.
FINALIST
LANDSCAPE OF LANDMARK QUALITY, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
KPMB ARCHITECTS |
MICHAEL VAN VALKENBURGH ASSOCIATES, INC.
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“This is an excellent example of a significant infrastructure and landscape project that demonstrates equal care and attention to small scaled, individual placemaking as it does to its large, well-crafted communal public spaces that define a campus and its place in the city.”
PROJECT
Landscape of Landmark Quality, University of Toronto
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION
2024
BUDGET
Withheld
PROJECT SITE AREA
68,800 m² (17 acres)
CLIENT
University of Toronto
ARCHITECTS
KPMB Architects | Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.
DESIGN TEAM
(KPMB) Shirley Blumberg, Goran Milosevic, Olga Pushkar, Brian Melcher, Nick Jones. (MVVA) Michael Van Valkenburgh, A. Paul Seck, Adrienne Heflich, Peter Arato, Stefan Herda, James Lynch, Andy Wisniewski.
STRUCTURAL
Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
MECHANICAL AND GEOTHERMAL
Crossey Engineering Ltd.
ELECTRICAL
Mulvey & Banani International Inc.
LANDSCAPE
Michael Van Valkenburgh
CIVIL
SCS
HERITAGE
ERA Architects
TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC
BA Consulting Group Ltd.
LIGHTING DESIGN
Tillotson Design Associates
WAYFINDING AND SIGNAGE
Bhandari & Plater Inc.
QUANTITY SURVEYORS
Turner & Townsend
CODE & ACCESSIBILITY
LRI
SOIL SCIENCE
Craul Land Scientists
IRRIGATION DESIGN
WC3 Design
LANDSCAPE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
LERA
PHOTOGRAPHY
Salina Kassam
Tom Ridout
Salina Kassam
The Niagara Falls Exchange is a flexible cultural hub that supports the local creative and agricultural community. Located in an area that has recently suffered from a lack of investment, the Exchange supports the City’s desire for cultural intensification within the district.
The project includes a culture and market hall, café, artist studios, woodworking workshop, and public washrooms, framed by two multi-use civic plazas. Adjacent to the Niagara Falls History Museum, the site design emphasizes an accessible public realm with durable, adaptable indoor and outdoor spaces. The two halves of the building, known as the Studio Building and Market Hall, use a shared palette of wood, steel, and concrete. Their exposed steel and cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure supports a sawtooth roof profile inspired by the city’s industrial heritage.
Designed for efficiency and climate resiliency, the project is inspired by wide-span industrial buildings whose uses can evolve over time. The Market Hall is designed to operate thermally as a separate building to permit its HVAC systems to be shut off and the building to be opened to the exterior plaza in good weather. Its broad scale supports farmers’ and craft markets, theatre set construction, and performance events, with integrated acoustic, AV, and infrastructure supports. Exposed steel, CLT, and spiral ductwork create an industrial character, while the sawtooth roof brings north light and positions south-facing slopes optimally for a future photovoltaic array. The material palette of wood, concrete, and steel is simple and durable, without applied finishes.
The Niagara Falls Exchange offers the local population a consolidated facility in which to expand existing arts festivals, create new events, and nurture the city’s next generation of cultural leaders. The project demonstrates how a simple material palette, adaptable design, and operational efficiency can create a gathering place that will reinvigorate the city’s cultural scene as well as the local economy.
FINALIST
NIAGARA FALLS EXCHANGE
DTAH ARCHITECTS LIMITED
Niagara Falls, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“This project delivers where needed most—the providing of versatile and robust spaces for community use, artists, and gathering. It adds to the social fabric.”
PROJECT
Niagara Falls Exchange
LOCATION
Niagara Falls, Ontario
COMPLETION 2024
BUDGET $14.8M
AREA
1,951 m² (21,000 ft2)
CLIENT City of Niagara Falls
ARCHITECT
DTAH Architects Limited
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Megan Torza (Partner in Charge), Charles Mackintosh, Nadia Pulez, Alistair Vaz
STRUCTURAL
Faet Lab
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Introba
LANDSCAPE DTAH
CIVIL
WalterFedy
INTERIORS DTAH
CONTRACTOR
Garritano Brothers Ltd.
SIGNAGE AND WAYFINDING Entro
ARCHAEOLOGY
ASI
PHOTOGRAPHY Scott Norsworthy
Red Lane Housing is an adaptive re-use of existing grade-related parking space under a four-storey apartment building. The adjacent exterior space was a paved surface. The project included remediation of salt-corroded steel columns, a new façade to enclose the under-building space, creation of four studio and one-bedroom residential units, and transformation of the exterior pavement into a central green space and pedestrian laneway.
The project stands in an East Toronto neighbourhood of orthogonal streets and blocks. Unlike the typical street-facing residential doorways on the rest of the block, it introduces dwelling units with entrances arranged along a pedestrian laneway/pathway running from the street to midblock. The pathway and adjacent green space encourage resident interaction and community building.
Red Lane Housing retains the structure, foundation, and envelope of the previous building, saving the embodied carbon in concrete, steel, and other materials; and avoiding emissions from demolition and new material production. Any new plumbing was located to make use of existing service connections; and existing cast iron sanitary stacks were inspected and retained where feasible. The architects specified readily available building materials and off-the-shelf components to keep costs down while achieving a high quality for the finished project.
The existing blocky circa-1955 building, described by the design team as “remarkably unremarkable,” was conceived during the wave of modern no-nonsense housing that swept through Toronto immediately after the Second World War. This project uses a variety of textures and a bold red palette referencing the existing brick colour; and a panel system echoing the rhythms of existing windows. It demonstrates that a small modest-budget project can introduce a fresh urban typology to a residential neighbourhood, that respects the existing built landscape, provides new rental housing, and helps build community.
FINALIST
RED LANE HOUSING
STEVEN FONG ARCHITECT (NOW STEVEN FONG ARCHITECTURE INC.) IN COLLABORATION WITH ONE:1 DESIGNS
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“An unexpected adaptive reuse, the project transforms underutilized garage space into muchneeded housing through a smart, modest intervention that balances environmental responsibility and a thoughtful approach to making the most of what was already there.”
Site/Volume
Existing/Context
Proposal/Retrofit
PROJECT
Red Lane Housing
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION
2025
BUDGET
Withheld
AREA
175 m² (1,884 ft2)
CLIENT Brayden Irwin
ARCHITECTS
Steven Fong Architect (now Steven Fong Architecture Inc.) in collaboration with ONE:1 Designs
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Steven Fong Architecture: Steven Fong, Yukun Bai, Jannace Bond, Jennifer Nguyen. ONE:1 Designs: Suhaib Arnaoot, Dakota Wares-Tani
STRUCTURAL
Kieffer Structural Engineering
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Ara Engineering
LANDSCAPE
Steven Fong Architect (now Steven Fong Architecture Inc.) in collaboration with ONE:1 Designs
INTERIORS
Steven Fong Architect (now Steven Fong Architecture Inc.) in collaboration with ONE:1 Designs
CONTRACTOR
TruGrp
PHOTOGRAPHY
Rémi Carreiro
Driven by urgent seismic and climate-resilience needs of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus, the MacLeod Renewal project transforms an end-of-life building into a high-performance facility.
Completed in 1963 by Vancouver’s Thompson, Berwick & Pratt, the existing building was a modest but valued example of International Style Modernism, de ned by an expressed structural grid. The new precast façade expresses the underlying structure, offering a contemporary re-interpretation rather than replica. Panel proportions and modularization were calibrated for ef cient fabrication, transport, and installation, controlling costs and reducing embodied carbon. Increased solid-to-glazing ratio and integrated shading improve thermal performance while respecting the rhythm and discipline of the original design. The project is an essentially entirely new facility at the facility’s 60-year mark, while retaining 73 per cent of the existing concrete structure.
Although it did not alter the building’s form, the MacLeod project has fundamentally transformed both the performance and experience of the existing building. Housing the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, MacLeod is prominently located along UBC’s Main Mall. However, the existing building faced inward, with an obscured and inaccessible main entrance raised nearly a storey above grade. The renewal relocated the entrance and main oor to the lowest level, introducing a visible and universally accessible entry directly connected to the Mall.
Envelope replacement contributed substantially to overall building performance. Energy modelling, building science assessment, and seismic assessment demonstrated that full replacement offered the greatest life-cycle value when combined with MEP renewal and maximization of passive energy savings. The new locally fabricated precast envelope is fully exteriorinsulated, providing a bene cial thermal mass, and incorporates a faceted geometry that delivers measurable solar-shading bene ts.
By addressing seismic, climate, and programmatic transformation with a disciplined and expressive design response, the project establishes architectural renewal as a credible alternative to replacement.
FINALIST
UBC MACLEOD BUILDING RENEWAL
TEEPLE ARCHITECTS (DESIGN ARCHITECT; NOW TEEPLE ARCHITECTS CANADA INC.) AND PROSCENIUM ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS (ARCHITECT OF RECORD)
Vancouver, British Columbia
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A strong example of a successful sustainability strategy for transforming the facade of an historically significant building to a more energy-efficient and attractive interior environment.”
PROJECT
UBC MacLeod Building Renewal
LOCATION
Musqueam Traditional Territory, Vancouver, British Columbia
COMPLETION
2022
BUDGET
$37.8M
AREA
7,282 m² (78,382 ft2)
CLIENT
The University of British Columbia
ARCHITECTS
Teeple Architects (Design Architect; now Teeple Architects Canada Inc.) and Proscenium Architecture + Interiors (Architect of Record)
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Teeple Architects: Stephen Teeple, Avery Guthrie, Myles Craig, Robert Cheung, Peter Fortune, Aidan Ferris, Brent Haynes, Miriam Wiggins.
Proscenium Architecture + Interiors: Kori Chan, Ben Nielsen, James Bligh, Alissa Foss, Matthew Kurnicki, Pamela Troyer, Teague Shinkewski
STRUCTURAL
Weiler Smith Bowers (WSB)
MECHANICAL
AME Group
ELECTRICAL
Applied Engineering Solutions (AES)
LANDSCAPE
PFS Studio
CONTRACTOR
Heatherbrae Builders
BUILDING CODE
LMDG
BUILDING ENVELOPE
RJC Engineers
SUSTAINABILITY / LEED
CIMA+ (Previously Recollective)
ACOUSTICS
RWDI
ENERGY MODELLING
AME Group
PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Latreille
Designated a National Historic Site, Union Station had fallen into a state of disrepair and was struggling with the transition from a national railway station originally built for 40,000 passengers into a regional commuter hub for 65 million travellers annually. A revitalization plan was launched to expand and modernize the circulation network throughout the station to enhance commuter traffic flow, restore the Beaux-Arts heritage building, and transform the site into a retail destination through the repurposing of existing space and creation of new spaces. Throughout the 12-year construction period, the station remained fully operational.
The daring structural approach was an enormous excavation 13 feet below the basement—shoring, cutting and extending each column to create an expansive new concourse space and GO passenger mezzanine—without interrupting rail operations or diminishing architectural character. This intervention unlocked space within the heritage envelope, introduced new amenities, and reframed the station as a vibrant public destination rather than a pass-through space.
Union Station fed an enormous population into the heart of the city every day but struggled with fragmented circulation routes and limited public open space. The revitalization reconfigured the site to strengthen connections between the station and the city. The design consolidated multiple circulation layers, expanded waiting areas, reorganized program adjacencies, and created a unified spatial framework that serves rail passengers, subway users, airport travellers, and the surrounding downtown workforce. The Great Hall, one of the most significant arrival spaces in Canada, was previously excluded from the GO passenger’s experience. It is now a key part of this interconnected pedestrian system.
The revitalization has doubled passenger capacity, restored the decaying heritage landmark, and transformed the station into an exciting retail destination. It has reinforced the grand spaces of the historic train station and expanded the pedestrian network with new spaces in the same spirit.
FINALIST
UNION STATION REVITALIZATION
NORR ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS LTD. IN COLLABORATION WITH EVOQ ARCHITECTURE (HERITAGE ARCHITECT)
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A remarkable transformation, this project turns a struggling historic station into a welcoming, high-capacity hub that improves the daily experience of millions while celebrating its Beaux-Arts heritage and reinforcing the civic and environmental value of public transit.”
PROJECT
Union Station Revitalization
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION
2023
BUDGET
$824M
AREA
86,9573 m² (936,000 ft2)
CLIENT City of Toronto
ARCHITECT(S) OF RECORD
NORR Architects & Engineers Ltd. in collaboration with EVOQ Architecture (Heritage Architect)
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Silvio Baldassarra,David Clusiau, David Barrington, Hadi Khouzam, Nick Bogut, Kenneth Brooks, Jaunita Dielschneider, Chris Hughes, Susan Japay, Chul Kim, Lauris Kuksis, Lorimer Lara, Liudmila Legge, Andrew Majewski, Ky Maruyama, Joe Moro , Valdimar Nickel, Paul Noskiewicz, Sarah Saleh, Adrian Sarbu, Sophia Stefanovski
HERITAGE ARCHITECT
EVOQ Architecture, Dima Cook, Catherine Fanous, Georges Drolet, Julia Gersovitz O.C., Giovanni (John) Diodati
Located at the corner of Sunset and University Avenues, the University of Windsor’s Ron W. Ianni building is a significant entry marker for the campus. It has been transformed from an aging, outdated Brutalist introvert, into a light-filled, social, and accessible learning space.
The revitalization of the 50-year-old structure focuses on creating open collaborative spaces to deliver flexible learning and support new pedagogies. Mechanical, electrical, and information technology systems have been renewed to create a fresh interior environment. The Brutalist features of the original building are retained and honoured, as the heart of the school is created anew.
New openings in the façade provide views to the Detroit River and the Ambassador Bridge. Existing skylights and glazing have been leveraged to brighten the interior and transform the building into an open and outward-looking school. The law library’s two existing skylights draw in natural light and visually interconnect all three floors for the first time. Generous and strategic daylighting improves faculty and student wellness, while reducing energy costs.
Interior spaces have been reconfigured in such a way that even with no increase in building area, the number of classrooms increased by 22 per cent and seating capacity by 50 per cent. Interconnected student lounges and collaboration zones serve the classrooms, and an enhanced Moot Court replicates court proceedings for the students.
The original ventilation system that formerly dominated the heart of the building has now been relocated to the roof and has been replaced with a bright, student-centred hub, featuring a collaborative space and high-tech meeting rooms. This respectful renovation project harmonizes tradition, accessibility, and contemporary functionality, creating a model for the future of legal education.
FINALIST
UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR LAW TRANSFORMATION
DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH DI MAIO DESIGN ASSOCIATES | ARCHITECT INCORPORATED
Windsor, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A strong plan and sectional response to a dark and difficult Brutalist building create clearer circulation and connectivity to a new sequence of attractive, daylit, collaborative, and socially engaging spaces for students and staff.”
Tom Arban
PROJECT
University of Windsor Law Transformation
LOCATION
Windsor, Ontario
COMPLETION
2023
BUDGET
$25M
BUILDING AREA
7,800 m² (84,000 ft2)
CLIENT
University of Windsor
ARCHITECT
Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Di Maio Design Associates/Architect
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Diamond Schmitt: Duncan Higgins, Donald Schmitt, Tristan Crawford, Cesar Franco Hurtado, Dan Gallivan, Laura Hutchinson, Minwoo Lee, Christiano Mahler, Patricia Marin Arraiza, Charbel Nassif, Eva Sanllehi Ortin, Ayat Taheri, Cameron Turvey, Amanda van Amelsfort, Erny Wong, Robin Zhao
Di Maio Design: Michael Di Maio, Joshua Palmer
STRUCTURAL
VanBoxmeer & Stranges
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL
Smith + Andersen
LANDSCAPE
Ron Koudys Landscape Architects
INTERIORS
Diamond Schmitt Architects
CONTRACTOR
EllisDon Corporation
CIVIL ENGINEER
Aleo Associates Inc.
ACCESSIBILITY Designable Environments
ACOUSTICS CONSULTANT Aercoustics
SIGNAGE CONSULTANT Entro
BUILDING CODE CONSULTANT LMDG
COST CONSULTANT Turner & Townsend
PHOTOGRAPHY doublespace
Tom Arban
Located at Hart House Circle within the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus, Ziibiing is a multi-use place for learning, gathering, and ceremony. The project includes a bronze-clad gathering structure, a healing garden, an outdoor classroom amphitheatre, and a stormwater rill that irrigates a series of medicine gardens.
Indigenous principles of sustainability are at the heart of the Ziibiing project. The site was designed to fit the existing topography to limit removals and maintain existing trees. Benches and platform site furnishings were fabricated from salvaged White Oak and Siberian Elm from University of Toronto grounds and Queen’s Park, with integrated signage showing what kind of tree and where it was sourced. The curvilinear permeable pathway that winds through the site uses natural stone and an organic binder to maintain accessibility and represent the creek that once flowed through site.
“Ziibiing” means “at the river” in Anishinaabemowin, as the site is located along the historical course of Taddle Creek, embedding it in a unique historical context. Ther project embraces the University’s mandate for Indigenous teaching and storytelling traditions by embedding knowledge throughout. Roof apertures are oriented to the north star and sun. The bronze soffit of the Knowledge House inscribes a pattern that interprets constellations historically observed by local Indigenous communities and is supported by thirteen columns representing the Grandmother Moons. Each of the four cardinal directions are demarcated by markers and concrete inlays related to a culturally significant tree. Illustrated signage identifies curated plant species by their scientific, English, and Indigenous names.
Divided into three broad representative biomes—forest, meadow, and rain garden—Ziibiing’s landscape recreates the naturally occurring ecosystems that see direct and indirect sun/ water reaching the respective systems that need them most. Ziibiing provide visitors with an immersive, active, and meaningful experience that connects them to Indigenous culture and ways of knowing and being.
FINALIST
ZIIBIING — INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPE AT TADDLE CREEK
BROOK MCILROY INC.
Toronto, Ontario
DESIGN JURY COMMENTS
“A sensitive, metaphorical response to the history of the site and Indigenous culture. The pathways, site features, and pavilion have been beautifully designed to create spaces that can equally accommodate sacred ceremonial events as graciously as they can the multitude of everyday social activities that come with its pivotal campus location.”
PROJECT
Ziibiing—Indigenous Landscape at Taddle Creek
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
COMPLETION 2024
BUDGET
$4.6M
AREA
4,500 m² (48,500 ft2)
CLIENT
University of Toronto, Office of Indigenous Initiatives
ARCHITECT
Brook McIlroy Inc.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN TEAM
Calvin Brook, Ryan Gorrie, Adrienne Huang, Afshin Ashari, Andrea Mantin, Colin Berman, Dani Kastelein, Ella Kelly, Kyle Gatchalian, Lucas Horvath, Luke Mollet, Rachelle Lemieux, Tamara Urben-Imbault, Trish Clarke, Wyatt Armstrong, Stuart Cameron, Kateri Lucier-Laboucan, Reanna Merasty
CONTRACTOR
Ellis Don
STRUCTURAL
Blackwell, RC Engineering
CIVIL
TY Lin
COST CONSULTANT
AW Hooker
LANDSCAPE
Brook McIlroy, Creative Irrigation Solutions
INDIGENOUS PLANT CONSULTANT
Creators Garden
ARBORIST
Cohen & Master
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tom Arban
BEST EMERGING PRACTICE
AWARDS
JUXTA ARCHITECTS INC.
BEST EMERGING PRACTICE
As a new voice in a traditionally established sector, Juxta Architects brings fresh ideas and bold solutions to heritage conservation. The Ottawa rm aims to lead by example, preserving the character of cities while actively shaping their future. Their passion for heritage is clearly re ected in their work.
Founded in 2020, the rm is guided by a devotion to heritage and building science. Their services cater to clients looking to enhance the historical signi cance and functionality of their properties. Principals Bruno Desrosiers and Stefan Gingras have worked on a wide range of residential and institutional projects locally in Ottawa-Gatineau, as well as elsewhere in Canada and internationally. The rm’s ability to secure institutional clients as repeat business as particularly impressive for a practice at such an early stage, indicating a strong commitment to client service.
Despite being a young and small rm, Juxta already boasts a substantial and diverse portfolio of work. Prominent projects in the nation’s capital include the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, the NCC River House, and the Canadian Museum of History. The rm’s commitment to excellence in heritage architecture has garnered multiple honours, including the Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) and the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Conseil du Patrimoine Religieux du Québec Awards of Excellence for its work on La Fab Sur Mill in Chelsea, Quebec.
Juxta applies a strategy of minimal intervention to integrate contemporary design within historically signi cant structures. Projects begin with a rigorous analysis of heritage value and technical performance, drawing on historical research, site investigations, condition assessments, material testing, and diagnostic tools.
An important part of its practice is the use of LiDAR technology, which produces highly accurate 3D digital models of existing conditions. These models enable precise representation of complex heritage structures and landscapes and help to identify design challenges early. The resulting clear and reliable information enhances client con dence and reduces project risk.
The design team conducts in-house thermographic imaging to analyze existing buildings, identifying heat loss, air leaks, insulation gaps, and moisture issues in walls, roofs, and windows. For proposed interventions, the rm’s hygrothermal modelling software simulates heat and moisture transfer under realistic climate conditions. These tools enable a
comprehensive assessment of building performance, facilitating the development of design solutions to enhance energy ef ciency, durability, and occupant comfort, while preserving the integrity of historic structures.
“Juxta is a rm de ned by integrity, humility, and professional rigour,” observes Tony Candeliere, one of the rm’s many appreciative clients. In the rm’s adaptive reuse of a heritage building at 296 Metcalfe Street in Toronto into two dental clinics, the Juxta team “demonstrated an exceptional commitment to heritage conservation,” he adds. “They helped us understand the building not merely as an old structure but as an architectural artifact with cultural signi cance, contextual meaning, and untapped potential.”
Chelsea Athletica. BRENDAN BURDEN La Fab (Grace Church Rehabilitation). BRENDAN BURDEN
JURY COMMENTS
“What sets them apart is their ability to position themselves in a highly specialized niche. They combine expertise in building science and envelope technology with heritage preservation.”
“The project exteriors were exceptionally clean and demonstrated a high level of attention to detail, consistent across all their work.”
“They bring a refined and consistent elegance to the buildings they refurbish.”
Baker Residence. VAN ARAUJO
Bethune Memorial House. STEFAN GINGRAS
LIFETIME DESIGN ACHIEVEMENT
AWARDS
BRIGITTE SHIM AND A. HOWARD SUTCLIFFE
LIFETIME DESIGN ACHIEVEMENT
As partners in life and practice, Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe are among the few Canadian architects who have gained international recognition for the excellence of their buildings and landscapes. Since establishing Shim-Sutcliffe Architects in 1994, they have excelled at every stage of their careers, receiving 14 Governor General’s Medals and Awards for architecture, as well as an American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award and many other accolades. Shim and Sutcliffe have demonstrated to their peers and to the world at large that contemporary modernism can be not only highly sophisticated but also intimate, welcoming, and warm.
In Toronto, landmarks like the Integral House in Rosedale, and the Residence for the Sisters of St. Joseph that followed, have helped elevate the city’s status as a centre for architectural innovation and ambition. More recently, their design for the Ace Hotel in downtown Toronto marked their foray into commercial hotel architecture, drawing universal praise for its dramatic and yet highly functional design.
Outside of the city, their work for their private clients has prompted similar acclaim. In suburban Markham, the Wong-Dai-Sin Temple’s distinctive architecture re ects the Taoist community’s commitment to spiritual development through physical practice. On Lake Muskoka, their design for a cottage, guesthouse, and boathouse complex on the Point William peninsula is the subject of its own monograph: The Architecture of Point William: A Laboratory for Living. In the monograph’s introduction, the venerated critic Kenneth Frampton praises the architecture’s response to the undulating landscape and the “dynamic, transcending feeling” that it generates. ▲
Of the pair’s overall body of work, Frampton has described it as “constantly expanding in its scope, although the same constants of climate, place and craft run through their work with ever-increasing intensity.”
The Shim-Sutcliffe partnership is deeply symbiotic. Shim is an outspoken voice in the design community, admired for the erce intellectual rigour she applies to her work and public discourse. Shim’s experimental mindset continues to be inspired by her writings, public lectures, and teaching at the John H.
Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto and at Yale University.
Sutcliffe, who works more often in the background drawing up their concepts and ideas, focuses on applying his hand and eye to each project. A one-time protégé of Ron Thom and the inaugural recipient of the Canada Council’s Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement in 1991, Sutcliffe continues to carry forward the tradition of site sensitivity, material exploration, and spatial intimacy in the rm’s work.
Integral House, Toronto. JAMES DOW
Ace Hotel, Toronto. SCOTT NORSWORTHY
JURY COMMENTS
“Even their simplest and most modest projects are always elegant, great architecture. This is the true test of the architect: creating beauty with modest means.”
“The quality of design speaks to their ability to understand context and vernacular. Their partnership combines the precision of a technician and the insight of a teacher.”
“Their legacy is unparalleled. They reached a pinnacle few architects can achieve in creating places that are poetic, thoroughly considered, and perfectly attuned to the environment.”
In 2013, Shim and Sutcliffe were both awarded the Order of Canada, for their contributions as architects designing sophisticated structures that represent the best of Canadian design to the world, along with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2021, the pair were honoured with the RAIC Gold Medal. “Each of their buildings adds signi cance, depth, nuance, and meaning to [their] body of work,” wrote Viennabased critic and curator Elke Krasny in her essay Architecture of Insistence: Crafting Place, Building Materials Legacy in the RAIC Gold Medal publication. “Their buildings, landscapes, interiors, and objects all stem from the same disciplined inquiry into materiality, light, climate, and site.”
“Our work is an ongoing laboratory for living,” Shim and Sutcliffe wrote for that occasion. “We are always experimenting with new ideas and pushing limits to discover new ways of inhabiting space. In parallel with buildings, we have also realized over 50 objects, including furniture, lighting, door handles, boat cleats, and pedestrian bridges. Through their eloquent and rigorous assembly, we enable inert materials—wood, brick, steel, concrete—to speak.”
Wong Dai Sin Temple, Markham. JAMES DOW
Point William, Muskoka. SCOTT NORSWORTHY
MEDAL OF SERVICE
AWARDS
MICHAEL MCCLELLAND
MEDAL OF SERVICE
For more than 30 years, Michael McClelland has been a passionate advocate for design excellence through his collaborations with nearly every architecture rm in the Toronto area, and many more beyond. As one of the top heritage architects and advocates in the profession, he has played a key role in the revitalization of hundreds of heritage structures, integrating the existing building fabric into a changing city.
McClelland began his career in municipal government, most notably with the Toronto Historical Board. Since co-founding ERA Architects in Toronto in 1990 with Edwin Rowse, McClelland has helped it grow into one of the leading heritage rms in Canada, with of ces in Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary.
Against formidable odds, McClelland has managed to keep heritage values on the front burner of public discussion and professional practice during several decades of fast-track development boom across the country. “His work has consistently uncovered forgotten histories, celebrated alternative histories, and re-explored overlooked built forms,” notes Rowse. “He has been instrumental in protecting thousands of existing buildings and cultural districts and has changed the discourse related to the practice of heritage through many initiatives.” ▲
His advocacy work and public engagement have made a signi cant impact on the heritage community as well as on the buildings themselves. He has recognized and promoted vintage buildings that the wider public might not always recognize as valuable, especially post-Victorian vernacular architecture. To cite just one example: Concrete Toronto: A Guide to Concrete Architecture from the Fifties to the Seventies, co-authored with Graeme Stewart, which assembled a diverse group of thinkers to encourage a deeper appreciation of some of the city’s misunderstood and underappreciated architecture.
Equally important, through these projects he has demonstrated convincing economic arguments for cultural development, such as the design and revitalization of Toronto’s Distillery District and the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens, as well as smaller buildings and houses. “There is a need to retain older buildings in order to retain diversity” of residents of different income levels and demographics, he explained in a 2011 interview, a view that has become much more widely accepted since then.
Older buildings, he recognizes, allow for cultural communities to ourish. His curriculum vitae boasts an impressively long list of public lectures, panel discussions, presentations, public hearings, peer reviews, and writings—all of which help engage and educate the industry and wider public about heritage issues. But as he himself has averred in a recent interview, the strongest way to communicate is through action. “We tend to demonstrate what we’re interested in doing, rather than promote it.” he says. “We’re never working with concepts of heritage in isolation. It’s important to us to play a leading role in interrogating and progressing how cultural values are changing and identifying what it means to cultivate a diverse, inclusive environment in the Canadian context.”
“Michael is a rm believer in leading with culture,” notes Siamak Hariri, whose rm has collaborated with McClelland and ERA on dozens of projects over the years. “His work has touched hundreds of buildings across Toronto and beyond, integrating existing building fabric into a changing city.”
Allan Gardens. ERA ARCHITECTS/MINA MARKOVIC
JURY COMMENTS
“Michael’s impact on the discourse of architecture is far reaching. The legacy of this impact can be seen across Toronto’s neighbourhoods and beyond, expanding the discourse related to Canada’s built and cultural landscape from coast to coast.”
“He is a true team player who advocates for a balanced vision between preservation and the changing needs of the time—both functionally and aesthetically.”
“Michael has proven to be a transformative figure in the national architectural, demonstrating the value of architectural heritage in creating a better society.”
Distillery District. ERA ARCHITECTS
TD Centre. ERA ARCHITECTS/MINA MARKOVIC
Old City Hall. TANNAZ&CO
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Ontario Association of Architects wishes to thank all those who contributed to the success of the 2026 OAA Awards.
All project information in this publication was provided by the OAA practices and members who submitted to the Awards. The OAA takes no responsibility for any errors and omissions that may have occurred.
