Kirkor is delighted to announce that we have joined with some of our esteemed colleagues in the architectural community to sponsor the 2012 Canadian entry for Migrating Landscapes, the Venice Biennale in Architecture.

A rendering of the exhibition installation.

The Venice Biennale is the most important and prestigious contemporary architecture exhibition in the world: it has been described as the ‘Olympics of Architecture’. This year’s concept, im/migration, explores the many experiences of recent Canadians as they settle into their new country. The national competition was open to Canadian architects aged 45 and under who were asked to present a video in which they discuss a personal memory of ‘im/migration’ and create a model for a dwelling that responds to this memory.

Maritimes Regional Winners and People’s Choice. Photo: John Smith.

Saskatchewan Regional Winners and People’s Choice.

A series of seven regional exhibitions in Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax is currently underway and will be followed by a final exhibition of the national winners in Winnipeg in the spring, which will then travel to the Canadian pavilion at the Venice Biennale from August to November 2012. The exhibition in Toronto will be on view through February 24 at Brookfield Place.

Quebec Regional Exhibition Opening. Photo: Kyle Burrows.

The idea of this year’s exhibition appeals to us at Kirkor because we are a very international office. We enjoy working with young architects from everywhere who bring in their fresh ideas. The regional exhibitions and particularly the final one will be an excellent chance to see how young Canadian architects are being affected by migratory issues. Being from Winnipeg myself (where I moved to at a young age from Asia for study), where there is a large pool of creative talent, I can appreciate that the organizers – Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic from 5468796 Architecture Inc. and Jae-Sung Chon from the U of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture – are Winnipegers too.

-Simon

Our project Cinema Tower, which is located at the corner of Widmer and Adelaide Streets in downtown Toronto, is scheduled for completion this summer. It’s a 43-storey tower, which is designed to compliment the nearby TIFF Bell Lightbox. Interestingly, while excavating for the Festival Tower, important historical information about the area was discovered.

Cinema Tower, Toronto.

Toronto’s first brick hospital was built in 1819 on the site of Festival Tower at King and John Streets. When the Irish Famine drove mass immigration to Toronto in 1847, many of the ailing were treated, and that same year, 892 died in this hospital. Notable to this event are the Torontonians who worked hard to help these poor people.

A satellite memorial park, related to the well-known Ireland Park memorial at Bathurst Quay, is to be designed on the Cinema Tower property from neighbourhood Section 37 funds. To achieve this, we worked closely with Daniels, Ward 20 Councilor Adam Vaughan and Mr. Robert Kearns of the Ireland Park Foundation. The park will compliment the building’s ground floor performance space, run by Artscape.

Ireland Park, Toronto.

The park will be a commemoration of those immigrants who died and survived, but more importantly, is in commemoration of those who came to the aid of the immigrants, at risk to their own lives and families. Among the Canadians who helped the Irish were Bishop Michael Power, Nurse Susan Bailey and Toronto’s Emigrant Agent Edward McElderry. Of particular note is George Robert Grassett, chief medical officer at Toronto’s Fever Sheds. According to Mr. Kearns, Grassett was “the principal Canadian medical hero, and he has been lost to history.”

The characters of this story are specific to a desperate time of Irish immigration to Canada and Toronto, but the greater story of wanting to reach in aid of others, regardless of perils to one’s own life, reaches across all cultures. From a grassroots community activism, to the S.A.R.S pandemic, the realization of such genuine goodwill is central to our Toronto identity. It is our hope that, as Mr. Kearns says, the park will act as “an extension of the commemoration…the park should represent acknowledgement and gratitude towards those who gave up their lives helping diseased immigrants.”

The park’s design will be won through a competition process and a new sculpture will be commissioned. “The park and sculpture together will tell the story of an amazing transformation and will commemorate the surviving immigrants’ emergence into the community,” says Councilor Adam Vaughan. “It’s about celebrating a part of the city that gave these people life.”

While the park has an entirely new context, set between Cinema Tower and the street, it should nonetheless “be a thoughtful space, with perhaps light and water elements,” says Mr. Kearns. There are longer term plans to expand the reach of the Ireland Park Foundation beyond the two parks, but those remain under discussion and will be unveiled in the future.

-Brent

We received a note of inquiry from an owner/resident at Celsius, one of the projects we designed for our developer client, Shiu Pong. The resident was concerned with a recent media story suggesting that buildings made with glass had inherent problems with construction and longevity. Here is our response:

Happy New Year to you Dena,

We cannot answer for the development(s) featured in the “Throw-away Building” article you referenced, since they are not ours and they are probably +/- 8 years old. However, it should be noted that all new glass buildings or any buildings are required to meet the Toronto Green Standards which are high even when compared to other global industry standards such as LEED. All permit applications are to be submitted with an energy modeling report prepared by an independent engineering firm for the city to review and approve according to prevailing industry standards. For example, for most of our buildings, only up to 40 to 50% of the exterior walls are vision glass. Hence over 50% of the remaining walls are in reality insulated spandrel glass panel walls, which are solid insulated walls from the inside. These wall assemblies have as good insulation values as any masonry or precast concrete walls.

Celsius Condos, North York

It is our experience over the last 30 years of practice that many of these types of potential failures occur because of the lack of proper maintenance. If built and maintained properly, there is no difference in lifespan of a glass-clad apartment tower versus a masonry or precast-clad tower. Today’s low-e glass with tinted and moderate reflectivity have substantially higher heat loss coefficients than previous glass even a few years ago. Hence, they perform better, reflect the right amount of sunlight and keep the heat and cool in for comfort.

The Celsius project is designed with a better than average +/- 45% glass to solid wall (spandrel glass panels) ratio. In order to further enhance efficiencies, we have added to our taller glass walls drop ceiling heads and raised sills and these windows do not run wall-to-wall. These features will enable the windows to have the appearance of large punched windows from the inside giving each room excellent light and views but, at the same time, allow for enhanced insulation values.

It should be noted that the City of Toronto Urban Design Review Panel (which is made up of urban designers, architects, landscape architects and engineers) not only voted unanimously in favor of our design both in terms of architectural details and urban design solution, they went so far as to mention at the panel meeting that it was indeed the best project presentation they have yet seen. They also thanked Kirkor and its client, Shiu Pong, for setting the bar of excellence very high.

- Cliff

On Wednesday, November 30 I spoke as part of a panel at the 2011 Real Estate Forum, an annual event which this year focused on all aspects of the office, industrial, retail and multi-unit residential market.

The crowd at the Real Estate Forum

At the invitation of real estate consultant Barry Lyon, the panel was brought together to discuss “Major Trends in Toronto: The New Form of City Building and the Emerging Opportunities for Real Estate Investment & Development” in front of an audience of industry leaders.

The panel, which included Remo Agostino, Director of Development for Daniels Corporation, Stefan Savelli, Vice President of Development, Trinity Developments and Lorne Braithewaite, CEO of Build Toronto, discussed the various transitions taking shape in Toronto with regard to economic, demographic and social forces.

The Madison, Toronto

We touched on a few interesting topics. Naturally, the audience wanted crystal ball insights into the future of the market. In my opinion, we’re not in a bubble but rather it’s an anomaly. Canada has a lot going for it–a stable government, the only secure banking system, and immigration is not only increasing but these new Canadians are joining the workforce. Sixty to seventy percent of condo buyers are long-term investors. The thing is, real estate performs better than the stock market. Right now we have low interest rates. When rates go up the market will slow, but it will not disappear.

Are there still development opportunities in both the 905 and 416? Absolutely. We can recycle old buildings in the centre of town – we are actually underdeveloped. The urban design and mixture of use in Toronto is good. The thing is it takes seven to ten years to do a project. And mixed use as an idea is relatively new. So you’ll see great change in the city over the next five years.

What about accommodating more families downtown? It’s possible to do, and in Councilor Adam Vaughan’s ward it’s required, but it is expensive. Larger units cost more and you can’t impose these high costs on the market. There are options – one idea would be perhaps to subsidize them, and there’s also the possibility of condo-plexing, which is creating convertible units that can be made smaller if necessary.

Are city planners out of touch with mixed-use development? Yes, for the most part they are. They’re still, in some cases, locked in 1970s and 80s thinking, where you lived in one place and worked in another. But the good news is the politicians are getting it. They understand that the use of land is the key. Smart growth with mixed-use development around transit nodes is our focus. The important thing when making a successful mixed-use building is to successfully separate circulation — the residential from the commercial and the servicing. It’s hard to do – it takes talent, and that’s where we come in.

The 2011 Real Estate Forum took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, November 29 – December 1, 2011. The Real Estate Forum is also held in numerous other cities across the country. Click for more information.

-Cliff

I read with interest Marcus Gee’s recent article from the Globe and Mail, in which he discusses the possibility for the city’s main avenues to be built up using mid-rise, were it not for the obstacles placed in the way of such development by City Hall.

Two Old Mill, Toronto

To add to what architect Roland Rom Colthoff said, “(the city’s) plan says they want to develop the avenues, but they have an old set of rules that presents a big delay in bringing these projects to market,” I have always felt that city planning is like composing a great piece of music. You need highs and lows, rhythms and staccatos. There is nothing wrong with our pursuit of high rises, just as there is nothing wrong with the development of avenues.

To me, it is about context, and since I believe that context matters, the urban designers and planners at the City should establish their guidelines and principles, but not lock the hands of the talented architectural and urban design professionals we have in this city, to not be creative. Steadfast rules don’t always work, and adds to this long decision process. Too many constraints kill design opportunities, and certainly they cannot be applied block by block throughout the city regardless of context.

Corners are different than blocks. Mid-blocks can be lowered or heightened depending on what surrounds them – parks, subways or stable single-family homes. Whether the building is on the north or south side of the street creates totally different sun shadow effects. All of these are the tools for creating good design solutions that help determine the fit of design into any neighbourhood, high-rise or mid-rise.

Two Old Mill, Toronto

At Kirkor, we do have a growing number of mid-rise projects that have been sculpted into this model. The key has been to show our clients that they can many times succeed with the same development density, while achieving mid-rise built form. An example would be our No. 1 and No. 2 Old Mill project for Tridel at Bloor Street West and Old Mill.

Double-sided angular planes, terraces built form, street front main wall, mixed-use retail at grade, enhancement of the pedestrian realm, all become tools for development success of this street-front twelve story building. And yes, the red tape was tremendous, it was over 2 ½ years of meetings and site planning processes, but the result was worth it, it was a great, successful mid-rise project.

The creativity is there with architects, it’s the rules that are not. There are many possible styles of building–many possible solutions–from an architect’s point of view, but the bylaws imposed on form often limits the architect’s ability to be creative.

- Cliff

At Kirkor, over the years we have moved from the residential single family home projects we did when we were starting out, to major mixed-use, smart-growth developments across the GTA and North America, but here is one residence that is in the works at our offices.

Image of Cliff's new home

When the central Toronto home that my wife Katy and I have lived in for 30 years was unexpectedly destroyed in a neighbour’s fire, it was shocking to say the least. We were devastated. Huge parts suffered severe damage from smoke, water and fire.

The concept of surviving and rebuilding was spontaneous. I’ve long resisted the idea of designing my own house, and here I was given the chance to turn a tragedy into an opportunity.  In fact, I ended up designing the house the way we always wanted. For me, it was a statement about myself and what I want at this stage in life. The house is the same size as it was, and will appear lower, since it will have a flat roof. It’s on a corner site, so the exposure is good and it sits somewhat independently from the other houses. Its strength comes from this context. The exposed side yard will be the front door and we have retained Jacqueline VanderVelde of Land Art Design to do a unique landscape, a plan in keeping with the new house design.

Image of old house

With the help of my Kirkor team, led by David Butterworth, I’ve used Indiana Limestone and Ipe wood with mahogany finish and door surrounds. The bronze-tinted windows slightly reflective have dark bronze frames. The interior will be contemporary too, with stained charcoal birch floors, and brushed chrome and glass railings. The kitchen has everything my wife could possibly want, a centre island with the sink looking over our backyard pool area.

It’s two storeys with a flat roof and asymmetrical windows, somewhat in the Bauhaus style. It makes sense to me to design a contemporary home, since I’m doing more contemporary work throughout the practice, rather than rebuild in the traditional style that was there before. We did not want to keep any reminders of that terrible evening of the fire. It’s new and fresh. The theory is to use traditional materials in a contemporary way.

I’m using the same footprint of the old house, 21’ x 50’ using the two remaining standing walls so that we won’t have to go to the committee of adjustment, this has allowed us to fast track the building permit process. We hope to have it finished by the Spring on the Anniversary date of the fire.

I think of it as high style, crisp, clean, elegant but still it’s a modest, 2000 square foot home, totally in scale to my excellent neighbours who have been totally supportive to Katy and I throughout this process.

- Cliff

Like many cities across North America, Toronto has a Percent for Public Art program. This means that every new development must devote one percent of construction costs towards an artwork that may be enjoyed by the public.

A rendering of how the artwork will look at the building’s entrance. Image: Peter Powning

Our project, Cinema Tower, at the corner of Adelaide and Widmer Streets in downtown Toronto is currently under construction and slated for completion in the fall of 2013. We are particularly pleased with the art piece at the entrance of the tower, which is integrated with the architecture while creating a dramatic and one-of-a-kind centre-piece for the building.

A close up on the entrance detail. Image: Peter Powning

The full art piece. Image: Peter Powning

The piece is called STRATA and it’s by award-winning artist Peter Powning, who is based in southern New Brunswick. We worked with Peter on our Chicago project in Mississauga several years ago where he created an unusual, artistic ‘Portal’ out of cast bronze and stone.

Portal, which Mr. Powning completed for our Chicago project, Mississauga in 2009.

STRATA takes as its inspiration a geological, archaeological concept. According to Mr. Powning, “The overall façade is meant to have the feeling of being a large core sample raised up from the earth.” The sculpture will be made of precast pigmented and stained concrete, cast bronze and slumped glass with three layers of what Mr. Powning calls ‘archeological strata’ – a bronze crust inlaid with “materials discovered during the excavation, or appropriate to the history of the site over generations.”

Incidentally, Peter also unveiled his new piece Phantasm in the residential lobby of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, a stunning, intricate grid of slumped glass frames lit from behind with televised images of representative films from the TIFF archives.

A detail of the bronze crust of STRATA. Image: Peter Powning

STRATA isn’t the only art element to the Cinema Tower. Daniels, the developer has worked out an agreement so that the ground floor will be partially owned by the cultural organization ArtScape. This innovative collaboration will be sure to create a lively, mixed-use urban development that will further enhance this buzzing area of Toronto.

- Brent

We are pleased to announce that two of Kirkor’s projects have been selected in multiple categories as finalists for the 2011 Ontario Home Builders’ Association Awards of Distinction.

The Madison

The Madison, our project on Eglinton Avenue just east of Yonge, designed for the Madison Group, is up for several awards, including Project of the Year in the High-Rise category. The project involves two towers that appear to float above the streetscape. It was important to design a façade that would not appear to dominate the city block. We did this by creating a three storey high entrance which steps back toward the slightly curved towers.

The Madison

Other awards for the same project include Most Outstanding High or Mid-Rise Condo Suite and Most Outstanding High-Rise Condo Suite Kitchen.

The World on Yonge, a mixed-use development on Yonge north of Steeles which we designed for our client Liberty Group, is shortlisted for Most Outstanding High-Rise Building. The project won a 2011 BILD Award in the category Community of the Year – Highrise, as a development that is particularly reflective of the provincial Places to Grow Act.

Cliff

We are delighted to announce that Kirkor Architects has won an award in the category of Places to Grow Community of the Year-Highrise, at the 2011 Bild Awards. As the project’s architect, Kirkor was recognized alongside Liberty Development Corporation, Montana Steele Advertising and Brandon Communications. The winning project was the mixed-use development The World on Yonge.

The World on Yonge.

The Bild awards are presented annually by the Building Industry and Land Development Association, to recognize the very best of the GTA’s new home construction industry. This year there were over one thousand submissions in 46 categories.

This award is so-called because it recognizes a development that is most reflective of the province’s Places to Grow Act, which, according to the government “makes sure that growth plans reflect the needs, strengths and opportunities of the communities involved, and promotes growth that balances the needs of the economy with the environment.”

The World on Yonge.

High density, smart growth projects are vital in areas around transit corridors and proposed subway extension routes. The World on Yonge, on Toronto’s Yonge Street north of Steeles Avenue includes hotel, office, residential and retail with internal and external publicly accessible parks.

For more information on the awards, click here

Back in November, Councilor Karen Stintz (Ward 16 Eglinton/Lawrence) who had just been appointed by 
Mayor Rob Ford to lead the Toronto Transit Commission, declared that she was in favour of bringing additional skills from members of the business community to be part of the commission.

Councilor Karen Stintz. Image: thestar.com

“We need different skill sets beyond just political skills. This is an opportunity for us to expand the competency on the commission,” she said in the National Post.
 A staff report said that candidates should have legal, financial, engineering and construction knowledge, in addition to transit planning experience.

This idea is a good one. Previously, nine councilors oversaw the TTC but opening it up to those of us with relevant experience will create an arena for more relevant and focused discussion and problem solving opportunities.

Bloor subway station at rush hour. Image: cbc.ca

At Kirkor we deal with the TTC in numerous capacities, mainly when we are working through the infrastructure challenges that go with building large-scale projects over existing or upcoming transit stations. One of the greatest challenges when working with multiple parties is to build consensus, and I very much look forward to a future when this becomes a more fluid process.

Our project Hullmark Centre, at Sheppard and Yonge will sit above two subway lines.

Given that many of the city’s new smart-growth projects are centered around transit nodes, it’s important that the GTA moves ahead with a comprehensive, intelligent approach to transit. My hope is that the new board will help achieve this. The decision will be made in the fall, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, Councilor Stintz spoke at the Economic Club of Canada a few weeks ago. Judging from the reports on her improvement plans, the TTC will benefit considerably from input from citizen representatives.

-Steve