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 contents
JaMes dow

toM arban

Maki and associates

12 integral house
9 news
Acton Ostry Architects Inc. complete first
designed by shiM-sutcliffe architects, this Most unusual hoMe for a Most
privileged client functions as Much as a public concert hall as it does a private
phase of the Sauder School of Business
residence. teXt John bentley Mays renewal and expansion at the University of
British Columbia; 2010 AIBC Architectural
Awards call for submissions.
20 royal conservatory of Music 33 calendar
telus centre for perforMance High Performance: Evolution and Innovation

and learning in Canadian Design at the Charles H. Scott

Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art +
a harMonious new addition to and renovation of this cultural institution by Design in Vancouver; PLAY Conference at
kuwabara payne Mckenna bluMberg architects was alMost 20 years in the
Making. teXt elsa laM
the Dalhousie University School of Archi-
tecture in Halifax.

27 delegation of the isMaili 34 Backpage

Leslie Jen describes Olivier Bourgeois’s
iMaMat Trop de Bleu, a highly evocative but tempor-
his highness the aga khan coMMissions a proJect of cultural iMportance in the ary installation in Quebec’s Îles-de-la-
nation’s capital, resulting in a superbly crafted building by fuMihiko Maki and Madeleine.
MoriyaMa & teshiMa architects. teXt ian chodikoff
olivier bourgeois/serge boudreau

patkau architects inc. and kearns Mancini architects inc.

february 2010, v.55 n.02

integral house by shiM-sutcliffe

cover

The NaTioNal Review of DesigN aND PRacTice/ architects. photo by JaMes dow.
The JouRNal of RecoRD of The Raic

02/10 canadian architect 5

 viewpoint
PaI/stIP
above the new Green roof on the PodIuM of toronto CIty haLL wILL be oPen to the Pub-
LIC In the sPrInG. to PurIsts, Its addItIon Marks an aberratIon of ModernIst PrInCIPLes.
to others, Its PresenCe ushers In a new era of eCoLoGICaL awareness In the CIty.
Modernism is difficult to define. There are
buildings that are quintessentially “Modern”
with respect to their materiality, massing, and
ornamentation (or lack thereof), but as for defin­
ing the philosophy of Modernism, considerable
debate is sure to ensue.
When observing the renovations to Toronto City
Hall and its concomitant Nathan Phillips Square,
judging the correct approach to altering the ori­
ginal architectural intentions contained within
one of the city’s most cherished Modernist build­
ings and its public spaces becomes difficult.
Therefore, it is not surprising that some of Toron­
to’s most esteemed Modernists are uneasy with
the precinct’s $40­odd­million renovation,
especially the design of the 3,400­square­metre
green roof on the podium level of Toronto City
Hall, an area that was always meant to be public
space. It is doubtful that any Modernist would
object to the herbs, grasses, flowers and sedums
being planted on the podium’s roof, as adding a
21st­century green roof to a mid­20th­century
Modernist icon is what we might call progress in
our continued efforts to further ecological aware­
ness in the city. However, what has sparked some
debate is the introduction of three Kentucky coffee
trees on the green roof. Native to southwestern
Ontario, these trees grow to a height of around 20
metres, and there are some who feel that the trees
compromise the clarity and expressiveness of Fin­
nish architect Viljo Revell’s original design.
But does the addition of these trees really con­
travene the rules of Modernism? To quote from
Nurturing Dreams, a collection of essays by archi­
tect Fumihiko Maki, “The Mexican poet Octavio
Paz once described modernity as an expression
by each individual of how he intends to live his
own ‘present.’ If that is so, then there are a thou­
sand modernisms for every thousand persons,
and in this century, modernism will no doubt
continue to be the mode by which we express the
present in which we live.” If we accept Maki’s
comments, then perhaps we can accept the addi­
tion of trees on top of Revell’s icon—the trees
could be as poignant a statement in today’s soci­
6 canadian architect 02/10
ety as was the plasticity of Revell’s concrete when
the building first opened in 1965.
Reinforcing the ineffability of Modernism
while respecting the importance of architectural
history and the evolution of our cities, Maki
states: “The development of modernism is not
dependent on a unilateral elimination of the past.
In this, it resembles waves on the sea. Different
waves collide and interfere with one another.
Some waves disappear and others become even
larger than before.” Here, Maki notes that even
the most strident of Modernists can neither de­
stroy the past for their own purposes, nor hypo­
critically hold onto their ideals as sacrosanct. For
better and for worse, change will happen.
Deserving a separate discussion but worthy of
mention is the recently launched book on the
brash and unbelievably prolific architect Peter
Dickinson. Simply titled Peter Dickinson, this
extraordinary and lavishly illustrated 300­page
volume was written by John Martins­Manteiga.
UK­born Dickinson arrived in Toronto at the age
of 24 and by the time of his premature death a few
days before his 36th birthday, he had irrevocably
altered the course of Modernism in Canada. The
chain­smoking, hard­drinking Dickinson de­
veloped his own brand of Modernism through the
designs of hotels, office buildings, and residential
towers. When looking at the photos taken of him
and of his architecture, one sees a world very dif­
ferent from that in which we live today. Similar to
Maki’s comments on Modernism, the legacy of
Dickinson’s work represents a wave upon the
shore, and one that helps navigate us toward fu­
ture architectural debate, rather than leave us
stranded on the monuments of Modernism past.
2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Revell’s
birth, and Martins­Manteiga’s book celebrates
the life of Dickinson while mourning his untimely
passing. We might look at the lives of Dickinson
and Revell as two of the thousands of mid­20th­
century architects who inspire us to appreciate the
vastness of Modernism while providing a founda­
tion for future architectural directions.
Ian ChodIkoff ichodikoff@canadianarchitect.coM
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PrOjects
acton Ostry architects inc. complete sauder
school of Business renewal and expansion
at the University of British columbia.
The Sauder School of Business is located at the
geographical centre of the University of British
Columbia campus, to which a new five-level
5,430-square-metre expansion designed by
Acton Ostry Architects Inc. was added. The dra-
matic soaring space of a skylit atrium links the
addition to the existing building by creating a
focal circulation spine at the heart of the School.
The new floor-to-ceiling glazed addition houses
a variety of high-tech lecture theatres, breakout
rooms, classrooms, an undergraduate centre, and
student social spaces. The lobed-roof form of the
upper level Leadership Centre expresses the
twinned, tiered lecture theatres contained with-
in. The refurbished and revitalized main level in-
corporates new graduate and business career
centres linked with lounge areas, informal study
spaces, a café and store. To achieve a new and
bold identity for the Sauder School of Business,
the old impassive concrete building was wrapped
with a new glazed façade that references the
rhythm and pattern language associated with the
universal transfer of digital commerce and busi-
ness information—the barcode. Images of inter-
national stock exchanges, forest scenes, and
large-scale portraits of local business magnates
have been embedded on large glass walls through-
out the building. Phase Two of the $85-million
project is scheduled to commence later this year,
at which time 20,000 square metres of existing
classrooms will be upgraded and a new 600-
square-metre conference centre penthouse will
news
paTkau archiTecTs inc. and kearns Mancini archiTecTs inc.
be added to the top of the School’s existing ad- establishing the original sense of a defensive site.
ministrative tower. The Visitor Centre will be the hub connecting vis-
www1.sauder.ubc.ca itors to the experience and content of the entire
site as well as to the surrounding neighbourhoods
teeple architects inc. in joint venture with and the city. The federal government, through the
Proscenium architecture + interiors inc. to Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, has approved a
design next phase of Langara college. grant of up to $4 million for the construction of
Langara College in Vancouver has selected Teeple the Visitor Centre, and the City has committed
Architects Inc. in joint venture with Proscenium $5.3 million. The Fort York Foundation will be
Architecture + Interiors Inc. to design the next launching its fundraising campaign soon; those
phase in the development of its campus. The wishing to make donations or to receive more in-
campus is planning for the addition of a new
creative arts centre and theatre building, a gym-
nasium, a wellness centre and a daycare, com-
pleting a master plan originally conceived in
2004 by Teeple Architects Inc. with IBI/HB
Architects. Three notable buildings have already
been completed as part of the master plan, in-
cluding the Library and Classroom Building,
the Langara Student Union, and Academic Build-
ing C.
design chosen for the new visitor centre at
Fort York national historic site.
A jury has unanimously recommended the con-
acTon osTrY archiTecTs
ceptual design submitted by Patkau Architects
Inc. of Vancouver, with Kearns Mancini Archi-
tects Inc. of Toronto, for the new Visitor Centre at
Fort York National Historic Site. Fort York is the
birthplace of urban Toronto and the site of Cana-
da’s largest collection of 1812-era military struc-
tOP The winning design for The new
tures. The Visitor Centre is key to the planned re-
visiTor cenTre aT ToronTo’s forT York
vitalization of the entire 17-hectare (43-acre) site, naTional hisToric siTe. aBOVe acTon
and is scheduled for completion in 2012 for the osTrY archiTecTs’ renovaTion of and
Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812. expansion To The sauder school of Busi-
In the recommended design, the Visitor Centre ness aT uBc will help reBrand The
school’s idenTiTY.
forms a new escarpment of weathering steel, re-
02/10 canadian architect 9
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formation should contact fofy@sympatico.ca. The
final cost of the Visitor Centre is estimated at
$18 million.
http://www.toronto.ca/visitorcentre
awards
2010 annual aiBc architectural awards.
The Architectural Institute of British Columbia
invites submissions for the 2010 Annual AIBC
Architectural Awards, which celebrate excellence
across the following distinct award categories:
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award
in Architecture (Medal and Merit); AIBC Innova-
tion Award; AIBC Special Jury Award; and the
AIBC Emerging Firm Award. The submission
deadline is March 15, 2010 at 12:00 noon.
www.aibc.ca/conference2010/awards/index.html
cOmPetitiOns
canadian navy monument design selected.
The National Capital Commission (NCC) and the
Canadian Navy congratulate Al McWilliams, Joost
Bakker and Bruce Haden from British Columbia
for their design of a new naval monument at
Richmond Landing in the core of Canada’s capi-
tal. The winning entry was selected in a design
competition by an internationally renowned jury
in October 2009 and reflects many facets of the
Canadian Navy in its use of the naval black, white
and gold colours to create a distinctively sculpted
open space charged with meaning. The monu-
ment will be unveiled in the spring of 2011, com-
pleting a year of naval centennial celebrations.
www.navy.forces.gc.ca/centennial
Finalists selected for the expansion of the
musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.
The international architecture competition of
the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
(MNBAQ) has entered a new stage with the selec-
tion of five finalists from among the 15 architec-
tural firms who were selected and invited to take
part in Stage 1 of the competition last September.
The five finalist teams are: Barkow Leibinger ar-
chitekten/Imrey Culbert architects, Berlin and
New York; Brière, Gilbert et associés/Nieto Sobe-
jano, Montreal; Fichten Soiferman et Associés
Architectes/Allied Works Architecture, Montreal;
Groupe ARCOP/David Chipperfield architects,
London, England; and OMA, Rem Koolhaas, Rot-
terdam, Holland. The goal of the next stage of the
competition will be to develop the project’s func-
tional solution while meeting the program and
the needs and technical constraints of the site.
Development of the concept will also make it
possible to demonstrate the sustainable aspect
of the project. Stage 2 of the competition will
begin in late February 2010 with the selection of
the winning team from the five finalists. The
MNBAQ will mount an exhibition in September
2010 of the presentations of all 15 firms selected
to participate in Stage 1 of the competition.
www.mnba.qc.ca
20th-century architectural heritage.
This international competition invites archi-
tecture students from around the world to
create image models of examples of significant
architecture created during the 20th century.
This competition is an opportunity for the archi-
tects of tomorrow to enrich the web index at
www.archi.fr/UIA with their own expression of a
building project from the last century, using to-
day’s design tools. The image models to be de-
signed for this competition need to be based on
digital photographs created using Autodesk
ImageModeler and Autodesk Stitcher Unlimited
software. This software will be made available by
Autodesk to the competitors for use free of
charge for the duration of the competition.
Competitors should register online through the
competition website until March 26, 2010.
Submissions may be transmitted online from
April 5-April 26, 2010.
www.archi.fr/3D_20th
art alliance austin launches international
architecture competition.
Art Alliance Austin recently launched their third
annual Temporary Outdoor Gallery Space (TOGS
3) ideas competition. Past TOGS competitions
were open exclusively to architects and interior
designers; this year, TOGS 3 will be open to
national and international professionals and stu-
dents in the fields of architecture, urban design,
interior design and landscape architecture. A
grand prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the win-
ning design. A second- and third-place winner
will be chosen and awarded $500 and $250, re-
spectively. All three winners will be announced
and exhibited at Art City Austin, the city’s largest
and longest-running outdoor art fair, from April
24-25, 2010. Following a feasibility study, the
first-place winner will be invited to collaborate
with a professional team to realize a TOGS 3 pro-
totype. The prototype and jury’s selection will be
exhibited at Art City Austin and will be available
for exhibitions internationally. The online regis-
tration deadline is March 26, 2010, and the sub-
mission deadline is April 5, 2010. Each individu-
al/team (maximum 2 people) must register via
the Art Alliance Austin website, where full com-
petition details are also available.
www.artallianceaustin.org
what’s new
Hylozoic Ground selected to represent
canada at Venice Biennale in architecture.
The Canada Council for the Arts announced that
TeaM williaMs/Bakker/haden
aBOVeconcepTuallY inspired BY TradiTion-
al naval colours of Black, gold and
whiTe, The canadian navY MonuMenT
in oTTawa will Be coMpleTed in The
spring of 2011.
Hylozoic Ground, a project by PBAI (Philip Beesley
Architect Inc.) in collaboration with the Univer-
sity of Waterloo School of Architecture, has been
selected through a national juried competition to
represent Canada at the 2010 Venice Biennale in
Architecture. The installation in Venice will be
designed by architect Philip Beesley working with
collaborators Andrew Hunter (independent cura-
tor) and Rob Gorbet (engineering director). To-
gether, they bring many years of experience in
innovative architecture, art and design. The Can-
ada Council for the Arts and the Royal Architec-
tural Institute of Canada are working together to
provide financial support and assist with project
oversight for Canada’s architectural representa-
tion in Venice. This collaboration is part of a
larger project to investigate developing support
for the advancement of the presentation and ap-
preciation of contemporary Canadian architec-
tural excellence in Canada and abroad.
www.canadacouncil.ca/news/imagegallery
shore tilbe irwin & Partners merges with
Perkins+will.
Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners has announced a
strategic merger with the global architecture and
design practice Perkins+Will. Perkins+Will
currently operate studios throughout North
America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle
East. Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners is the latest
addition to this dynamic federation of design
practices, becoming the second Canadian office
and the first in Eastern Canada. The firm’s new
name is Shore Tilbe Perkins+Will. With the
organizational and technical support of the larger
organization, Shore Tilbe Perkins+Will will con-
tinue to operate out of its studio in downtown
Toronto. Their practice will continue to flourish
based on the individual relationships that they
have forged with their clients, consultants, sup-
pliers and builders.
www.shoretilbeperkinswill.ca
02/10 canadian architect 11
high notes

12 canadian architect 02/10

 a philanthropic client
commissions a house that
functions as both a recital
hall and his own personal
residence.

proJectIntegral House, toronto, ontarIo

architectsHIm-sutclIffe arcHItects
teXt JoHn Bentley mays

photos James Dow, BoB gunDu, eDwarD

Burtynsky

The 10-year evolution of Integral House, the re-

cently completed Toronto home of mathemati-
cian and violinist James Stewart, began with a
brief that could hardly have been shorter or sim-
pler. Stewart wanted curves. He wanted a lot of
glazing, both on the exterior and interior (the lat-
ter to showcase his collection of glass art). And,
more unusually, Stewart wanted a performance
space for an audience of 150, all wrapped up in
what he called an “architecturally significant”
package.
During his long quest for a designer to grow a
house from this brief, Stewart sought out some of
the world’s most prominent architects, including
Frank Gehry (who agreed to provide a scheme),
Rem Koolhaas and Steven Holl, before choosing,
in 2000, the hometown team of Brigitte Shim and
Howard Sutcliffe, principals in Shim-Sutcliffe
Architects. The reply of this pair of talented de-
signers to the brief is a highly figurative 15,000-
square-foot home for a celebrated author of
mathematics textbooks who likes to organize
musical evenings along classical lines—“I wanted
to be an impresario,” Stewart told me—and a
minutely detailed, ambitious building that mates
a recital hall with a private home in a romanti-
cally expressive envelope. The client never con-
sidered going the more usual philanthropic route
and endowing a freestanding concert venue: the
decision to have it in the house “is because I
would have more control over the concerts.”
The full drama of this consummately aesthetic
project is not immediately evident from the
street, nor was it supposed to be. The context of
large, traditional family homes, close by on both
sides of Shim-Sutcliffe’s façade, precluded grand
statements at the level of the shady Rosedale
sidewalk. In the sturdy two-storey composition
of its front, a green etched-glass attic, which
glows like a lantern at night (and contains Stew-
art’s bedroom suite, media room and other ame-

leftDespIte tHe resIDence’s consIDeraBle

BoB gunDu

sIze, tHe front entrance to Integral

House Is InvItIng anD approprIately scaleD.

02/10 canadian architect 13

BoB gunDu

nities), rests lightly on a broad wooden and concrete base that spreads to
the narrow limits of the property. This marked modesty at street level en-
ables the house to slip unobtrusively into the neighbouring fabric, and it
creates a subdued prelude to the more robust architectural ensemble be-
yond.
Integral House shows this more formally energetic side at the rear, as it
boldly moves away from the city and steps down the steep slope of a wooded
ravine to a swimming pool and terrace. Each of the house’s levels is differ-
ent from every other, registering changes in program and in the building’s
relation to the sky and the forest on the slope. The entry level, for example,
is a high overlook, offering clear views into the descending house and its al-
ternating rhythms of grid and organic form. One level down, in the area
designated for Stewart’s musical evenings, the space majestically expands to
double height, up to a clerestory, and outward to frame views of the forest.
Descending still deeper, the visitor discovers Stewart’s ample study in a bay
of glass opening toward the bottom of the ravine.
As Stewart had specified, the geometry of the design is dominated by
curves, which are expressed eloquently in the undulating curtain wall that
encloses the middle levels of the house. The curves are purely artistic. Stew-
art said that although the curvature could be described mathematically, he
did not supply equations to make it. This wall features vertical oak-clad
fins—each one different—canted outward between panes of glass and run-
ning in a clear, undulating sweep along the façade’s curvature. A sharp, de-
cisive meeting of the glass wall and the interior flooring—a light French
limestone—has been avoided. Instead, the floor stops short of the wall in a
low curb, giving the impression that the wall continues downward past the
floor plane in a cascade of wood and glass.
While this complex façade treatment lends Integral House muscular
sculptural presence, formal elegance is only part of its artistic agenda. Its
more important task is to establish ever-changing relationships between
the interior and nature beyond. Standing in one position before the canted
fins in the performance space, the visitor finds the wall almost opaque. Step
sideways, and views open up. The inward billowing of the screen forms
small semi-enclosed harbours of nature, or, bulging outward, it creates in-
terior bays that hover over the landscape. There is no living room as such in
Integral House; intimacy is afforded by small seating areas spun out of the
downward and outward flow of interior space.
The impulse behind the fabrication of the house’s unusual perimeter
wall—to produce endless events, surprises, small and ever-unfolding aes-
thetic episodes of light and view—drives the whole design of the project,
down to such details as the custom-crafted door handles and the precise
enjambments of wood and stone. Digital imaging and automated manufac-
ture—“the computer as an aid to the soul,” Howard Sutcliffe said—saved
years of time in the design process, and empowered a kind of Arts-and-
Crafts refinement in the planning and outfitting of the house.
As one moves up and down, alongside and around the chimney, elevator
shaft and stairwell that comprise the strong vertical roots of the house, the
experience of surrounding nature changes accordingly, from treetop bright-
ness above, to the loamy shadows of the forest floor. Yet walking around
within the building itself, one finds the spatial properties of the architec-
ture also continually changing, as scales vary from monumental to small,
and as one area dissolves into another in the fluid plan. The result is an ar-
chitecture of event, more cinematic than static, with different stories—of
compact urban life, of relaxed country retreats, musical recital halls fondly
remembered—emerging from the structure’s imposing matrix of stone,
glass, concrete and wood.

pHotograpHs taken from tHe lIvIng room look-

left, top to bottom

Ing out towarD tHe ravIne DurIng tHe sprIng, summer, fall anD
wInter seasons Illustrate How cHanges In lIgHt anD colour
affect tHe InterIor spaces.

14 canadian architect 02/10

BoB gunDu

BoB gunDu
aboVe a DetaIl of tHe Brass anD wooD
HanDraIl. tHe Deep leDge Is useful for
guests to rest tHeIr Beverages upon Dur-
Ing tHe many events HosteD By tHe
clIent. aboVe right tHe precIsIon of tHe
mIlleD floorIng, wooD sHelvIng anD
oak fIns Is In evIDence tHrougHout tHe
Home. right a vIew of tHe lIvIng room,
upper lIvIng room anD DInIng room.

The marriage of concert room and private

home, however, has its problems. Perhaps inevi-
tably, the project falls into two distinct parts, one
very spacious and the other more intimate, that
are reached by two very different itineraries. As
inspiration for this bifurcated scheme, Stewart
cites Ron Thom’s Massey College at the Universi-
ty of Toronto, where he lived as a graduate stu-
dent, and where small live-in digs and large
common areas are nested comfortably close to
each other under a common roof.
The recital hall below the street-level entrance

eDwarD Burtynsky
of Integral House is approached by a graceful
stair, descending through switchbacks and stag-
es, and is wide enough to accommodate the verti-
cal circulation of large groups of invited guests.
The sense of this part of the house, despite the
presence off the main route of a kitchen and din-
ing area, is public, official and important. The 2
3
human self assumed in this space is social, part 8

of a collectivity—the community of music lovers, 1

open to
below
for example, or a lot of people gathered by some 7
6 5 4
common concern. In the house’s first year, Stew-
art reports, requests to hold fundraisers in the
recital hall have been pouring in.
On the other hand, the master bedroom com-
1 entry 5 kItcHen
plex, which occupies the top level of the house, 2 reflectIng pool 6 pantry
3 7
has about it the atmosphere of a deluxe pent- site plan
4
upper lIvIng room
DInIng room 8
garage
elevator 0
0 10M
10m

02/10 canadian architect 15

BoB gunDu

BoB gunDu

James Dow
James Dow

clocKwise from top left tHe Blue glass-

encloseD prIvate staIr By nova scotIa

glass artIst mImI gellman; ascenDIng
tHe same staIr to James stewart’s prIvate
quarters; It Is only DurIng tHe wInter
montHs wHen tHe rear of tHe House Is
revealeD tHrougH tHe trees; tHe clIent’s
lap pool—tHe glass wall Is completely
retractaBle Into tHe floor Below.

client James stewart

architect team BrIgItte sHIm anD HowarD sutclIffe (prIncIpals),
Betsy wIllIamson (proJect arcHItect), anDrew Hart, DenIse Hara-
Dem, mIke goorevIcH, kyra clarkson, saraH Iwata, elena cHer-
nysHov, tHeo kelaDItIs anD aprIl wong (moDel-makers)
structural Blackwell BowIck engIneerIng (DavID BowIck)
mechanical toews engIneerIng (frank toews)
electrical DynamIc DesIgns anD engIneerIng (tony monopolI)
landscape nak DesIgn group (roBert ng)
contractor eIsner-murray Developments Inc. (steve eIsner anD
steve murray)
code HIne reIcHarD tomlIn Inc. (Dave HIne)
fountain waterarcHItecture Inc. (Dan euser)
area 18,000 ft2
budget wItHHelD
completion fall 2008

4
5
7 6 6

8 1 3

15
16 17 18
2

10 9 14

1 entry 10 guest BatHroom

2 lIvIng room 11 cHange room 11 12 13
3 upper lIvIng room 12 pool
4 master BeDroom 13 terrace
5 Hall 14 roof garDen
6 guest room 15 mecHanIcal room
7 guest suIte 16 storage
8 garage 17 servery
9 stuDy 18 Bar

longitudinal section
00 10M
10m

16 canadian architect 02/10

house apartment or sumptuous eyrie for one in-
dividual, much like what we might expect in a
guest suite for performers installed high in a
concert hall. It is reached from the entry level by
2 3
a straight flight of steps in a dramatic stairwell 1 Hall 4
lined with deep blue glass panels crafted by artist 2 powDer room
3 elevator
Mimi Gellman, which are held to the wall with 4 master BatHroom
9 9 1
5 master BeDroom
5
custom-designed, custom-cast metal brackets. 6 roof terrace
7 meDIa room 10
The stair creates a direct, businesslike route up 8 guest BatHroom 7 6
9 guest room 8
that is unlike the grander pulse of the staircase 10 guest suIte 6

dropping to the recital hall. The result is a divi- leVel 500

sion of space that notably, but not fatally, breaks
0 10M
up the unity of the interior composition.
Another problem with Integral House—for me,
2
I should say, not for the client—is its deliberate
3
situation within the discourse of the “architec-
8
turally significant” house. In every prosperous
time and place, of course, successful people are 1 entry open to
2 reflectIng pool 1 below
occasionally struck with the Xanadu fantasy—the 3 upper lIvIng room
4 DInIng room
longing to go beyond merely providing for them- 5 kItcHen
7
6 pantry
selves comfortable places to live, to contribute 7 garage 4
8 elevator 6
something substantial to the history and culture 5

of architecture. And to be sure, Integral House leVel 400

does embody a formidable amount of advanced

0 10M
research, both formal and technical, on the part
of the architects. There are no half-measures 7

here; every cranny, angle and fixture has been

thought out with rigorous care. 10
But such dreams of building a great and exqui- 1 lIvIng room
2 famIly room 6 1
site dwelling that expresses the best thinking of 3 vestIBule
4 Bar 5 4
the age can be treacherous. The outcome might 5 servery
6 storage 6 3
be Frank Lloyd Wright’s memorable paradigm- 7 mecHanIcal room
8 launDry 7
shifting Fallingwater—but it could easily turn out 9 wasHroom 8
2
7 9
10 elevator
to be something merely grandiose, along the
leVel 300
lines of E.J. Lennox’s Casa Loma, the pseudo-
medieval Edwardian pile that glowers over down- 0 10M
town Toronto from its high perch on the St. Clair
escarpment. Because history has been invoked by
the client, history alone can be the final judge of 1

whether Integral House will be regarded by the 8 2

7
future as a masterpiece of 21st-century architec- 6

tural design, or as merely another piece of evi- 1 gallery

5
2
dence for the excesses of Toronto’s most recent 3
roof garDen
stuDy
Gilded Age. 4
5
guest BeDroom
guest BatHroom
My hunch, however, is that the impact of this 6
7
mecHanIcal room
wasHroom
4 3

deeply interesting, fastidiously researched and 8 elevator

designed building will endure long past the era of leVel 200

its construction—even if it can’t quite decide 0 10M

1
whether it’s a cultural institution or a private resi- 9

dence. In common with its venerable precedents—

Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, Mies van der Rohe’s 9 2 3
Tugendhat House, and especially Aalto’s Villa 10

Mairea come to mind—Integral House represents 8

7
an effective experimental think-through of the 1 fountaIn 6
problem of the luxury dwelling in modern times, 2 pool
3 terrace 5
and as well, a remarkable contribution to the ar- 4 exercIse room
5 wasHroom
chitecture of exuberant aesthetic gesture. ca 6 cHange room
4
7 sHower/steam room
8 sauna
9 mecHanIcal room
John Bentley Mays is an architecture critic and writes 10 elevator

regularly for The Globe and Mail. leVel 100

00 10M
10m

02/10 canadian architect 17

THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE
IS TO INVENT IT.

NOBLE ® ARCHITECTURAL SERIES

MODERN + VERSATILE + DURABLE + LEED COMPLIANT

OVER SIXTY YEARS OF EXPERTISE

IN CONCRETE PRODUCTS FOR MASONRY.

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CirCle reply Card 17
1968 Social environmental
movements take hold.
1978 Earth Day brings
awareness to Earth’s
need for continual care.
1988 1,000 communities
in America initiate
curbside recycling.
1998 EPA launches voluntary
programs for energy,
water, indoor air
quality, waste and
smart growth.
2008 U.S. Green
Building Council
member organizations
grow to 15,000.
CirCle reply Card 18
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instrumental composition
a masterfully executed addition to and
renovation of an important national
cultural facility sings with success.
proJect Royal ConseRvatoRy of MusiC telus CentRe foR
PeRfoRManCe and leaRning, toRonto, ontaRio
architect KuwabaRa Payne MCKenna bluMbeRg aRChiteCts
text elsa laM
photos eduaRd huebeR, toM aRban
20 canadian architect 02/10
Fully opened last fall, the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning
buzzes with activity. International performers grace Koerner Hall,
music students of all ages fill the studios, and the smartly dressed
mingle at receptions in lobbies overlooking the city.
The new addition, with its world-class performance venues, aca-
demic studios, and vibrant public spaces, has been almost 20 years in
the making. In 1991, the Royal Conservatory of Music commissioned
plans for a major extension to its century-old Romanesque Revival
headquarters on Bloor Street, in the heart of downtown Toronto.
toM aRban
Led by designer Marianne McKenna, Kuwabara Payne McKenna
Blumberg’s original scheme proposed a central courtyard flanked by

a 550-seat concert hall on one side and an academic wing on the other
(see CA, December 1991). When funding was finally secured in 2003, it
came with a mandate to double the capacity of the concert space. Strategies
for building on the tight urban site changed radically. “Maintaining and de-
fending the vision, riding the waves of construction challenges, detours in
financing, and client requests over [the following] six-year period,” says
McKenna, was “no small feat.”
In the resulting plan, developed by McKenna with project architect Bob
Sims, the 1,135-seat Koerner Hall dominates in area. It’s wrapped by a ser-
ies of new light-filled lobbies that look east to the Royal Ontario Museum
and south over the treed canopy of the University of Toronto’s Philoso-
pher’s Walk. On the west side, a five-storey wing houses practice and in-
structional studios, and a box office opens onto Bloor Street.
Despite its size—more than double the footprint of the 1881 historic edi-
fice (originally called McMaster Hall, now called Ihnatowycz Hall)—the re-
cent addition is a surprisingly discreet presence in the city. The bulk of its
mass is tucked out of view, and its carefully calibrated heights defer to the
heritage structure, whose turrets are still visible from down the block.
Complementing the adjacent red-brick façade and dark-grey roof of the
original building, a Spanish-slate-clad volume hovers over the transparent
glass box office entrance on Bloor Street. The understated presence gives
the facility a quietly contemporary public face. Facing Philosopher’s Walk,
eduard hueber
The undulaTing ribbon-like virTual ceiling of koerner
opposite
hall enhances The sound qualiTy of an inTimaTe concerT
space. aBove siTuaTed adjacenT To The daniel libeskind-designed
royal onTario museum, The resTored and updaTed royal
conservaTory of music brings civic grace To a secTion of
ToronTo’s busy bloor sTreeT.
an important path linking Bloor Street to the University of Toronto’s St.
George Campus, the new facility dissolves into an airy glass curtain wall and
offers a second entrance to students approaching the building from the
much-loved landscaped promenade.
The Royal Conservatory’s hybrid mandate supports both musical per-
formance and instruction. Therefore, the design strives to create physical
connections between those spheres. The key site where this occurs is a
four-storey atrium at the former basement grade, connecting the main en-
trances and spanning between old and new structures.
Open to the public, the skylit pedestrian court does triple duty as circula-
tion core, study space, and gallery for the Koerner family’s collection of an-
tique instruments. On the ground floor, an independent café presents a
convivial spot for music students to compare class notes and concert-goers
to pause over an espresso. In the distance, glass partitions face into the
studio block, affording glimpses of students heading to their lessons.
Above, walkways lead from the box office to the concert hall and bridge into
02/10 canadian architect 21
Tom arban

Ihnatowycz Hall. A series of small balconies ex-

tend from the historic stairwell, acting as mini-
stages overlooking the atrium space/circulation
spine during gala events. Remaining respectful,
all new connections were built out from window
openings in the heritage building, and even the
skylight spacing matches the quirky rhythm of
the century-old structural bays. The concert
hall’s slightly canted position in plan opens up
the atrium, inviting light to pour in from Phil-
osopher’s Walk to create an inviting court for the
broader community.
The gap between Koerner Hall and Ihnatowycz
Hall serves a key technical function: providing
the acoustic decoupling necessary to create a top-
calibre performance venue. In terms of construc-
tion, Koerner Hall is effectively a separate build-
ing. The N1 acoustic-rated structure floats on
thick rubber pads that isolate it from the rum-
bling subway which operates almost directly
below the site, and from noisy chillers for the
hockey arena next door. It’s also protected from
teaching and practice studios that could interfere
with performances.
Inside Koerner Hall, sound design is tightly
integrated into every detail. The project budget
was tight, recalls McKenna, but the client refused
to cut corners on acoustics. “They said: ‘If you
need it for acoustic reasons, you have to do it.’ ”
So, she reasoned, “we made everything acoustic.”
Working in tight collaboration with Bob Essert
of Sound Space Design and theatre consultant
Anne Minors, McKenna and Sims developed a
scheme that merges architecture and acoustics
into every aspect of the concert hall, from its
overall configuration to the treatment of each
Tom arban

surface. For instance, softly undulating plaster

sidewalls stemmed from a need to provide tex-
tured, shaped surfaces for acoustic reasons. Sims
crafted the first prototypes at home, casting plas-
ter on stretched fabric to create pillow-like
forms. To create the finished walls, burlap-lined
silicone moulds were used, giving the sidewalls a
warm, variegated look. “The panels needed to be
extremely hard and dense for acoustics, but we
wanted to give them the appearance of lightness
and softness,” says Sims. Double-layered oak
balcony fronts arose from a similar process:
they’re slightly curved and finely scraped to dis-
perse both light and sound waves, giving both the
panels and the balcony fronts a warm glow.
A soaring canopy above Koerner Hall repre-
sents the most stunning fruit of this collaborative
process. The veil of twisting oak “strings” as-
cends from the stage, forming a backdrop for the

defined by a glass roof, an ele-

top left

ganTly proporTioned aTrium disTinguish-

es The original building from The new
koerner hall. left a view from The sTage
inside koerner hall.

22 canadian architect 02/10

Tom arban
chorus at the first balcony, then rising to hover
over the audience. Conceived early in the design
by McKenna, the veil creates a virtual ceiling
floating within the larger volume of the hall.
Seven metres above this, the true ceiling provides
the necessary height to optimize acoustics. The
ribbon-like forms allow low- and mid-frequency
sound waves to pass unobstructed through to the
higher ceiling, while scattering the highest fre-
quency harmonics throughout the concert hall.
The canopy conceals such technical devices as
a sound-reflecting ceiling suspended over the
stage area (which helps musicians to hear each
other), lighting, and rigging systems. During
acoustic orchestral performances, the room
maintains a clean appearance, while devices such
as a central speaker cluster and a speech re-
inforcement speaker can be lowered into view
when needed for amplified performances.
Together with the hall’s base acoustics, the myr-
iad setups housed above the canopy allow the lo-
cation to accommodate a wide range of sounds
and performances. The opening season cele-
brates those possibilities by hosting events ran-
ging from Royal Conservatory Orchestra concerts
to appearances by legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar
and former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven
Page.
As a 1,135-seat venue, Koerner Hall fills a
unique niche in Toronto: it’s large enough to host
top-level performers, yet small enough to offer
the intimacy of a private venue. This effect is
carefully nurtured by a multitude of decisions in
the layout. Starting with a shoebox configuration,
the designers chose a mid-sized (rather than full
orchestra) stage and ensconced it firmly within
The glass-enclosed lobby space ouTside of koerner hall enlivens The
aBove, left to right
universiTy of ToronTo’s philosopher’s walk; The mulTi-level lobby space exudes boTh a
sense of grandeur and inTimacy wiTh an appropriaTe scale and level of deTail.
the space. Seats are arrayed on all sides, includ-
ing behind the stage—a move typical of classical
theatre layouts, including Toronto’s Roy Thom-
son Hall. On the upper balconies, single and
double rows of seats pack in additional views.
“There’s lots of front rows in this room,” says
Minors, noting how direct sightlines of the stage
make audiences feel more involved with the per-
formance. Curved lines—from balcony fronts to
side aisles—also contribute to a feeling of enclos-
ure that wouldn’t be present with a more recti-
linear concert hall configuration.
Links between the audience and performers
are additionally encouraged at more subtle levels.
The slightly “fishtailed” parterre layout, along
with a raked floor that becomes imperceptibly
steeper at the top, contribute to visual cues that
shorten the apparent distance between audience
and stage. This sensation is echoed in the acous-
tics of the space, which Essert describes as a
“fast” sound. “The performer doesn’t wait for the
sound, it comes back so quickly it becomes part
of their performance,” he explains. For specta-
tors, he fashioned a corresponding condition
where “the audience is immersed in the sound
without being drowned in it.”
The enthusiasm of performers and audiences
alike testifies to the successful achievement of
these effects. “[Audiences] are saying, ‘this hall
sounds so good,’” reports Mervon Mehta, artistic
director for the Conservatory. “I think really what
they’re reacting to is the visceral energy that
eduard hueber
comes off the stage and hits them; they haven’t
been hit like that before.” The intimacy of the
space and the sound force listeners to be actively
engaged with the performance; conversely, musi-
cians welcome the chance to forge connections
with an attentive audience through eye contact.
A similar merging of acoustics and architecture
informs Conservatory Hall, a secondary perform-
ance and instructional space with flexible seating
capacity for 150 patrons. Perched over the box of-
fice, the room offers a spectacular panorama
down busy Bloor Street, while being completely
insulated from the roar of traffic. The room looks
deceptively simple, but as Sims explains, “it’s
more complicated in its structure than Koerner
Hall.” To protect against external vibrations, the
team constructed Conservatory Hall as a box
within a box, with a heavy outer shell to isolate
against exterior sound, and with a light, rever-
berant inner layer to shape the sound within.
Inside the space, technical issues were solved
with relatively economical means. Soundproof
windows are formed by pairing two standard
curtain-wall systems around a generous air
space; mahogany surrounds give the assembly a
polished finish. A wooden lattice that wraps the
upper half of the room conceals inexpensive
acoustic panels and curtain tracks, and playfully
incorporates glowing glass blocks. Steel rods
stretched over heavy timber beams support the
ceiling. Recalling taut violin strings, they give a
muscular presence to the volume. As with its sib-
02/10 canadian architect 23
 1 2

4 6
5

first floor 0 10M

section—north/south

Tom arban
ground floor 0 10M aBovea modesT forecourT in fronT of The Telus cenTre for per-
formance and learning provides an appropriaTe buffer beTween
The new faciliTy and busy Traffic along bloor sTreeT.

ling space, the ceiling suggested by this structure
is deceptively low: a black scrim hides the true
acoustic ceiling, 1.5 metres above.
Other areas are similarly detailed with a quiet
elegance that sets the tone for the larger project.
The 1996-renovated Mazzoleni Hall, the facility’s
third performance space, boasts a wooden screen
that echoes textures in the newer spaces, and a
raked floor that holds the room together as a sin-
gle, clean-lined volume. The acoustics of 43 new
practice studios are precision-engineered so that
sound doesn’t travel between adjacent rooms, but
is allowed to leak out into the hallway, filling this
interstitial space with faint melodies. A section of
heritage roof thrusts into a fourth-floor elevator
vestibule in the new studio wing, giving an un-
expected close-up of grey slate shingles, a wood-
framed dormer window, and the red brick cor-
nice. Even fire hose cabinets have custom covers
in either steel or painted wood, blending into ad-
jacent walls.
The project’s most successful spaces—includ-
ing the multi-layered atrium and compact
Koerner Hall—emerged from the challenges

elevation

24 canadian architect 02/10

 1 koerner hall
2 library client royal conservaTory of music
3 lobby architect team marianne mckenna (parTner), roberT sims
9 4 vip room (associaTe in charge), dave smyThe (projecT archiTecT), meika
5 sTudio mccunn (projecT archiTecT), carolyn lee, frances lago, john
6 philosopher’s walk mesTiTo, gary yen, dan benson, krisTa clark, bill colaco,
7 back of house george friedman, erik jensen, david jesson, robin ramcharan,
5
8 classroom riTa kiriakis, lexi kolT-wagner, scoTT pomeroy, mark simpson, deb-
9 mechanical orah wang, chris wegner, norm li, clare radford, nick lim
5 acoustician sound space design wiTh aercousTics engineer-
ing lTd
theatre consultant anne minors performance consulTanTs
5 1 4 structural halcrow yolles
mechanical merber corporaTion consulTing engineers
electrical crossey engineering
5 landscape janeT rosenberg & associaTes
interiors kpmb archiTecTs
contractor pcl consTrucTors canada
8 3 costing curran mccabe ravindran ross
audiovisual engineering harmonics
architectural lighting marTin conboy lighTing design
heritage goldsmiTh borgal & company limiTed archiTecTs
2 5 area 190,000 fT2
7
Budget $110 m
6 completion sepTember 2009
5
5

section—east/west

posed by a tight site. Such was also the case with a
VIP room, located within the third-floor theatre
lobby when no space could be found elsewhere
on the floorplates. The room—like the lobby floor
it sits on—is suspended from the roof structure,
allowing for floor-to-ceiling glass walls with an
uninterrupted view of the Toronto skyline (ap-
propriate to its support system, the room is dedi-
cated to a Dr. Hun Shiu Hung). An exclusive
venue for private dinners and mid-performance
receptions at night, it’s often rented for special
a sTudenT pracTices his crafT in one of The music sTudios; The
clocKwise from Below left
events during the day such as a recent Sotheby’s
board meeting.
By encompassing a wide span of programmatic
possibilities within generous open spaces, the
Telus Centre has transformed the Conservatory
from a stuffy, no-image institution in a 19th-
century shell to a leading and visible 21st-century
hub for the arts. “It’s completely elevated our
profile not only in Canada, but in the world,” af-
firms Conservatory president Dr. Peter Simon,
who estimates that the light-filled atrium and
lobbies, acoustically magnificent concert halls,
and expanded teaching studios currently wel-
come as many as 10,000 people each week. “It’s
just an extraordinary building. And it’s some-
thing that will last for another 100 years.” ca
Elsa Lam is a PhD candidate in the Architectural
History and Theory program at Columbia University.
She currently holds a Junior Fellowship at Dumbar-
ton Oaks in Washington DC, where she is pursuing
research on the Canadian Pacific Railway’s role in
shaping Western Canadian landscapes at the turn of
the 20th century.

new faciliTy, as seen from The enTrance To philosopher’s walk; a deTail of The wood-
en fins inside koerner hall; The spanish slaTe cladding of The new addiTion conTrasTs
againsT The original red brick; inside mazzoleni hall.
Tom arban

eduard hueber
eduard hueber

eduard hueber

Tom arban

02/10 canadian architect 25

CirCle reply Card 19
crystal clear
Fumihiko maki’s First
building in canada is a
deceivingly complex
cultural building oF a
quality rarely seen in
this country.

proJect­Delegation­oF­tHe­iSMaili­iMaMat,­

ottawa,­ontario
architects­MaKi­anD­aSSoCiateS­in­CollaBora-

tion­witH­MoriYaMa­&­teSHiMa­arCHiteCtS
text­ian­CHoDiKoFF

photos­toM­arBan,­unleSS­otHerwiSe­noteD

It is a rare occurrence when the complex engi-

neering strategies and design details comprising
a building merge into a sublime architectural ex-
perience. Such is the case with the Delegation of
the Ismaili Imamat building in Ottawa. Designed
by Fumihiko Maki, the building is the veteran
Japanese architect’s first commission in Canada.
Working with Moriyama & Teshima Architects—
the architects of record—Maki and his team have
achieved an extraordinary level of resolution and
refinement throughout the building. No detail
was overlooked or overdesigned. Equally remark-
able is the commitment of His Highness the Aga
Khan, an enlightened client who understands
how architecture can become a significant testa-
ment to his efforts in global pluralism, cultural
heritage, and social and economic development—
efforts that focus on both the Islamic world and
the Ismaili diaspora.
The building’s program is relatively simple.
What is decidedly complex is the precision con-
tained within the architecture. Every joint, cor-
ner and seam is perfectly aligned—wall panels,
reveals, mullions and ventilation grilles were de-
signed with extremely low tolerances. From the
lowly floor drains in the parking garage to the
concealed hinge detail on the exterior emergency
exit doors, the building’s architectural language
is tightly edited. When discussing the construc-
tion process with Maki and Associates Design
Director Gary Kamemoto and with architects above ­a­Detail­view­oF­tHe­SanD-CaSteD­aluMinuM­lattiCeworK­inSiDe­tHe­atriuM.
from the Toronto and Ottawa offices of Moriyama
& Teshima Architects, it became clear that the When the Aga Khan was looking for a site, he site lies four metres below street level and is dif-
coordination of all aspects of the building had to wanted his building to be on a section of Sussex ficult to access, given that it is marooned to the
be diligently and diplomatically resolved with the Drive that is part of Confederation Boulevard, a north by a busy highway and off-ramps of the
contractor and numerous tradespeople. Each had 7.5-kilometre ceremonial route containing some MacDonald-Cartier Bridge and King Edward
his or her own working culture that needed to be of Canada’s most important institutions which, Avenue. Moreover, the building was restricted
meshed with the culture of design in Maki’s according to the NCC, helps “people to discover to an 11-metre height with specific setbacks on
Tokyo office. important aspects of Canada’s government, cul- either side.
The site of the Delegation building was origi- ture, heritage, landscape and relations with Because of the height restrictions, Maki and
nally owned by the National Capital Commission other nations of the world.” The site eventually his team adopted a horizontal approach to the
(NCC), a Crown corporation entrusted with the chosen was a tight one-hectare leftover parcel of building’s massing and sought to frame views of
management of federal lands and buildings. land adjacent to the Saudi Arabian embassy. The several significant elements nearby, such as the

02/10­­canadian architect ­27

Ottawa River to the west, and both Old City Hall and the Gatineau Hills to
the north.
From the outset of the project’s announcement in 2002, His Highness the
Aga Khan stipulated that the building must contain a material palette that
would range from clear to translucent—an architectural language that would
serve to describe his organization’s work in the public realm. Moreover, the
architecture had to capture the Islamic spirit, but not in a slavish manner.
The Delegation building is intended to represent the Aga Khan’s institu-
tional network comprising a range of non-denominational, philanthropic
and development agencies that constitute the Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN). Open to the public every Saturday, not only does the
28­canadian architect­02/10
­tHe­qualitY­oF­ligHt­in­tHe­atriuM­iS­MoDulateD­BY­woven­
top
glaSS-FiBre­MeSH,­aluMinuM­SCreenS­anD­winDowS­along­tHe­
gallerY.­ above, leFt to right­tHe­Front­elevation­FaCing­SuSSex­Drive;­
tHe­two­Separate­wingS­oF­tHe­BuilDing­are­ClearlY­viSiBle­
wHen­vieweD­FroM­a­nearBY­reSiDential­tower.
building serve in a quasi-diplomatic capacity for the Aga Khan, but it allows
the public to learn from and engage in the AKDN’s activities, which are
broadly divided into three areas: economic development, social develop-
ment, and culture.
While the symbolic entrance to the building is on Sussex Drive, the main
entrance is off Boteler Street. Two rectangular-
shaped wings encase an exterior and interior
courtyard. The exterior courtyard was designed
around the concept of the chahar-bagh, a tradi-
tional Islamic garden. The interior courtyard or
atrium space is contained beneath a structural
steel and glazed roof that the Aga Khan mandated
to serve as the metaphorical equivalent of a rock
crystal “because of its translucency, its multiple
planes, and the fascination with its colours.”
Wrapping the two courtyards with administrative,
educational and residential program serves to
create an inner sanctuary protected from the out-
side world. To lift the Delegation building to a
level that is more in line with Sussex Drive, its
brilliantly white base sits atop a large granite
plinth.
When His Highness the Aga Khan opened the
building in December 2008, he stated that his
intention for the building was “to share, within a
western setting, the best of Islamic life and heri-
tage.” Similar to the Ismaili Centre (designed by
Charles Correa) and the Aga Khan Museum (also
designed by Fumihiko Maki) to be built in To-
ronto, the Delegation building is supposed to re-
flect the Aga Khan’s conviction that “buildings
can do more than simply house people and pro-
grams. They can also reflect our deepest values,
as great architecture captures esoteric thought in
physical form.”
To achieve the immaculately white exterior of
the building, Maki’s office selected 26-mm thick
panels of white Neopariés—a versatile material
comprised of crystallized glass beads that, when
compressed into slabs, resembles marble. Unlike
its stone counterpart, Neopariés has the ability to
maintain its colour and appearance over time—an
important quality given the building’s proximity
to the heavily salted wintry roads adjacent to the
site. Furthermore, the extremely smooth glass-
based panels don’t absorb water and are highly
reflective. When visiting the building late last
summer, the sunlight reflecting off the building’s
exterior panels was blinding at close range.
Nevertheless, the building contains significant top­SuSpenDeD­woven­glaSS-FiBre­SCreenS­are­inStalleD­on­a­Diagonal­axiS­relative­to­
amounts of natural material: blue lapis lazuli tHe­glaSS­rooF­aBove­to­Create­a­DYnaMiC­arraY­oF­SHaDowS­on­tHe­Maple­Floor.­
from Namibia graces the outside terrace, Croa- above­tHe­exterior­anD­interior­CourtYarDS­CoMpriSe­two­inner­SanCtuarieS­witHin­tHe­

tian limestone is used throughout the exterior aDMiniStrative­anD­eDuCational­wingS­oF­tHe­Delegation­BuilDing.

courtyard, and volcanic basaltina can be found
upon entry. Much of the material used for the
panelling, flooring, millwork and furniture is a
light-coloured maple. An interesting feature
contained within the atrium’s maple floor is the
incorporation of the number 49, symbolizing the
Aga Khan himself, who is the 49th Ismaili Imam.
Although the building is 11 metres in height,
there was one variance required, and that was for
the rock crystal-inspired glass roof which reach-
es an apex of 17 metres. Engineered largely by
John Kooymans of the firm Halcrow Yolles, the
complex roof structure is comprised of a woven
glass-fibre fabric pulled tight and suspended be-
neath the roof on a diagonal axis, thereby provid-
ing an asymmetrical composition for the atrium.
The roof spans 25 metres and had to be strong
enough to support over 40 tonnes of glass, plus
the heavy wind and snow loads typical of a city
like Ottawa. The structural solution achieved a
grid of thin-profile solid steel bars braced with
tension rods and assembled with friction bolts.
The entire glass roof is suspended by a ring beam
running the entire perimeter of the interior
courtyard, resulting in a structure that appears to
float in position. Eliminating the clumsiness of
an aluminum frame system, the glass skin is
completely integrated with the steel structure.
The panels are constructed using three layers of
low-iron glass and include a ceramic frit to filter
sunlight. Even though the architects were given a
lot of time to design and build the project, the
only glazing manufacturers capable of fabricating
the glass roof—Gartner Steel and Glass GmbH of
Germany—initially required over two years to
build the 657 components. Since the roof needed
to be assembled in less than a year, Kamemoto

02/10­­canadian architect ­29

 10 10 10 10 10

11

11

8 5

second Floor­ 0 25M

7 5
6

4 3 1

1 2

5
4

ground Floor­ 0 25m

25M
1­entranCe­ 7­SeMinar­rooM­
2­atriuM­ 8­BoarD­rooM­
3­CourtYarD­ 9­exeCutive­oFFiCeS­
4­gallerY­ 10­vip­SuiteS
5­oFFiCe­ 11­voiD
top­looKing­up­towarD­tHe­BalConY­oF­
6­reSourCe­liBrarY­
tHe­vip­Suite­on­tHe­SeConD­Floor.­ above­
tHe­garDen­oF­tHe­exterior­CourtYarD­
ConveYS­a­SenSe­oF­enCloSure.

9
1­weSt­entranCe­
2­atriuM­
8 3­CourtYarD­
2 4­eaSt­entranCe­
5­StaFF­oFFiCe­
6 6­parKing
7­MeCHaniCal­rooM
8­reSourCe­liBrarY­
9­vip­Suite­

north-south section 0 25M

5
3

4
2 1

7 6

east-West section 0
0 25M
25m

30­canadian architect­02/10
 ay
Hw
Hig
arD
g eDw
Kin

carti er BriDge
MacDonalD-

SuSSex Drive

et
re
St
ler
te
Bo
eMBaSSy of
tHe KSa

ottawa
river

site plan 00 100m

100M

visited the glazing manufacturer to convince them of the design concept

and to facilitate their intrinsic involvement with the project, all the while
helping them to develop a streamlined approach to expedite the construc-
tion process.
Beneath the glass roof, Islamic-inspired lattice screens constructed of
lightweight sand-casted aluminum add another dimension to the visual
clarity and translucency contained in the design brief. They are meant to
evoke carved marble and wood screens found in traditional Islamic archi-
tecture. Custom Aluminum Foundry, a company that normally makes cast-
ings for machine parts, fabricated the 180 panels that comprise these lattice
screens.
It took seven to eight years to complete the Delegation building. Ka-
memoto, who has spent his 25 years as an architect working solely at Maki
and Associates, led the project and flew to Ottawa nearly 40 times to see the
building through to its completion. Members of Moriyama & Teshima’s de-
sign team were on site almost every day, with Norman Jennings managing
the coordination process within the office, Po Ma working through the de-
tails, and Louis Lortie coordinating the overall project’s construction.
Maki’s design for the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat demonstrates an top­DeSCriBeD­aS­a­“roCK­CrYStal,”­tHree­laYerS­oF­low-iron­glaSS­
astute interpretation of the client’s requirement for a building that symbol- Set­atop­a­StruCtural­Steel­FraMe­ConStitute­tHe­BuilDing’S­MoSt­
DYnaMiC­arCHiteCtural­Feature.­ above­worKerS­Move­to­inStall­
izes the activities of the Aga Khan and the AKDN. We can only hope that one­oF­tHe­657­glaSS­unitS­uSeD­For­tHe­atriuM’S­rooF.
such dedication to architecture continues to exist in more clients, and that
the efforts of the architects, engineers, and trades involved in this project
continue to inspire more buildings of similar quality. ca

client­iMara­(SuSSex­Drive)­liMiteD
architect team­MaKi­anD­aSSoCiateS:­FuMiHiKo­MaKi,­garY­KaMeMoto,­Kota­KawaSaKi,­tatSutoMo­
HaSegawa,­iSao­iKeDa,­MaKoto­otaKe.­MoriYaMa­&­teSHiMa­arCHiteCtS:­teD­teSHiMa,­DiarMuiD­naSH,­
norMan­JenningS,­po­Ma,­louiS­lortie,­eMManuelle­van­rutten,­aManDa­gilBert,­ronen­Bauer,­JoHn­
BlaKeY,­SHawn­geDDeS,­roY­gill,­Joni­inouYe,­aJon­MoriYaMa,­FarHaD­raHBarY,­HanY­riZKalla,­SuSana­
SaiZ,­eliaS­SaouD,­CHriS­Yen.
planning team­MoriYaMa­&­teSHiMa­plannerS­(Drew­wenSleY,­tara­MCCartHY,­eriC­Klaver)
structural­HalCrow­YolleS
mechanical­tHe­MitCHell­partnerSHip
electrical­MulveY­&­Banani
landscape­MoriYaMa­&­teSHiMa­plannerS
interiors­MaKi­anD­aSSoCiateS­in­CollaBoration­witH­MoriYaMa­&­teSHiMa­arCHiteCtS
contractor­pCl­ConStruCtorS­CanaDa­inC.
lighting­SuZanne­powaDiuK­DeSign­inC.­
acoustical­aerCouStiCS­engineering­ltD.­
Food service­DeSign.net­
code­leBer­ruBeS­
costing­Curran­MCCaBe­ravinDran­roSS­inC.
architectural speciFications­DgS­ConSulting­ServiCeS­
planning­lloYD­pHillipS­&­aSSoCiateS­ltD.
traFFic and civil­DelCan­Corporation­
microclimate, Wind and snoW­rowan­williaMS­DaviS­anD­irwin­inC.­(rwDi)­
environmental and geotechnical­golDer­aSSoCiateS­ltD.
audio/visual­engineering­HarMoniCS
area­8,916­M2­
budget­witHHelD
completion­DeCeMBer­2008
atrium north-south section 0 10m
10M

02/10­­canadian architect ­31

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calendar

High Performance: Evolution formal environments, and health

and Innovation in Canadian
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January 20-March 7, 2010 This exhi­
bition at the Charles H. Scott Gallery
at the Emily Carr University of Art +
Design in Vancouver features a se­
lection of design products from the
field of sports and recreation.
Peter Buchanan lecture
March 1, 2010 Vancouver architect
Peter Buchanan delivers a Carleton
University Forum lecture at 6:00pm
at the National Gallery in Ottawa.
and wellness in relation to play.
Fundamentals of Biocontain-
ment lab design & Project
Management
March 24, 2010 Participants will
come away with a basic understand­
ing of the vocabulary, concepts,
processes, standards, numbers,
types of equipment, and furniture
(as applicable) involved in bio­
containment laboratory design and
project management.
www.tradelineinc.com/conferences/

Projects, competitions and Vincent James lecture

Methods
March 11, 2010 Luis Callejas of
Paisajes Emergentes in Medellín,
Colombia delivers this lecture at
6:30pm at the Waterloo School of
Architecture in Cambridge.
March 25, 2010 This lecture at Dal­
housie University’s Faculty of
Architecture and Planning will be
delivered at 7:00pm by Vincent
James of Vincent James Associates
Architects in Minneapolis.

communicating Vessels Fantastic norway lecture

March 18, 2010 Neil Spiller, architect
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March 18-19, 2010 Taking place at
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02/10 canadian architect 33

BackPage
troP de Bleu
A young Quebec Architect mAkes A temporAry but definitive
mArk on the striking lAndscApe of the Îles-de-lA-mAdeleine.
teXt leslie Jen
PhotoS olivier bourgeois And serge boudreAu
In existence for only two brief months from Au-
gust to October of 2009, Trop de Bleu was a highly
evocative installation that paid homage to the
landscape and community of Îles-de-la-Made-
leine in Quebec’s Gulf of St. Lawrence. Inspired
by the poetry of the landscape, architect Olivier
Bourgeois created five separate structures re-
flecting the seemingly endless horizon and the
water surrounding this archipelago. And apart
from the obvious self-referencing of the installa-
tion’s colour, the title Trop de Bleu refers to the
vast expanse of the intensely blue water that sur-
rounds the islands.
Stretching alongside a bicycle and pedestrian
path along the water’s edge, the horizontal angu-
lar forms were constructed of recycled wood
studs sheathed in fibreglass and painted cerulean
blue. Large photographic images were applied to
the surfaces, as were brief bits of inspirational
text. While Bourgeois can take credit for the orig-
inating concept, the finished work was the result
of a highly collaborative process that included vi-
34 canadian architect 02/10
sual artist Annie Landry and photographer Serge
Boudreau. A great deal of consultation was also
undertaken with local fishermen, whose fibre-
glass boat-building techniques were employed in
the fabrication of the structures. This young ar-
chitect is especially proud of Trop de Bleu, as it
marks the very first project that he independently
led from concept through to construction.
Part of the inspiration for this work was Bour-
geois’s postgraduate experience in Scandinavia.
Upon graduation from Université Laval’s archi-
tecture program in 2006, a prize from the Ordre
des Architectes du Québec enabled him to spend
two months working and researching in Sweden,
after which he spent six months at the office of
ex-pat Canadian architect Todd Saunders (see
CA, February 2006) in Bergen, Norway. From this
experience, Bourgeois learned invaluable lessons
about the power of landscape in the design pro-
cess in a Nordic context, lessons which he has
deployed in his native country.
The end of this project’s short, sweet life was
aBoVe Trop de Bleu’s team members revel
in the breathtaking island landscape.
BottoM, leFt to right inspirational quotes
such as this one by nietzsche form an
integral part of the work; five horizon-
tally oriented structures line the path;
the surface texture of Trop de Bleu
reveals the incorporation of local
fibreglass boat-building techniques.
precipitated by a raging autumn storm. With
winds gusting up to 120 kilometres per hour, the
largest of the five structures came crashing down.
The design team took this as a cue to dismantle
the remainder of Trop de Bleu, returning the land-
scape to its original condition; a metaphor for the
fleeting quality of life. ca
Olivier Bourgeois is currently working for architect Éric
Pelletier, but is actively engaged in a number of inde­
pendent projects. House 2G—also located on the Îles­
de­la­Madeleine—is nearing completion, and two
other residences are under construction in Quebec City.
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2010 L K J I H G F E D C B A