Institutional

Passive House poised for institutional uptake

Passive House, a voluntary standard for achieving extremely energy-efficient buildings, appears to be poised for wider uptake in institutional projects.

Public-safety facility co-locates first responders

Cambie Fire Hall No. 3 and Richmond North Ambulance Station is the first in a major B.C. city to bring fire and ambulance services under one roof.

Dialog design brings dance to the street

For Decidedly Jazz Danceworks’ (DJD) new space, design firm Dialog was challenged to take the spirit of jazz and translate it into the design realm.

Singhmar Centre supports diversity

Opened in September 2017, NorQuest College's new Singhmar Centre for Learning in Edmonton just may be Canada's most diverse and supportive college.

World’s tallest mass timber tower

At 18 storeys and 53 metres in height, Brock Commons Tallwood House in Vancouver is currently the world's tallest mass timber tower.

Fostering social justice at Adler University

The design of Adler University's new Vancouver campus is a bold and effective expression of the school’s mission, vision and values.

Albion Library first with trans-friendly signage

The new Albion Library, opened earlier this summer, is the first of Toronto’s 102 branches to introduce gender-neutral washrooms.

Bergeron Centre a model for fully integrated BIM

The use of building information modelling to develop the Bergeron Centre at York University earned the project a Canada BIM Council award.

Library facility reads like ‘fragment’ of its landscape

The new Waterdown Library and Civic Centre is designed to read like a ‘fragment’ of the Niagara Escarpment over which it cantilevers.

Student ServiceHub earns ARIDO award

Ryerson University's new Student ServiceHub has just earned an Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) award of excellence.

Standing desks raise student participation

A landmark study found that standing desks raised student participation in elementary schools, as classrooms apply lessons from office environments.

Transforming the Queensway Transit Exchange

A new transit bus exchange in Kelowna, B.C. is a visually stunning example of what is possible when it comes to budget constrained public buildings.

UBC library facility takes a page from Harvard

UBC has taken a page from Harvard with its newly opened Library PARC facility, using a model that extends the shelf life of books from 30 years to 300.

Inside the transformation of Halifax’s Pier 21

Halifax’s Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 has reopened following a $30-million capital and thematic expansion.

Arts facilities play starring role in revitalization

St. Catharines has cast the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre to play a starring role in the revitalization of the city’s downtown.

The RCMP’s new Nova Scotia headquarters

The design of the RCMP's new Nova Scotia headquarters reconciles its requirements of internal security and external accountability.

MacOdrum Library’s novel redesign wins award

Diamond Schmitt Architects' dramatic $27-million redesign of Carleton University’s MacOdrum Library earned a 2015 Library Building Award on July 7.