“A rare approach towards bringing a heritage building back to life” – Holcim Awards Jury

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    Project entry 2014 North America – Heritage Reframed: University building renovation and extension, Toronto, ON, Canada

    The new wing engages its counterpart through a tripartite section of renovated office space, flexible auditorium and new design studios/workshops. These zones are linked by circulation, seating and aperture elements that intensify the building’s use and expand its influence into the landscape. Using the logic of the Firth of Forth Bridge, the new roof is shaped to create opportunities for stormwater collection, stack ventilation, radiant cooling and daylighting of the large studio floor plate.

This project was applauded for its rare approach towards bringing a heritage building back to life through new construction, one respectful of the existing structure, while introducing new spatial qualities to the entire ensemble. Here, a dialog is established between the past and the present, for an educational facility directed toward the future – a dialog most clearly expressed in the sequence of spaces at the intersection of the “new” and the “old”. 

Last updated: June 30, 2014 Cambridge, MA, USA

This project was applauded for its rare approach towards bringing a heritage building back to life through new construction, one respectful of the existing structure, while introducing new spatial qualities to the entire ensemble. Here, a dialog is established between the past and the present, for an educational facility directed toward the future – a dialog most clearly expressed in the sequence of spaces at the intersection of the “new” and the “old”. Additionally, the jury greatly respects the efforts undertaken to integrate environmental principles in the development of the design, without falling into the pitfalls and clichés of “sustainability”. On the contrary, new standards for architecture are confidently brought to the fore.