ENGLISH and ARCHITECTURE
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ENGLISH and ARCHITECTURE 1 This book is dedicated to all architecture students and professionals participating in the English and Architecture program offered by SKOPE Educational Travel. Bruce Kuwabara, a founder of KPMB, one of Toronto’s most respected architectural practices and one of the offices visited during the English and Architecture program, notes that “As the city is intensified, we need to design the bases of mixed-use developments with tall towers in ways that ensure ground floor animation, lively corners, and the formation of streets and public spaces. Even if every tower were an icon for the market place - and they are not — the responsibility of the base is to integrate with the city; that’s where buildings meet and form the public domain of the city.” We hope the architecture you see in Toronto inspires you the way it inspires us. SKOPE Educational Travel 2 SKOPE TORONTO ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM INTRODUCTION TO TORONTO Canada has 10 provinces and three territories, and a population of just over 35 million. Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario and Canada’s largest city (population 2.8 million). Toronto was founded as a military garrison to protect the region against attack from the United States. Later, the city had roles as a manufacturing, financial, and cultural centre and became one of the most multicultural cities in the world. TORONTO’S LOCATION & NATURAL FEATURES • north shore of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes dividing the U.S. from Canada • there are three rivers: Humber in the west, Don in the centre, and Rouge in the east • ravines throughout the city were carved out by the rivers and streams (some now gone) • natural harbour is formed by the Toronto Islands • forests provided wood, and because most of the city had been under water until approximately 12,00 years ago there was clay for brickmaking everywhere • Toronto has not had stone quarries; all stone in the city has been imported from elsewhere in Ontario, other provinces, the U.S.A., or overseas • Lake Ontario affects the climate: Toronto is warmer in winter & cooler in summer than it would otherwise be at this latitude • winters are cold (around -10C during the day, but cold windy days can feel like -30ºC) • there’s usually snow on the ground from late December to late February/early March • summers are hot (around 27ºC during the day, but hot humid days can feel like over 35ºC) • building materials must be able to tolerate these extremes in temperature • roofs must be strong enough to support many kilograms of snow PRE-EUROPEAN HISTORY • last Ice Age ended in this region approximately 13,000 years ago • beginning 10,500-11,000 years ago, aboriginal people began to populate Ontario • by approximately 8,000 years ago the climate had warmed to near present-day temperatures • approximately 1,400 years ago the people living in this region began farming and stopped their constant travel for food • various aboriginal tribes and nations have lived here in the centuries since then www.skope.ca 3 EUROPEAN GOODS & CONTACT • first Europeans reached this area in the 1600s • French priests began to undermine the beliefs and social structures of the tribes people, and this generated serious divisions within communities • after 1720, the French had trading posts in present-day Toronto and established relationships with the First Nations • after 1763 the British ruled this region, including Toronto • in 1787 the British government paid the First Nation living here then cash and goods to acquire Toronto for settlement by Europeans (this became known as the Toronto Purchase) • in the early 21st century, the city is still home to a large First Nations population FOUNDING OF THE TOWN • the lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (as Southern Ontario was called) was John Graves Simcoe; he established a naval base & military garrison here • in 1793, Simcoe founded a town here and replaced the native name of Toronto with York (the name Toronto was returned in 1834 when the Town of York became the City of Toronto) 1800s & 1900s TORONTO • Americans invaded the town during the War of 1812, but peace returned in 1815 • large waves of British immigrants came in search of better lives in the face of the financial and social turmoil after the end of the Napoleonic wars and the dislocations caused by Great Britain’s industrializing and modernizing economy • by 1901, about 8% of Toronto’s 208,000 people were of non-British origin (this included people from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Asia, and Russia) • the harbour – and railways after 1851 – made the city an attractive place for manufacturing because of the access to the rest of Canada, the U.S. and the Atlantic • Toronto became a prosperous manufacturing centre: well into the 1900s, every kind of product was made here including furniture, clothing, housewares, electronics, farm equipment, beer, whiskey, and cars • factories and warehouses of all sizes were built throughout the downtown and along railway lines leading out of the city • in the late 1800s, new technologies including electricity, elevators, and steel construction made taller, larger buildings possible www.skope.ca 4 TORONTO’S ARCHITECTURE RECOMMENDED RESOURCES: WEBSITES & BOOKS WEBSITES Always consider the qualifications of the writer or organization publishing a web site: universities and governments are often the best sources. Sites on which anyone can submit and edit entries (Wikipedia is just one example) are often superficial and sometimes incorrect – especially with respect to Toronto’s architecture. Below is a list of good web sites dealing with local architecture. City of Toronto (http://www1.toronto.ca) The City’s website includes its policies that affect architecture and urban design. At the top of the home page, search “Green Roofs” “Tall Buildings” “Design Review Panel” “Streetscape Manual” “Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study” for details. Canadian Architect (https://www.canadianarchitect.com/) This profusely-illustrated monthly magazine is for architects and related professionals practicing in Canada. It’s an invaluable source of information on contemporary architecture in Canada, and is accessible online (scroll to the bottom of the home page). Urban Toronto (http://urbantoronto.ca/) Toronto’s largest website focusing on condos, architecture, urban development, and real estate. Lots of information on buildings under construction. Toronto Society of Architects (http://www.torontosocietyofarchitects.ca) The TSA is a volunteer-based organization comprised of architects, other designers, and anyone interested in architecture and urban issues. They offer lectures and walking tours, and some of their events may take place while you’re in Toronto. torontoist (http://torontoist.com) Examines “the physical shape of the city as it grows and changes, the political and civic developments which provide it with direction, the culture which animates its public spaces, and the history which got it to this point.” www.skope.ca 5 spacing (http://spacingtoronto.ca) From the site itself: “Topics like public transit, urban design, public art, community planning, and sustainable development.” There is also a great hardcopy magazine available in bookstores. Toronto Urban Design Awards (http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/ contentonly?vgnextoid=76727492f49a1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD) These awards are given every other year to acknowledge the significant contribution that architects, landscape architects, urban designers, artists, design students, and city builders make to the look and livability of the city. Toronto Life (http://torontolife.com/category/real-estate/) This magazine covers many local topics, but this is the link for its real estate section which always has details and excellent photographs of houses and condos for sale. It will give you a good idea of what’s being built and sold in Toronto. Doors Open Toronto (www.toronto.ca/doorsopen) Nearly 150 buildings of all ages and types open their doors to the public during the last weekend in May each year. The website has small photographs and information on each building. TOBuilt (www.tobuilt.ca) This searchable database has contemporary photographs and basic information about buildings and certain other structures in Toronto. Ontario Architecture (http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/Terms.html) This is an excellent and accessible website profusely illustrated with examples (many in Toronto). It includes a helpful illustrated glossary. It was developed by Shannon Kyles, an architectural history instructor at Mohawk College. Heritage Toronto (www.heritagetoronto.org) HT is an arms-length City agency and charity that celebrates, interprets, and provides education on Toronto’s cultural, architectural, archaeological and natural heritage. The web site provides information on heritage issues and events, maps locating historic plaques, and free weekend walking tours from late April to early October. www.skope.ca 6 BOOKS Goodfellow, Philip & Margaret. A Guidebook to All of the following books are available through the Contemporary Architecture in Toronto. Vancouver: Toronto Public Library (TPL), which has 100 branches Douglas & McIntyre, 2010. throughout the city. You don’t need a library card to • compact illustrated guide to significant buildings visit a branch to browse or read. Searching the online constructed between 1992 & 2010 catalogue (www.torontopubliclibrary.ca) provides access to online resources and hardcopy materials Mays, John Bentley. Emerald City: Toronto Visited.