On October 18, The Architect’s Newspaper’s Facades+ conference series returns to Toronto. The conference will be co-chaired by Ted Watson and Jeanne Ng, partner and senior principal, respectively, at MJMA Architecture & Design. Hosted at the Hyatt Regency, the conference includes a Methods & Materials Gallery, showcasing cutting-edge building products, as well as a symposium room, which will hold eight expert-led presentations throughout the day.
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Ace Hotel Toronto: Toward Simplicity, Sustainability, and Urbanism
The day begins with a presentation of Shim Sutcliffe’s Ace Hotel Toronto. Brigitte Shim, the firm’s founding partner, and Alex Lukachko, assistant professor at the University of Toronto, will discuss the hotel’s design in relation to the industrial context of the surrounding downtown neighborhood as well as technical considerations related to material selection, thermal performance, and durability.
Tower Renewal: High Performance Envelopes for More Equitable Homes
The next session highlights ERA Architects’s energy retrofit work, specifically the firm’s passive-house renovation of Ken Soble Tower in Hamilton, Ontario. Impressively, the retrofit was conducted without needing to vacate the affordable senior home, protecting its vulnerable residents. Ya’el Santopinto and Graeme Stewart, principals at ERA Architects, will discuss how this project can act as a model for future energy conversions and how it has already informed new projects.
Solving Toronto’s Housing Crisis: Delivering Sustainable, Cost-Effective, and Beautiful Homes
In a roundtable session, Daniel Ling, principal at Montgomery Sisam Architects, Danny Bartman, partner at LGA Architectural Partners, and Michael Faustini, project director at Pomerleau, will discuss how each of their firms are experimenting with new techniques in sustainable facade design, including passive house, prefabrication, mass timber, and energy retrofit projects. These cutting-edge methods are utilized to deliver housing in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, all while improving the quality and aesthetic beauty of Toronto’s built environment, aspect of the city which has been ignored in the rush to building housing.
Inside Out: Expressive Facades Across Toronto
Looking broadly at their firm’s recent work in Toronto, Doron Meinhard and Michael Conway, associate partners at Hariri Pontarini Architects, will consider the many important—yet often conflicting—factors that drive building envelope design, including environmental performance, cost efficiency, aesthetic beauty, and urban cohesion.
University of Toronto Academic Wood Tower
The day will conclude with a presentation of University of Toronto’s Academic Wood Tower. Ted Watson, partner at MJMA Architecture & Design, Ryan Going, project manager at Pomerleau, and Graham Finch, principal at RDH Building Science, will discuss the complexities of building tall timber structures, as well as the sustainability benefits this new typology imparts. The tower was developed by a team that includes Patkau Architects, MJMA, and Blackwell Structural Engineers.
