Ontario architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about ontario architecture

Project • By Moriyama Teshima ArchitectsPrivate Houses

Infinity House

Infinity House, a private residence located on the shoreline of Lake Ontario, is intended to be a gathering place to bring together the family and friends of the owners—a couple entering retirement after substantial careers. Thoughtfully crafted at every level, this custom-designed home provides for an elegant lifestyle of comfort, while simultaneously accomplishing an unpretentious, modern design that respects the environment and architecturally celebrates the historically significant natural landscape of the Niagara region building site.  Riley Snelling Riley Snelling The name Infinity House is inherently inspired by the impressive panorama of the waterfront, existing as a humbling piece of artwork that is framed by... More

Project • By Moriyama Teshima ArchitectsUniversities

McMaster Uni LSBB Renovation + New Greenhouse

The renovation of McMaster University’s Life Sciences Biology Building (LSBB) involved a multi-phased refurbishment of the original brutalist LSBB (first constructed in the 1970s), with the addition of a state-of-the-art, 11,400 SF Greenhouse with connecting labs, study spaces, and other amenities. This renovation has successfully integrated the new greenhouse with the pre-existing building, while simultaneously fulfilling additional objectives of the university, including operational efficiency, student experience, and sustainability, among others. The renewal of this critical facility has established the Department of Biology as a vital part of the entry sequence to the Hamilton campus, existing as a thoughtfully designed and durabl... More

NewsNews • 5 Dec 2024

Fonseka Studio crafts warm and uplifting medical clinic space in Cambridge, Ontario

In Cambridge, Ontario, the Galt Health family medical clinic seeks to reimagine the healthcare experience. Cambridge-based Fonseka Studio has renovated a space in a standard office building, creating a warm, empathetic, and uplifting environment for both patients and staff alike. The clinic’s design focuses attention on well-being: a careful choice of materials, a pragmatic approach to layout, and an emphasis on natural light instills a feeling of calm throughout. Riley Snelling “The design was shaped by insights from doctors, staff, and community members who emphasized the importance of daylight, views, and a sense of openness in making medical spaces more humane,” says Fonseka Studio. Patient rooms have been pl... More

NewsNews • 19 Nov 2024

Dubbeldam Architecture + Design creates characterful and multi-generational lakeside wooden cottage in Ontario

Toronto-based multidisciplinary design studio Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has created a characterful and multi-generational wooden cottage on the banks of Lake Catchacoma in Ontario, Canada. The one-story Catchacoma Cottage is made up of three distinct volumes unified beneath a single roof with steep sloping rooflines. Riley Snelling Dubbeldam Architecture + Design Catchacoma Cottage sits in an opening in a mature woodland; occupying the site where a previous structure once stood, its construction minimizes any environmental impact. When designing the contemporary abode, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design drew inspiration from the site’s sloping topography — rising from the water’s edge, it envelops the... More

Project • By Moriyama Teshima ArchitectsPrimary Schools

Trinity College School Learning Commons

The Trinity College School campus is made up of old neo-gothic brick and stone buildings dating from the late 1800s, and woven together with buildings built throughout the 1900s. The primary goal of the Learning Commons Project was to create a space that supports and encourages multiple learning styles: social learning, individual study, group study, group projects, one-on-one guidance, and classroom instruction. With this in mind, and to accommodate a growth in space needs, an underused courtyard near the heart of the campus was enclosed to create a new Student Commons space. Scott Norsworthy Scott Norsworthy Scott Norsworthy A large new lower lounge space was designed to be flexible in order to accommodate various student,... More

Project • By FantechStudent Housing

The Quad at York — Phase II

Nestled at the north edge of Toronto is York University. The university has resided in the area since 1959 and now enrolls 53,000 students on average annually, with 300,000 alumni worldwide. York U ranks #4 in Maclean’s Education 2024 standings for “Canada’s Best Comprehensive Universities” slotting just behind Waterloo and ahead of Carleton. For such a prestigious and well-known university, adequate student housing would help this continuing trend of success. Courtesy of The Quad at York University As a result, York University opened The Quad at York, a mixed-use building, in 2018. Phase II opened in October of 2022. Phase II of The Quad features many of the same benefits as Phase I. Both are mixed-use facilit... More

NewsNews • 12 Feb 2021

Fold House conceals an impressive structural system while revealing spectacular spaces

On a residential property in Southern Ontario, Fold House by PARTISANS gently ‘folds’ itself into the contours of the surrounding hillside. With a green roof blurring the edges between landscape and building, an impressive structural system affords wide spans and spectacular spaces. PARTISANS A total of two storeys, the wood and steel structure features an eighty-foot long by ten-foot-tall sliding glass façade that allows for panoramic views from the home’s nestled vantage point. The undulating structure further disguises a ninety-foot structural steel which supports a floating canopy at the front of the building. PARTISANS The façade and the interior both make use of a compression-bent wood. Typi... More