Coordinator(s)
When architecture is at its best…you're coming up with something that is pure fiction.
--Bjarke Ingels
Founded on the shores of Lake Ontario, Toronto’s relationship to the water’s edge has a long and complex history. Depending on circumstances, the waterfront found itself serving the needs of industry, infrastructure, politics and real estate until finally a combination of opportunism and indifference severed the city’s historical connection to the lake. Fortunately, over the last thirty years things have begun to change. New design strategies to reclaim the water’s edge have taken hold and the city is
committed to creating an urban fringe where public amenity and nature can finally begin to meet. Condominiums may increasingly dominate Toronto’s skyline but the soul of the city can once again be experienced in its urban connection to its watery origins.
Arch 493 may be considered a somewhat non-traditional studio in that the assignments are highly prescriptive and there will be a serious inquiry into issues of architectural imagination, sustainability, comfort and material assembly. We are taking this approach because we believe these issues generate authenticity, character and quality in buildings and bring discipline to any architectural pursuit. We would also like to remind you that the “important” buildings that designers make an effort to visit, photograph, and even memorize, begin as great architectural ideas that survive the difficult and complex process of being built! Their ideas survive despite the inevitable constraints, scrutiny and challenges offered by budgets, clients, building codes and construction techniques. Our hope is to bring some of the richness, complexity, and depth of this process into the studio.
