Unfurling the outskirts: Canada's new spirit emerges from prosperity, social democracy and environmental consciousness

Architectural Review, The, Oct, 2004 by Brian Carter, Annette Lecuyer

During the last decade, architecture in Canada has prospered. A growing population and an increasingly strong economy, that has outperformed the rest of the world since the late 1990s, have prompted significant changes and the need for new buildings designed to accommodate a range of uses. Although frequently portrayed by images of spectacular natural landscapes empty but for an isolated cabin or single canoe, Canada has become increasingly urban, with 78 per cent of its population now living in cities. These cities are also widely recognized as good places to live in--Vancouver has been consistently highly ranked in global surveys of the most desirable cities and, along with Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal, was recently included in the top 10 cities in the world with regard to standards of health. (1)

Much of Canada's new architecture is located in these cities and reflects the policies of a strong social democracy. Yet an increasing number of recent developments has been shaped by the private sector. An influx of investment from South-East Asia, coupled with the interest by North American and European developers, is radically changing the landscapes of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, while more modest but equally transformative projects are under way in other smaller cities across the country. Land reclamation coupled with re-use of former industrial sites has made it possible to create large urban tracts for new development. In Vancouver this has resulted in the construction of high-rise waterfront communities with densities that almost rival those of Hong Kong, while restoration of the historic city, Lachine Canal and former industrial buildings in Montreal and redevelopment of Toronto's former railway lands are significantly reshaping those cities. But such developments are creating new pressures on existing infrastructures, and in a country recognized for the quality of its urban life and social fabric there is an increasing realization that in the rush to build these brave new worlds the public realm has suffered. Anxieties voiced by the electorate, commentators and political leaders across the country are bringing changes and have most recently resulted in the creation of two new ministerial positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's federal government; they have specific responsibilities for Canadian cities and affordable housing.

Historically, extremes of climate, culture, and landscape across Canada's vast territories have combined to create distinct regional differences in its architecture. However, as Canadian architects have been increasingly working beyond provincial and national boundaries and other significant commissions in Canada have been awarded to architects from abroad, these differences, although still evident, are becoming blurred. The enthusiasm for a new international style is arguably most evident in Toronto where the extension to the Ontario College of Art and Design, designed by Will Alsop, has brought a fragment of Archigram's Walking City onto McCaul Street (p42). Soon to be accompanied by an extension to the Art Gallery of Ontario next door by Frank Gehry (p43), it is also only a short stroll away from the University of Toronto's Graduate Residence designed by Morphosis to form an emphatic entrance to the campus. The city's enthusiasm for civic landmarks designed by internationally renowned architects, highlighted by the iconic form of Viljo Revell's City Hall from the 1950s, is further underlined by the construction of Daniel Libeskind's extension to the Royal Ontario Museum (p43) and the new Opera House designed by A. J. Diamond that is currently under way. And while this enthusiasm is less evident elsewhere in Canada, the international competitions for the Bibliotheque Nationale du Quebec in Montreal and a Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, together with the appointments of Dixon Jones to design the National Portrait Gallery in Ottawa and Michael Maltzan as the architect for a new extension to the Art Gallery in Vancouver, indicate a widening interest in bringing new ideas and greater international attention through the commissioning of significant pieces of modern architecture.

Craft and social commitment

In increasingly competitive arenas, it is sometimes difficult for young architects to gain a foothold. Some, like Shim Sutcliffe (p80), who have gained recognition during the past decade, have chosen to operate beyond the confines of conventional practice. Their work is characterized by a significant commitment to craft--something they credit to the rich array of fabricators, workshops and collaborators in southern Ontario. As a result, and in addition to designing and helping to make a series of award-winning buildings, they are also designing furniture and lighting. The same desire to bring design and fabrication closer together is also shaping work by other emerging practices. In the last few years AtelierBUILD have combined development and design skills to initiate a series of innovative new housing schemes in Montreal, while on the west coast Battersby Howat are managing both the design and construction of buildings and Forsythe MacAllen have been designing award-winning glassware (see AR December 2002) alongside new buildings in Japan and folded paper rooms for housing in New York City.