E.R.A. Architects Inc.

Thursday May 23, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., U of T’s Daniels Faculty, 230 College St., Rm. 103, Toronto

Thursday May 23, join us for an exciting lecture by Charles Birnbaum of The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Charles will be discussing the interpretation and conservation of modernist landscapes as a part of how we continue to build and evolve the public realm of the city. We look forward to how this conversation will allow us to think productively about the past and future of Toronto’s built fabric.

Charles will also be participating in two other events: a Cultural Landscape Evening of food and drinks, hosted at Gilead on Friday May 24 at 7 p.m.; and a Doors Open Jane’s Walk in Toronto’s Yorkville, Saturday May 25 at 10 a.m.

Thanks to our co-sponsors Maglin Site Furniture, the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, and the University of Toronto.

Friday May 24, 7 p.m., Gilead, 4 Gilead Place, Toronto

You are invited to join Jamie Kennedy, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, ERA Architects, and honoured guest Charles Birnbaum for an ambulatory feast at Gilead.

This feast celebrates the 131^st anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s lecture on aesthetics at Toronto’s Allan Gardens, and will raise funds for the Friends of Allan Gardens, a group dedicated to the creative rejuvenation of the park. The evening will include food by Jamie Kennedy, a special “Oscar Wilde” cocktail, and remarks by Charles Birnbaum, founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Tickets are $150. Please RSVP by May 17^th to Anusha Rajeswaran at anushar@era.on.ca.

Charles will also be participating in two other events while he is in town: a Lecture at UofT on Thursday May 23 at 6:30 p.m.; and a Doors Open Jane’s Walk in Toronto’s Yorkville, Saturday May 25 at 10 a.m.

Thanks to our sponsors Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers; Steamwhistle; Friends of Allan Gardens; Park People; Victoria Taylor, OALA; Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation; and the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects.

With Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and Architects Ken Greenberg and Michael McClelland
Saturday, May 4, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Meet at Yorkville Public Library (seen in photo), 22 Yorkville Avenue

Yorkville, one of Toronto’s most historic and culturally rich neighbourhoods, has seen dramatic transformation over the past two hundred years and remains subject to further change. But is this change sustainable?

Growing from a mixed industrial and suburban area in the 1830s, to the hub of bohemian culture for famous Canadian writers and activists including Margaret Atwood and Neil Young in the 1960s, Yorkville began to take on the cultural and commercial landscape of today in the 1980s with the arrival of internationally renowned designers, high-end shops, cafes, galleries, and residences.

Intense commercial and residential development continues today within the neighbourhood from Yonge Street to Avenue Road, Bloor Street West to Davenport Road.

While the strong retail presence and heritage characteristics have generated tourism and contributed to a vibrant neighbourhood, it has also brought intense residential development pressures for pedestrians, business owners, vehicle drivers, and challenges from a streetscaping and urban design perspective.

On Saturday May 4, 2013 join Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and Architects Ken Greenberg and Michael McClelland for a walking conversation of pedestrianization efforts and how the future of Yorkville can be shaped in the context of current development proposals, while taking in the unique sights of heritage buildings including the Yorkville Public Library, Heliconian Hall, and the award-winning Village of Yorkville Park.

Note: Michael will participate in a second Yorkville walk Sat. May 25th, with President of the Cultural Landscape Foundation Charles A. Birnbaum.

For more info, please see the Jane’s Walk website for both walk one and walk two.

Tuesday, April 30, 6 pm, Art Gallery of Ontario, Seminar Room 1 (Weston Family Learning Centre)

ERAer Graeme Stewart joins David Pontarini, Sam Crignano, and moderator Mathew Blackett for a Pug Talks presentation and discussion on the glass tower in the GTA.

Toronto has 143 buildings 10 storeys or higher under construction, more than doubling the count found in New York and more than seven times the number in Shanghai. Given the prominence of this building form and the relevance to our city, this talk will explore the future of the glass tower in Toronto.

Graeme’s presentation will review two Toronto tower booms, first the concrete slab apartment tower boom of our post-war years, and second the boom of glass point tower condos we’re still seeing today. He will discuss some of the unintended consequences of development that occurs so quickly (and on such a large scale), and suggest some opportunities to think critically about how and what we build in the future.

To register, please RSVP.

(Also look out for an article on this topic in the next issue of Satellite magazine.)

Please join us for the opening reception and exhibition of Gladstone Grow Op, an exploration of landscape and place curated by Victoria Taylor, OALA.

Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, April 28. Opening reception: Friday, April 26, 7—10 pm

Our contribution, Hoarding Suggestions, situated at the Gladstone Art Bar and sponsored by the Friends of Allan Gardens and ERA Architects, centres around the history of public engagement in one of our favourite parks: Allan Gardens.

In 1963, the Department of Parks and Recreation set up a suggestion box in Allan Gardens. It turned out that Torontonians were full of ideas about how to improve the park, and we found their suggestions in the city archives. Fifty years later, we are hoping to generate new excitement for revitalizing this cherished public space.

We hope to see you there.