Diamond Schmitt

As we wrap-up 2024, we look back at some highlights from the past 12 months—from the launch of our new book Set Pieces, to celebrating project milestones, including the opening of three academic buildings, several professional acknowledgements, and awards recognition. Read Diamond Schmitt’s 2024 Year In Review here: https://lnkd.in/eACDMS6m #diamondschmitt #diamondschmitt_yearinreview #designtotranscend #canadianarchitect

For the 14th consecutive year, Diamond Schmitt participated in Ride for Heart as a corporate team, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. We’re thrilled to announce that we have earned two Golden Wheel Awards this year, recognized with achieving both the Highest Overall Fundraising Total and Highest Fundraising Average Per Team Member in the Design & Manufacturing category! A big shoutout to our amazing riders – Leonardo de Melo, Wendy Gomoll, Riley van der Linden, Justin Loucks, Phil Wilson, Victor Lima, Niloofar Zarififar, Tiffany Ly, Rex Shettlewood – for raising $19,596, averaging $2177.33 per participant which earned us the highest fundraising average per team member. Of course, this incredible achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our entire team! From our Art x Architects Silent Auction to bake sales and Pi Day celebrations, everyone pitched in to help us reach our goals. With heart disease and stroke taking a life every five minutes in Canada, we’re committed to supporting Heart & Stroke’s mission to save lives. Over the past 14 years, Diamond Schmitt has raised more than $335,000 to fund this the cause. As we celebrate this year’s success, we’re already excited about the 2025 Ride for Heart! Learn more about how you can get involved here: https://lnkd.in/e8C-NWJb

Diamond Schmitt is pleased to announce that Waterworks has received an AIA Canada Design Award of Merit Award in the Urban Design program! Designed by Diamond Schmitt Waterworks is a hybrid, mixed-use development, that rehabilitates, conserves, and expands an industrial Art Deco heritage site through the integration of a diverse program. The design seamlessly combines food-focused retail, a fully serviced YMCA offering health and wellness facilities, a mid-rise condominium with family-oriented and affordable units, and an existing youth shelter. By bringing new life to an industrial #heritage site, Waterworks expresses a holistic approach to retaining the stories of our cities, while setting the stage for new narratives and opportunities for urban transformation, making a significant contribution to the quality of life within the neighbourhood. #diamondschmitt #waterworks #torontoarchitecture https://lnkd.in/dx4ebX_f

Our redesign of David Geffen Hall sought to provide a more immersive experience for both audience and artists, while solving long-standing acoustical issues in the hall—particularly the problem that musicians were unable to hear themselves while performing.   Early in design, we suggested deleting the proscenium, moving the stage 25-feet into the auditorium and allowing the audience to wrap around the performers. In addition, and because a good acoustical balance had been missing in the original design, Akustiks, LLC, established the requirement for acoustic reflection above the stage to direct sound, both back to the performers and to the audience. This reflective element needed to be as adjustable as possible, so that it could suit many different orchestral configurations. The reflector is divided into 12 textured surfaces, each independently adjustable over the stage. However, over the audience, the ceiling has a different acoustical job: it needs to scatter sound, rather than direct it. Despite these distinct functions, we wanted the hall to be perceived as a single room—crucial to ensuring that performers and the audience do not feel isolated from each other.   Manufactured by Kreysler and Associates, each reflector is suspended from the ceiling and is independently lifted and rotated by electric motors. Constructed from fiber-reinforced resin, they have been milled to produce a nonrepeating surface pattern composed of a single shape rotated as it is arrayed, since any symmetry or repetition in the surface creates undesirable concentrations of sound reflection to specific points. Within the constrained space over the stage, the positions of these panels are calibrated to allow the necessary clearances for projection screens, the deployment of acoustically absorptive banners used when the hall is configured for amplified music performances, as well as theatrical lighting like the hall’s “Fireflies.” A nod to the history of lighting cues, the Fireflies are forty-seven lighting elements suspended within and around the reflectors. Produced by EVENTSCAPE, these multifaceted crystalline shapes are fabricated from 3D-printed fire-rated resin finished in a high-reflectivity paint to match the painted acoustic reflectors. Inspired by the twinkling of fireflies on summer evenings, each fixture descends and “dances” to signal the start of a performance and can be programmed with a specific piece of music, creating a choreographed lighting sequence.   David Geffen Hall’s Fireflies and Reflectors are featured in Diamond Schmitt’s new book Set Pieces which offers a visual exploration of the firm’s designs for some of the world’s most remarkable performing arts venues. Published by Birkhäuser. About Set Pieces: https://lnkd.in/e9njxThS Learn more about David Geffen Hall: https://lnkd.in/gnZw4Cw #diamondschmitt #diamondschmitt_setpieces

We’re glad to announce that Diamond Schmitt has been named to Building Design+Construction Media's (BD+C) Giants 400 report one of the Top 180 University Building Architecture Firms for 2024. This ranking evaluates North America’s largest university sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms based on their revenue from post-secondary related building projects. Ranked at 33, #DiamondSchmitt has made significant contributions to the university and college sector this year. Designing dynamic learning environments that align with the evolving needs of contemporary academic institutions, Diamond Schmitt’s flexible teaching and learning spaces provide a place where students and educators thrive. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eKQ--peN View a selection of Diamond Schmitt’s academic buildings here: https://lnkd.in/edMaWmH3

We’re excited to announce that Diamond Schmitt has been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2025 – marking our 13th consecutive year on the list! This year’s competition, managed by Mediacorp, recognizes employers that create progressive and inclusive workplaces and human resources programs ensuring that all their employees – regardless of their background – are able to thrive and get ahead in the nation’s most competitive labour market. This recognition highlights our commitment to creating an environment where diversity is encouraged, connections are cultivated and employee growth is fostered. From our learning programs like Diamond Schmitt University to financial and health benefits that include compassionate leave and retirement planning, we strive to empower every team member. Our culture is fuelled by collaboration, shared experiences, and a dedication to making a difference – both inside and outside the workplace. Learn more about what makes Diamond Schmitt a top employer here: https://lnkd.in/eitDZv4s Interested in working at Diamond Schmitt? See our #career opportunities: https://dsai.ca/careers/ #diamondschmitt #GTATopEmployers #TopEmployers2025 In addition to this recognition, Diamond Schmitt is among Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2025.

The transformation of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law Building has been named Editor’s Pick in The Architect's Newspaper’s ‘Best of Design’ Awards in the Building Renovation—Education category.    Diamond Schmitt’s design had two objectives: to transform the outdated and undersized Ron W. Ianni building into an academic crossroads that is an open and accessible space filled with natural light; and to deliver flexible and collaborative spaces to support new teaching methods and foster collaborative learning, all while preserving its original brutalist character. Key design decisions include removing walls to create open areas, improving accessibility, re-imagining the moot court, expanding the library, and optimizing faculty office layouts. In our latest Explorations, Principal Duncan Higgins delves into how the renovation has breathed new life into the Law Building, making it a more inviting, functional, and inspiring space for students and faculty. https://lnkd.in/e9iDKPdK

Today marks a major milestone for the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre (ASEC) in Moncton, New Brunswick as construction officially begins on the facility's science wing.     Designed by Diamond Schmitt, in collaboration with EXP, ASEC has been developed through visioning sessions and meaningful engagement with local Indigenous community members and representatives from the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur, founders of the former College Notre Dame d’Acadie. Located on the site of the existing Gulf Fisheries Centre, ASEC maintains the heritage façade of the original building honouring heritage, while also targeting LEED Gold certification and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.    Following site preparation that began in 2023, this significant step is celebrated in Moncton, New Brunswick, in the presence the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Associate Minister of National Defence.    Part of a $600 million federal investment to create a cutting-edge, sustainable research hub, ASEC will house over 700 scientists from five federal organizations, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada / Pêches et Océans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada, fostering multi-disciplinary collaboration on protecting Atlantic freshwater and coastal ecosystems.     Learn more about the design of ASEC: https://lnkd.in/eSfFnT4d 

Featured on the series Advancements with Ted Danson, Diamond Schmitt Principal Matthew Lella discusses green building materials and the important role of architects, designers and suppliers in making the built environment more sustainable. While the construction industry is a major contributor to climate change, using 50% of raw materials and generating 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the focus is increasingly shifting to using sustainable, low-carbon alternatives. Matthew emphasizes that repurposing existing buildings is a key strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. By making conscious choices, industry players can create healthier, more #sustainable spaces while minimizing their environmental impact. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/e627uXVV #diamondschmitt #sustainablearchitecture #architectureanddesign

On November 27, 2024 at 11am EST, Diamond Schmitt Principal Sydney Browne will be participating in a panel discussion as part of the Building the Next Gen of Healthcare Facilities webinar hosted by ReNew Canada.   With the demand for more hospitals at an all-time high, this webinar will explore how new #healthcare facilities combine state-of-the-art hospital design with the latest virtual care technology to fundamentally re-engineer how care is delivered across a health ecosystem.   Sydney alongside Kevin Little, Senior Manager, Construction, Technical at Providence Health Care for the New St. Paul’s Hospital and Health Campus Project and Chris Rick, Project Director at PCL Construction, with John Tenpenny, Editor of ReNew Canada as moderator, will share firsthand insights into the healthcare infrastructure sector, from design to construction, and future of Canadian #hospitals.   More information about the webinar and how to register here: https://lnkd.in/ep43m7HU #diamondschmitt #designtotranscend