ERA Architects Inc.

Happy Winter Solstice! During the shortest days of the year, we’re reflecting on the warmth of the community! 🌟 Earlier this month, our final Chinatown Planning Community Exhibition brought people together for a vibrant evening, complete with a stunning lion dance and fire-spinning performance from the Chinatown Community Lion Dance and Chinatown Fire Dept. 🔥

The Tower Renewal Partnership and ERA Architects were thrilled to host the Retrofit Innovation Roundtable that brought together leading North American organizations spearheading innovations in multi-family housing retrofit practices, with a focus on ‘outside-in’ prefabrication and panelization in envelope design for net zero transformation that minimizes disruption for residents in place. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Read more on the Tower Renewal Partnership here: https://towerrenewal.com/ #AdaptiveReuse #TowerRenewal #Sustainability

Honoured to have been involved in this important project! . . . Stantec Canada Lands Company / Société Immobilière du Canada PACE Public Affairs & Community Engagement

ERA is proud to have participated in this important project! Planning approvals for 1495 Heron Road marks an important milestone. We’re looking forward to the next steps! #AffordableHousing #AdaptiveReuse . . . Canada Lands Company / Société Immobilière du Canada Stantec PACE Public Affairs & Community Engagement

🎫We had a fantastic time at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery last Friday discussing solutions to Toronto’s recent dramatic loss of cultural spaces with city builders, policy makers, artists, and cultural thinkers from across the city! 🙌A huge thanks to Councillor Chris Moise, Joe Cressy, Pat Tobin, Chloë Catán, and Layne Hinton for sharing the amazing work they’re doing to make sure Toronto remains a city with space for cultural expression and creation. 🎨ERA’s Art=Waterfront initiative is advocating to establish a Cultural Corridor across the entire waterfront as one solution to Toronto’s current cultural spaces crisis. Click here to find out more: https://lnkd.in/eiRWB_Bw 

🎤Last week, we gathered for our second annual ERA Town Hall, reflecting on the milestones we achieved together in 2024 and looking ahead to an exciting 2025. 💫From advancing innovative heritage projects to participating in inspiring community events, this year has been filled with opportunities to connect, collaborate, and celebrate. 🍾We’re proud of the work we’ve done alongside our clients, partners, and communities, and we’re excited for what lies ahead as we continue shaping meaningful spaces across Canada. 🥂Cheers to 2025!

♿️As a designer, how much do you know about designing for disabilities? Currently more than 25% of Canadians would say that they have some form of disability. 💫Here are three excellent reads from ERA’s office library which can expand your knowledge and appreciation of designing with #accessibility in mind. 📕Building Access – Universal Design and the Politics of Disabilities by Aimi Hamraie, University of Minnesota Press (2017) Hamraie’s book is a history lesson on the evolution of accessibility as a civil right in the US. She talks about Ronald Mace, the pioneering architect who moved the design world from assistive technologies towards the concept of Universal Design. Hamraie then discusses the problems with considering Universal Design the overall solution for accommodating disabilities. 📗Living Disability – Building Accessible Futures for Everybody edited by Emily Macrae, Coach House Books (2024) This wonderful little book, one of Coach House Books’ compendiums, combines more than 30 different voices on the subject of accessibility in Canada. The authors write about the everyday complexities of living with disabilities and the personal impact it has on their lives. It also includes a helpful appendix on the status of accessibility legislation, listed province by province. 📘The Architecture of Disability, Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access by David Gissen, University of Minnesota Press (2022) In this amazingly thoughtful book, Gissen explores how people with disabilities might design a building, a city, or a landscape and how that architecture might hold greater empathy for its inhabitants. Gissen’s vision is captivating, and our team often references this book. ✒️ Written by ERA's Michael McClelland. #DesigningforAccessibility #AccessibleDesign #InclusiveDesign #DisabilityAwareness #BarrierFreeDesign

🏬We’re thrilled to see the long-anticipated reveal of 2 Queen Street West, a historic gem on the corner of Yonge and Queen that has served Toronto shoppers since 1895! Designed in Renaissance Revival style by Samuel Curry and Francis S. Baker, this building has evolved through decades, from its beginnings as P. Jamieson Clothier.    🔨 As part of a major revitalization with Zeidler Architects, we meticulously restored the terracotta and masonry facade, re-creating nearly every exterior detail with a single 1897 photograph as a guide.     🌟 It’s been a long journey, and we can’t wait for you to experience this piece of Toronto’s heritage, reimagined for the future! Swipe through to see a look at the gilded signage band with its original lettering intact, harkening back to the days of this prominent retail corner as a bustling outfitters post. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/gCcupDZq    Collaborator: Zeidler Architecture Structural: RJC Engineers  Mechanical and Electrical: The HIDI Group Masonry: Clifford Restoration Limited  📸Photography: Vik Pahwa, detail photographs by Mina Marković   #YongeStreet #EatonCentre

🌟Next up is 577 Yonge Street, a 125-year-old Edwardian-style building that has been thoughtfully restored to its original elegance!     🏗️ ERA began restoration work in 2019, in response to a series of unsympathetic modifications that had previously been made to the building's facade. We advised on the paint removal to ensure the brick’s patina was preserved, as well as historically accurate wood window replacements and reconstructed bays. The stunning transformation honours the building’s heritage while revitalizing its presence on Yonge Street. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/g4iptsWA    Owner: KingSett Capital  Architect of Record: K&K Architects  Structural Engineer: Wynspec Engineering  General Contractor: Aztec Construction and Restoration  📸Photography: Nathan Cyprys   #YongeStreet #EdwardianArchitecture #577YongeStreet

🔥For Day 2, we head to 556 Yonge Street. After a devastating fire in 2018, the site needed a sensitive approach to rebuild within the Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District (HYHCD).     🚧Drawing on ERA’s extensive heritage experience, we guided the design to ensure a compatible relationship with the surrounding heritage context. Our design seamlessly integrates with the urban streetscape and sets a new standard for urban infill by aligning horizontal datum lines, referencing punched window openings proportions, and matching masonry details. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/gbaH2iYH    Owner: KingSett Capital  Architect of Record: K&K Architects  Structural Engineer: Wynspec Engineering  General Contractor: CanMar Contracting Limited  📸Photography: Nathan Cyprys #UrbanInfill #YongeStreet #566YongeStreet