Aurora, Ontario

Completion Date: April 2010

Owner:Town of Aurora

Program: A three-level, 6,000-square-foot center for the Aurora Historical Society, located in the city's downtown historic district. The project—an adaptive reuse of a landmarked Victorian school more recently used for office space—provides a new home for the society's collection. Organized as two wings bracketing a central hall and staircase, the center includes galleries, archives, offices, and an auditorium, along with artifact storage and activity space in the basement.

Design Concept and Solution: Lynch + Comisso Architects sought to preserve the masonry structure and unclutter the interiors, which had been altered during the building's days as leased offices. In the entry hall on the second floor, the architects removed a fire partition to restore the original circulation of the school and installed a sprinkler system. Throughout the building they removed drop ceilings and restored the full-height tin ceilings underneath. To further open up the gallery spaces, Lynch + Comisso enlarged the entryways and fitted them with square maple arch millwork that mimics the proportions of the building's tall windows.

Total construction cost: $3.2 million

Architect:
Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light
570 Annette Street
Toronto, ON, M6S 2C2

People

Owner
Town of Aurora
1 Municipal Drive, Box 1000
Aurora, ON, L4G 6J1
Contact: Aaron Karmazyn, Manager of Facilities and Property
Phone: (905) 727-3123 x 4323
Fax: (905) 726-4734
Email: akarmazyn@e-aurora.ca

Architect
Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light
570 Annette Street, Toronto, ON, M6S 2C2
Contact: Steven Comisso and Mary Ellen Lynch
Phone: (416) 762-2778 Fax: (416) 762-9020
Email: design@lynchcomisso.com

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Steven Comisso, Partner in Charge
Mary Ellen Lynch, Lighting and Interior Design
Greg Piccini, Project Architect
Caitlin Plewes, Designer

Interior designer
Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light
570 Annette Street, Toronto, ON, M6S 2C2
Contact: Steven Comisso and Mary Ellen Lynch
Phone: (416) 762-2778 Fax: (416) 762-9020
Email: design@lynchcomisso.com

Engineer(s)
Structural engineers:
AMR Engineering Limited
3950 14th Avenue, Suite #404, Markham, ON, L3R 0A9
Contact: Moe Gursahani, P.Eng.
Phone: (905) 940-2655 Fax: (905) 940-2656
Email: amrengineering@rogers.com

Consultant(s)
Lighting:
Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light
570 Annette Street, Toronto, ON, M6S 2C2
Phone: (416) 762-2778 Fax: (416) 762-9020
Email: design@lynchcomisso.com

Cost Estimator:
A.W. Hooker Associates Ltd.
2896 South Sheridan Way, Suite 300, Oakville, ON, L6J 7G9
Contact: Mel Yungblut, PQS(F)
Phone: (905) 829-9436 Fax: (905) 829-9440
Email: info@awhooker.com

Mechanical constultant:
Dyche Engineering Inc.
50 Acadia Avenue, Suite #315, Markham, ON, L3R 0B3
Contact: Jerry Dyche, P. Eng
Phone: (905) 946-8262 Fax: (905) 946-8269
Email: dycheengineering@sprint.ca

Electrical consultant:
Mitra Consultants
104 Palomino Drive, Mississauga, ON, L4Z 3H7
Contact: D.N. Mitra, P.Eng
Phone: (905) 712-0311 Fax: (905) 712-1051
Email: dnmitra@rogers.com

General contractor
Rutherford Contracting Ltd.
27 Cardico Drive, Gormley, ON, L0H 1G0
Contact: Dan Steenhoek, Project Manager
Jennifer Peters, Project Administrator
Phone: (905) 888-9444 Fax: (905) 888-9445
Email: info@ruthcon.ca

Photographer(s)
Steven Comisso, Lynch + Comisso: Architecture + Light
Phone: (416) 762-2778 Email: sc@lynchcomisso.com

CAD system, project management, or other software used:
AutoCAD (CD’s), ArchiCAD (Modeling + rendering)

  

Products

Windows
Interior Window Sashes: Bliss Nor-Am Doors and Windows Ltd.

Interior Window Sashes: Laminated glass with Saflex PVB Inter Layer

Interior Storefront: Alumicor Ltd.

Glazing (see above)

Hardware
Locksets: Corbin Russwin

Hinges: Zero, Hagar

Closers: Corbin Russwin

Pulls: Corbin Russwin

Cabinet hardware: Blum (hinges), Accuride (slides), Hafele (handles)

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork:
Djepeto Custom Woodwork, Dragan Pajic, (905) 696-0831

Paints and stains: Benjamin-Moore

Wallcoverings: Wolf Gordon

Plastic laminate: Wilsonart, Formica

Floor and wall tile: Daltile (washrooms)

Resilient flooring: Flextile (kitchen and volunteer lounge),Johnsonite (stair treads)

Carpet: Interface Flooring

Basement Concrete Finishing: Euclid

Tin Ceiling: Brian Greer’s Tin Ceilings, Brian Greer, (519) 743-9710

Furnishings
Reception furniture: Djepeto Custom Woodwork,
Dragan Pajic, (905) 696-0831

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting: XAL (uplight & track system), CFI Fluorescent, Prudential, Oval, Beta Calco, MP Lighting, Rab Design

Downlights: Lightolier

Task lighting: WAC

Exterior: BK, Lumec

Plumbing
American Standard, Kindred Commercial

Add any additional building components or special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project:
HVAC Equipment: Trane

Climate Control Rooms: Mitsubishi

Window Shades: Sun Project

Picture Hanging Rails: Hangit-Up Systems