https://www.architecturalrecord.com/rss/1303 en-us One of the fastest-growing places in North America, Vaughan, 14 miles north of Toronto, has morphed from a rural township of 16,000 people in 1960 to a sprawling suburb of 288,000 today.

]]> vaughan-city-hall-kuwabara-payne-mckenna-blumberg.asp Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7427-vaughan-city-hall Sustainability and transparency were two of the key concepts driving the design of the project. The glass-fronted council chamber cantilevers above a landscaped civic square, allowing citizens to see Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioSustainability and transparency were two of the key concepts driving the design of the project. The glass-fronted council chamber cantilevers above a landscaped civic square, allowing citizens to see the workings of their government.Photo © Maris Mezulis The LEED Gold project features fixed terra-cotta louvers on many elevations, as well as fritted, low-E glass and a number of green roofs. Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioThe LEED Gold project features fixed terra-cotta louvers on many elevations, as well as fritted, low-E glass and a number of green roofs. Photo © Maris Mezulis When a skating/water feature and a library are built just west of the new city hall, surface parking will be tucked underground. A clock tower adds a vertical accent to the horizontal building forms a Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioWhen a skating/water feature and a library are built just west of the new city hall, surface parking will be tucked underground. A clock tower adds a vertical accent to the horizontal building forms and alludes to campaniles and the Italian heritage of many Vaughan residents.Photo © Maris Mezulis Three atriums topped with tall clerestory glazing bring daylight into the center of each office block. By varying the design of the multistory spaces, the architects gave each atrium its own identity. Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioThree atriums topped with tall clerestory glazing bring daylight into the center of each office block. By varying the design of the multistory spaces, the architects gave each atrium its own identity.Photo © Maris Mezulis Three atriums topped with tall clerestory glazing bring daylight into the center of each office block. By varying the design of the multistory spaces, the architects gave each atrium its own identity. Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioThree atriums topped with tall clerestory glazing bring daylight into the center of each office block. By varying the design of the multistory spaces, the architects gave each atrium its own identity.Photo © Tom Arban Vaughan City Hall Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan City Hall Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan City Hall Vaughan City Hall Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Vaughan, OntarioImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects goncharj@bnpmedia.com (Joann Gonchar, FAIA) royal-conservatory.asp Sat, 16 Jul 2011 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7363-the-royal-conservatory A slate-clad box enclosing a rehearsal room marks the expanded conservatory's new main entry. The building, located on a busy street at the edge of the University of Toronto Campus, is next door to th The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaA slate-clad box enclosing a rehearsal room marks the expanded conservatory's new main entry. The building, located on a busy street at the edge of the University of Toronto Campus, is next door to the Royal Ontario Museum and its 2007 Daniel Libeskind addition (foreground, left). Photo © Eduard Hueber An academic entrance leads from a landscaped path into an atrium that joins new and old construction. The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaAn academic entrance leads from a landscaped path into an atrium that joins new and old construction. Photo © Eduard Hueber The atrium houses a caf', open from early in the morning to late at night, which helps make the space the conservatory's social hub. The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaThe atrium houses a caf', open from early in the morning to late at night, which helps make the space the conservatory's social hub.Photo © Eduard Hueber The atrium is defined on one side by the historic building's colorful and highly textured masonry and a sleek stone-clad wall on the other. The route to the new hall from the main entry and box office The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaThe atrium is defined on one side by the historic building's colorful and highly textured masonry and a sleek stone-clad wall on the other. The route to the new hall from the main entry and box office takes performance-goers through this space on a bridgelike walkway.Photo © Eduard Hueber The glass-enclosed lobby for the conservatory's main performance venue has three tiers. The upper two are suspended from the roof structure. The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaThe glass-enclosed lobby for the conservatory's main performance venue has three tiers. The upper two are suspended from the roof structure.Photo © Eduard Hueber The convex shape of the oak balcony fronts and of the plaster tiles on the sidewalls in Koerner Hall, the conservatory's new 1,000-seat performance space, help scatter and blend mid-frequency sounds. The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaThe convex shape of the oak balcony fronts and of the plaster tiles on the sidewalls in Koerner Hall, the conservatory's new 1,000-seat performance space, help scatter and blend mid-frequency sounds.Photo © Eduard Hueber The 900-square-foot rehearsal hall that marks the conservatory's new main entrance also serves as a space for small-scale performances and for special events, such as formal dinners. Like Koerner Hall The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaThe 900-square-foot rehearsal hall that marks the conservatory's new main entrance also serves as a space for small-scale performances and for special events, such as formal dinners. Like Koerner Hall, the room has variable acoustics, with curtains that can be extended to make it less reverberant. Photo © Eduard Hueber A canopy of ribbonlike laminated oak strips twisted in jigs provides the room's defining element and helps conceal speakers, lighting, and other equipment. It serves as the backdrop for the chorus, th The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaA canopy of ribbonlike laminated oak strips twisted in jigs provides the room's defining element and helps conceal speakers, lighting, and other equipment. It serves as the backdrop for the chorus, then extends across the hall, over the stage and the seating area.Photo © Eduard Hueber With a computer model, acousticians investigated the path of sound waves in Koerner Hall: As the sound leaves the performers it expands toward the room boundaries (1); some of the sound is reflected f The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaWith a computer model, acousticians investigated the path of sound waves in Koerner Hall: As the sound leaves the performers it expands toward the room boundaries (1); some of the sound is reflected from the timber platform suspended above the stage back toward the musicians and out to the audience, while other parts of the wave are reflected off the side balconies and adjacent walls (2); the walls, balconies, platform, and ceiling reflect some of the waves back and forth to generate the impression of envelopment, as other parts of the wave remain above the canopy, creating reverberance (3). Sound Spray Diagrams: courtesy Sound Space Design The Royal Conservatory The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects The Royal Conservatory The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects The Royal Conservatory The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaImage © Nigel Young/Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects The Royal Conservatory The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects The Royal Conservatory The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects The Royal Conservatory The Royal Conservatory Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Toronto, CanadaImage courtesy Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects