By Jennifer McGregor
As Ryerson mourns the loss of the Santiago Calatrava building that might have been and anticipates the $65-million building that is yet to come, 24 architectural firms are preparing bids to compete for the chance to design the facility.
The building that is to go up on the corner of Church and Gould Streets wasn’t supposed to be theirs. They only got the chance after Santiago Calatrava, the one-time apple of Ryerson’s eye, dropped — or was dropped — from the project.
“It’s a pretty tragic situation,” said David Jeffries, director of office management at Zeidler Roberts Partnership Architects, one of the firms competing for the contract.
“I’m sure someday there will be a great post-mortem [about what happened with Callatrava] but right now it is time to go ahead and finish this building.”
School administrators have been secretive about the reasons for the setback but much remains the same: the building will still cost $65 million, it will still hold 2,400 students and the provincial government’s SuperBuild fund will still pay for half of the construction.
But two things have changed: the man whose name and persona was to fill the 22,557 square metre building is gone and the completion date has been pushed back to September 2004.
‘This is an important university and an important building’ – Mark Sterling, Sterling Finlayson Architects
Now one of those firms will be selected to step in and fill the shoes of Calatrava, a giant among architects. A list of those firms was obtained by The Eyeopener.
The firms have designed such buildings as the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, BCE Place and Pearson airport’s Terminal Three.
Mark Sterling, a partner at Sterling Finlayson Architects said there are many issues that remain unclear about the project because Calatrava is no longer involved.
“There isn’t going to be much time for anyone that is hired,” Sterling said of the new September 2004 deadline the university is aiming for.
“That doesn’t mean that Ryerson should accept anything less [than] what they had with Calatrava. Definitely not any less in the design quality. This is an important university and an important building.”
Gene Kinoshita, president of Moffat Kinoshita Associates Inc., said it’s likely most of the firms have modified their proposals because of the unexpected turn of events.
“The main issues are now budget, time and the needs of the community,” Kinoshita said, adding that his firm took a new look at the project when is was announced Calatrava would not be involved.
Kinoshita wouldn’t reveal what his firm’s design might include, but said “it is a large building and it will have quite an impact.”
Calatrava’s original vision for the four-storey building would have cost $90 million and included a soaring 33-storey tower, which had to be scaled down because it pushed the project over budget.
Sterling and many of the architects contacted emphasized the building would have to be within Ryerson’s budget. However, he said it will remain a grand structure.
“Ryerson can’t afford to have a second-rate building,” he said.
Jeffries said there are no bad feelings among the firms that were rejected the first time around in favour of Calatrava.
“We’re big boys, architecture is the great bastion of free enterprise,” he said. “This is one of the premier SuperBuild projects.”
The skinny on Ryerson’s Shortlist
By Eyeopener Staff
One of these firms will design the Centre for Computing and Engineering, at 243 Church St. which has fallen behind schedule since the concept deisgned by Santiago Calatrava SA was rejected several weeks ago. The following is the curriculum vitae of those in the running.
A.J. Diamond, Donald Schmitt & Co.
Offices: Toronto, Ont.
Awards: Over 85 design awards and six Governor General’s awards for architecture.
Designs: Desiging a Canadian Opera House in Toronto, building the four-floor extension of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
Davis Langdon Adamson
Offices: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Boston
Awards: N/A
Designs: Hilton International Hotel in Durban, South Africa. Turner Broadcast Studio in Atlanta, Ga.
Architects Crang and Boake Inc.
Offices: Toronto, Beijing
Awards: Grand Buildings, Trafalgar Square, London, UK (2nd Prize 1985)
Designs: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Eaton Tower in Toronto.
Architects Kongats Phillips
No information available.
Bernard Tschumi Architects with Sterling Finlayson
Offices: New York, Toronto
Awards: Finalist in the design competition for the New Dundas Square in Toronto.
Designs: Expansion of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Sterling has designed the ConEd building at Ryerson.
Bregman & Hamann Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: More than 35, including Governor General’s medals for architecture
Designs: Eaton Centre, BCE Place, Terminal 3 of Pearson Int. Airport.
Brisbin Brook Benyon Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: Many, including Governor General’s medal for architecture
Designs: Air Canada Centre, Metro Hall in Toronto
Carruthers Shaw & Partners Ltd.
Offices: Toronto
Awards: N/A
Designs: Building the Ryerson Student Campus Centre
Cole Sherman & Associates Ltd.
Offices: Thornhill, Ont.
Awards: Toronto Historical Society Award of Merit for Historic Restoration.
Designs: Restoration of the historic Gray Coach Terminal on Bay Street in Toronto.
Dunlop Farrow Inc. Architects with Saucier Perrotte Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: Competition for the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, 1998.
Designs: Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto.
Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden Partnership
Offices: Toronto and Shanghai
Awards: Website boasts that the firm has won virtually every design award available in its profession.
Designs: Eaton Centre in Calgary, Canadian Space Agency in St. Hubert, Que.
Zeidler Roberts Partnership Architects
Offices: Toronto, Florida, London, Berlin.
Awards: Over 100 national and international awards.
Designs: Ontario Place, Hospital for Sick Children, Eaton Centre Toronto.
Robbie, Young & Wright Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: N/A
Designs: SkyDome, York University Science Complex, Woodbine Casino and Racetrack.
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: The Design Exchange and the Stauffer library won Governor General awards for architecture.
Designs: The Design Exchange in Toronto, Kitchener City Hall.
Moffat Kinoshita Associates, Inc.
Offices: Toronto, Hamilton
Awards: Received a citation for Health Care Facilities Design.
Designs: Alumni Centre, University of Guelph, Western Sciences Centre Complex, University of Western Ontario.
Moriyuma & Teshima Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: “Architecture of the Year” Architectural Institute of Japan. Several Govornor General’s awards for architecture.
Designs: Nationa Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan. Selected to design the new Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
Stephen Teeple (and NORR Ltd.)
Offices: Toronto
Awards: Architectural Excellence Award, Ontario Association of Architects. Two Governor General’s awards, three Canadian Architectural Awards.
Designs: Trent’s Child Care Centre, Trent University. Graduate House, University of Toronto. York University Honour Court and Welcome Centre.
Rounthwaite, Dick & Hadley
Offices: Toronto
Awards: N/A
Designs: Continuing Education Building, Ryerson. Eric Palin Hall, Ryerson.
Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners Architects and Engineers
Offices: Toronto
Awards: Ontario Library Association’s Library Building Award
Designs: Central Library, Mississauga, Ont. New Central Library, London, Ont.
Strasman Architects
Offices: Toronto
Awards: N/A
Designs: Pitman Hall, Ryerson. Georgian College Student Residence, Barrie, Ont.
Urbana Architects Corporation
Offices: Toronto
Awards: N/A
Designs: Keshen Goodman Public Library, Halifax.
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