The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) announced the winners of its 2022 Design Excellence Awards, as well as the recipients of this year’s OAA Service Awards. They will be celebrated at this year’s OAA Conference, Inspiring Climate Action, which will be held in Toronto and also online in May.
The biennial OAA Design Excellence Awards offers Ontario’s architecture profession an opportunity to showcase the possibilities for the built environment, and promote broader public appreciation and understanding of architecture and the allied arts. Submissions required inclusion of Energy Use Intensity (EUI) metrics, reflecting the OAA’s commitment to pursuing climate stability in the public interest and ensuring sustainable, resilient design is a critical component of any successful project.
This year’s selection of eight winners includes building types ranging from libraries and learning institutions to striking residences and performing arts venues in Southwestern Ontario and Northwestern Texas. Chosen by a jury of design experts who first narrowed 80 eligible submissions into a list of 17 finalists, these projects were judged on criteria such as creativity, context, sustainability, good design/good business, and legacy. In alphabetical order, they are:
Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences (Lubbock, Texas) by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated (Design Architect), Parkhill (Architect of Record), and MWM Architects, Inc. (Associate Architect);
Centennial College Downsview Campus Centre for Aerospace and Aviation (Toronto, Ontario) by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects Ltd. (MJMA) In association with Stantec Architecture Ltd.;
Clearview Public Library, Stayner Branch (Stayner, Ontario) by Lebel & Bouliane Inc.;
The Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park (Brampton, Ontario) by RDH Architects Inc.;
Tile House (Toronto, Ontario) by Kohn Shnier Architects;
Tom Patterson Theatre (Stratford, Ontario) by Hariri Pontarini Architects;
Tommy Thompson Park Entrance Pavilion (Toronto, Ontario) by DTAH Architects Limited; and
University College Revitalization (Toronto, Ontario) by Kohn Shnier Architects in association with E.R.A. Architects Inc.
At the event, the OAA will also reveal which projects are the recipients of the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Design Excellence in Architecture, and the People’s Choice Award.
The Celebration of Excellence will also showcase Smart Density, winners of Best Emerging Practice—a biennial award for a newer firm that demonstrates a clear vision, well-articulated goals, and proven effective strategies.
The following OAA Service Award-winners will also be honoured at Conference, during a special Recognition Lunch event on Wednesday, May 11:
John van Nostrand, who will receive the Order of da Vinci for demonstrating exceptional leadership in the profession, education, and/or in the community;
Diarmuid Nash, who will receive Lifetime Design Achievement, as an architect with a career-long commitment to the promotion and achievement of architectural design excellence; and
Camille Mitchell, who will receive the G. Randy Roberts Service Award, in recognition of being an OAA member providing extraordinary service to the membership, for ‘behind-the-scenes’ dedication and action, as well as employing the skills and the energy to get things done.
Featured image: The Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park (Brampton, Ontario) by RDH Architects Inc. (Nic Lehoux)
