Erskine – Kirkor Architects and Planners

MEDIA POSTS

Royal Bayview carves out a new living space amidst

Royal Bayview carves out a new living space amidst a natural setting seeking to diminish its presence by taking cues from geological formations. The north and south building wings will dissipate among landscaping, while the built forms will recall terraced and striated escarpments.

The terraced facade plays a dual role. It defines the structure giving the envelope a recognizable look on the one hand; on the other, the staccato terraces capitalize on looks and views of the surrounding terrain, creating visual interest within and without.

Working with nature has many shapes and forms; occasionally, they include mimicry in the possible sense to favour integration, belonging and countenance.

#KIRKOR #Architecture #DesignLiving #GTA

Tackling the City of Hamilton’s urban design int

Tackling the City of Hamilton’s urban design intent and participating in constructing a pedestrian-focused city core were only some design imperatives we, in collaboration with Melrose Development, took on when conceptualizing and realizing KIWI. The mixed-use building on 212 King William Street in Downtown Hamilton successfully wrapped up its construction this year.

Developing high-level pedestrian comfort and enough amenities to animate the space has been one of the City’s requirements, which the project’s designers wholeheartedly embraced. Commercial units anchor the southeast intersection of King William Street and Ferguson Avenue, with patios integrated into the streetscape conforming to the City’s boulevard café guidelines. The building lobby provides access to the residential units of King William Street and is a glass entry foyer with a concierge, sitting lounge, a visual extension of the café vibe reemphasizing the leisure, calm and upbeat rhythms the entire setting promotes.

While the building podium is rectangular in base, the tower is curvilinear and features corners with balconies stitching together the fabric of the building. The twin tower approach breaks down the long building mass, adding vertical interest, while the red brick and white precast bands animate the façade and draw the eye upward. Where the glass and metal dematerialize the mass, the brick enlivens the structure enough to solicit interest and remain part of the current context. The entirety of the structure, like the butterfly wings in motion, materializes and dematerializes as the eye skims the surface from one vantage point to the next.

#KIRKOR #CityofHamilton #DowntownHamilton #Architecture #UrbanPlanning #Design

Heritage meets urban contemporary at Richmond and

Heritage meets urban contemporary at Richmond and Bathurst Street, reminding us that Toronto has a rich history worth preserving. The two and a half storey brick building on the southwest corner reflects the earliest period of development along Bathurst dating back to 1875, giving us a live glimpse of what a mixed-use commercial building looked like in the late nineteenth century. Keeping the integrity of this history untouched, we incorporated its original features and used it to inspire a podium design of an 18-storey tower. With brick-faced cladding to match, the rejuvenated streetscape celebrates the past while making way for new residences atop.

Renderings provided by Developer: @originate.developments

#KIRKOR #Toronto #TorontoHeritage #TorontoHistory #architecture

Energizing the world through Indigenous knowledge

Energizing the world through Indigenous knowledge and learning are the words ringing loud and clear this National Indigenous Day, the words Shawn Bailey, Indigenous scholar and architect and Mimi Locher, Dean, Faculty of Architecture, left us with today.

We are humbled to take Indigenous History Month as a time for reflection, recognition and dialogue to move us toward better understanding, acceptance and reconciliation. At KIRKOR, we embraced the opportunity of this month and especially this day to host people behind the Forest School at the University of Manitoba and speak to those guiding the program where Indigenous ways of living and cherishing the space are driving forces.

Mies van der Rohe said, ‘god is in the details,’ alluding to a stark modernist aesthetic, clean lines, bold materials, and transparency that reveals the detailing behind the design. Our KIRKOR team took the modernist take on architecture, offset it, and stacked it while maintaining simplicity, repetition and a bit of whimsy.

The Eglington Avenue tower steps back with a stagger of blocks, creating a definitive massing line that emphasizes the façade details – a juxtaposition of different materiality and shapes that ease mullion lines and balance the window-to-wall ratio.

One area where we stay true to those infamous words is an uncompromising attention to detail, both on the envelope and deeply seated in the core of the structure.

#KIRKOR #KIRKORArchitectsandPlanners #architecture #architects #design #designarchitects #details #GTA #Toronto #Scarborough #McCowan #McCowanRoad #Eglinton #EglintonAvenue #GOTransit #transitorientedcommunity #transitorientation #transitorienteddevelopments #community #urbanplanning #torontoarchitecture #streetsoftoronto #GOTransit

Duo at Station Park are tandem towers slated to so

Duo at Station Park are tandem towers slated to soar over Kitchener-Waterloo at 36 and 40 storeys high, ushering a distinct skyline next to the first phase of the Station Park master plan, Union Towers.

To mark its presence, the Duo introduces a fresh take on a vertically dynamic pattern. We took this as an opportunity to incorporate symbolism into an enunciated balcony treatment which highlights the center of each tower as though a spinal column. Like the spine that facilitates the movement of our physicality, the Station Park community is set to bring new momentum to downtown Kitchener while honouring its rich history with a contemporary design.

Rendering: @vanmar_constructors_ontario
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#KIRKOR #KIRKORArchitects #KIRKORArchitectsandPlanners #architecture #design #innovation #Torontodesign #CanadianArchitecture #Kitchener #Waterloo #Ontario #duotowers #masterplan #urbanplanning #urbanplanners