Location: Toronto, Ontario
Architecture Practice: Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.
Chosen by a jury of respected design experts, the 20 projects comprising the OAA’s 2024 Design Excellence Finalists represent a diverse range of building types, including sustainably designed community centres, schools and learning facilities, residences, and an indoor horticultural attraction, as well as performing arts venues in Sudbury and New York City. These Finalists serve as the shortlist for the OAA’s 10 Design Excellence Winners, which will be announced next month and honoured at the OAA Conference in Niagara Falls in May. The biennial OAA Design Excellence Awards program offers Ontario practices the opportunity to display the transformative influence of architecture, promoting broader public recognition and appreciation for the field. The following media statement has been supplied by the submitting project team:
Since opening nearly 20 years ago, the Drake Hotel in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood has become a cultural hub for locals and visitors, recognized for its curated program of site-specific art installations, popular rooftop Sky Yard, and ground-breaking performances in the Underground music venue.
The new five-story building—the Modern Wing—transforms two adjacent lots into a contemporary extension, connecting the existing hotel through a new ground floor main lobby. The addition of 32 new hotel rooms and a Rooftop Suite to the site honours the original character in a way that not only preserves it, but amplifies it.
Photo credit: Doublespace Photography
Photo credit: Doublespace Photography
Photo credit: Doublespace Photography
Climate Action
The architecture profession must play a role in stabilizing the climate change crisis, lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in favour of clean power. This is one of the reasons why the OAA has chosen “climate action” as a theme in its strategic plan.
As it did in 2020 and 2022, the OAA once again required Energy Usage Intensity (EUI) metrics to be included as part of the submissions process for the 2022 Design Excellence Awards program. EUI is the measurement of a building's annual energy consumption relative to its size. The lower the number, the less impact the building has on our climate. You can learn more about the OAA’s EUI Calculator online tools, free for both members and the public, by clicking here. Attached is the 2030 Ontario Target Data chart, which shows the EUI goals for the 2030 Challenge based on the building type.