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Ontario Association of Architects Announces its 2024 Design Excellence Awards Finalists

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is thrilled to announce the 20 Finalists for its 2024 Design Excellence Awards.

Chosen by a jury of respected design experts, this year's collection features 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 Design Excellence Awards category; the 10 winners 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. 

“I am delighted to be able to share these stunning projects with the public,” says OAA President Settimo Vilardi. “Our architecture community is truly exceptional, pushing boundaries and shaping the landscape of the built environment in Ontario and beyond. Congratulations to the 20 Design Excellence Awards Finalists—your work serves as an inspiring testament to the exceptional talent within our industry."

Selected from 100 eligible submissions, the 20 Finalists were judged on criteria such as creativity, context, sustainability, good design/good business, and legacy. Submissions also required disclosure of Energy Use Intensity (EUI) metrics, reflecting the OAA’s dedication to advance climate action in the public’s interest and ensuring sustainable, resilient design remains a critical aspect of every successful project.

The selections, in alphabetical order, are:

8 Spadina at the Well (Toronto, Ontario) by Hariri Pontarini Architects (Design Architect), Adamson Associates Architects (Architect of Record);
Photo credit: Doublespace Photography


Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation (St. Peter’s Bay, Prince Edward Island) by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects (now a part of WF Group Inc.), in association with SableARC Studio;
Photo credit: Brady McCloskey

Centennial College A-Building Expansion (Toronto, Ontario) by DIALOG Ontario Inc.;
 Photo credit: James Brittain 


Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University
(Boston, Massachusetts) by KPMB Architects;

Photo credit: Nic Lehoux

 
Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Sports Park (Mississauga, Ontario) by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, Ltd. (MJMA);

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy
 
 
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center (New York City, New York) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc. (Master Plan and Concert Theatre) and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (Public Spaces);
Photo credit: Chris Lee

Drake Hotel Modern Wing (Toronto, Ontario) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.;
Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

 
Harrison McCain Pavilion at Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Fredericton, New Brunswick) by KPMB Architects;

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography


Historians’ Library
(Cambridge, Ontario) by Dowling Architects;

Photo credit: Henry Dowling

House in High Park (Toronto, Ontario) by Ian MacDonald Architect Inc.;
Photo credit: Tom Arban
 
 
Lawrence Orton Early Learning & Child Care Centre (Toronto, Ontario) by SvN Architects + Planners with E.R.A. Architects Inc.;

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

The Leaf at Assiniboine Park (Winnipeg, Manitoba) by KPMB Architects (Design Architect) in association with Architecture49;

Photo credit: Ema Peter Photography

  

Manitou a bi Bii daziigae (Winnipeg, Manitoba) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc. and Number TEN Architectural Group;
Photo credit: Lindsay Reid/Diamond Schmitt

 

Neil Campbell Rowing Centre (St. Catherines, Ontario) by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, Ltd. (MJMA) in association with Raimondo + Associates Architects Inc.;

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

 

Ontario Court of Justice Toronto (Toronto, Ontario) by NORR Architects & Engineers Ltd. in association with Renzo Piano Building Workshop S.A.S.;

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

Place des Arts (Greater Sudbury, Ontario) by Moriyama Teshima Architects and Bélanger Salach Architecture (previously known as Yallowega Bélanger Salach Architecture) in joint venture.

Photo credit: Tom Arban Photography
 
 
Toronto Public Library–Albert Campbell Branch (Scarborough, Ontario) LGA Architectural Partners Ltd.;

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

 
University of Toronto Schools (Toronto, Ontario) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.;

Photo credit: Tom Arban Photography
 
Virgin Vineyard House (North Hatley, Quebec) by LAMAS Architecture Ltd.; and

Photo credit: Felix Michaud


Whistling Wind Island
(Pointe au Baril, Ontario) by Atelier Kastelic Buffey Inc.

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

 

Profiles of all 20 Finalists will be posted on the OAA Website later this month, published in the forthcoming Awards 2024 book, and shared via X/Twitter and Instagram. The ultimate 10 Winners will be announced in early April. They will be celebrated
at the 2024 OAA Conference in Niagara Falls this May, along with three other Design Excellence awards: the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award, the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Design Excellence in Architecture, and the People’s
Choice Award
, which asks members of the public to vote for their favourite.

In April, the OAA will also announce the 2024 recipients of the biennial Best Emerging Practice, Medal of Service, and Lifetime Design Achievement Award, as well as the new inductees for the Honour Roll, which posthumously acknowledges
the impact of members of the profession.

To see the 2022 Design Excellence Awards winners, you can read the Awards 2022 book or watch that year’s Celebration of Excellence.

Further Information


OAA President Settimo Vilardi or members of the project teams behind the Finalists, may be available for phone, video, or email interviews. Additional information on the finalists, as well as high-resolution photos (with credit information), are also
available on request.

Media Contact

Erik Missio (he/him), Communications Manager
416-449-6898, ext. 241
ErikM@oaa.on.ca

About the Ontario Association of Architects

The Ontario Association of Architects is a self-regulating organization under the Architects Act, a statute of the Government of Ontario. It is dedicated to promotingand increasing the knowledge, skill, and proficiency of its members, and administering
the Act, in order that the public interest may be served and protected. 



 

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