A pocket guidebook to the extraordinary architectural revival in Toronto over the last two decades.

 

Over the past 20 years, there has been a resurgence of city building in Toronto that has not been seen since the buoyant optimism of the 1960s. The cultural renaissance has increased awareness of design and of the market for cultural tourism in Toronto. A Guidebook to Contemporary Architecture in Toronto provides a perspective on this process of cultural and architectural transformation, and the selected projects reflect contemporary tendencies, aspirations and attitudes towards city building.

 

Following the same format as the other two guidebooks in the series -- Montreal and Vancouver -- each project is featured on a two-page spread with a concise, descriptive text, project information, photographs and drawings. The projects are organized by neighbourhood and allow the reader to take a self-guided tour. Maps at the introduction of each neighbourhood provide context, and an index provides easy referencing of projects throughout. The Guidebook provides a comprehensive look at contemporary architecture in Toronto and is sure to contribute to the Canadian and international dialogue on the design of our cities.

Helen Malkin has more than twenty-five years experience in the development of exhibition and publication projects on architecture and the city, first at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and now as a consultant in arts and cultural management. She directed the Alumia Prize for Photography and Design on behalf of the Aluminum Association of Canada (AAC).

Margaret Goodfellow's profile page

Nancy Dunton has worked on architectural projects and organised public programs about architecture since 1981. She has taught courses at the McGill and Université de Montréal Schools of Architecture and at Dawson College. She was the curator and coordinator of the exhibition Printing the City/Imprimer la ville and presented the architectural visits Visites en ville and Architecture en lumière.

Philip Goodfellow's profile page

Nancy Dunton has worked on architectural projects and organised public programs about architecture since 1981. She has taught courses at the McGill and Université de Montréal Schools of Architecture and at Dawson College. She was the curator and coordinator of the exhibition Printing the City/Imprimer la ville and presented the architectural visits Visites en ville and Architecture en lumière.

Nancy Dunton's profile page

Helen Malkin has more than twenty-five years experience in the development of exhibition and publication projects on architecture and the city, first at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and now as a consultant in arts and cultural management. She directed the Alumia Prize for Photography and Design on behalf of the Aluminum Association of Canada (AAC).

Helen Malkin's profile page

• Winner, Heritage Toronto Award

"The descriptions [in the Guidebook] give a short but thorough background on the projects, while describing the formal merits of each; the color photographs are excellent; and the quality of architecture (most in the public sector) would make other cities jealous. Overall the guidebook is optimistic and positive, celebrating Toronto's recent architecture as a part of the city's larger embrace of culture and creativity."

Archidose

"A handy pocketbook-sized text, this is a perfect companion for the Torontonian who likes to explore the city on foot."

BlogTO

"Toronto has undergone 'a dramatic architectural transformation' over the last 15 years, say the authors of a new book that gives a snapshot of some of the city's most important recent buildings."

The Canadian Press

"The book, pocket-sized and jammed with photographs, was a three-year labor of love, and it features buildings and parks from Etobicoke to Scarborough, the waterfront to the 401. Attention is paid to the usual suspects, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum receive full pages, but equally enticing are little known areas like the Schulich School of Business at York University and the laneway homes on Croft Street in Little Italy."

National Post

"The book, pocket-sized and jammed with photographs, was a three-year labor of love, and it features buildings and parks from Etobicoke to Scarborough, the waterfront to the 401. Attention is paid to the usual suspects, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum receive full pages, but equally enticing are little known areas like the Schulich School of Business at York University and the laneway homes on Croft Street in Little Italy."

National Post

"The book, pocket-sized and jammed with photographs, was a three-year labor of love, and it features buildings and parks from Etobicoke to Scarborough, the waterfront to the 401. Attention is paid to the usual suspects, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum receive full pages, but equally enticing are little known areas like the Schulich School of Business at York University and the laneway homes on Croft Street in Little Italy."

National Post

"Toronto has undergone 'a dramatic architectural transformation' over the last 15 years, say the authors of a new book that gives a snapshot of some of the city's most important recent buildings."

The Canadian Press

"A handy pocketbook-sized text, this is a perfect companion for the Torontonian who likes to explore the city on foot."

BlogTO

"The descriptions [in the Guidebook] give a short but thorough background on the projects, while describing the formal merits of each; the color photographs are excellent; and the quality of architecture (most in the public sector) would make other cities jealous. Overall the guidebook is optimistic and positive, celebrating Toronto's recent architecture as a part of the city's larger embrace of culture and creativity."

Archidose

"A handy pocketbook-sized text, this is a perfect companion for the Torontonian who likes to explore the city on foot."

BlogTO

"Toronto has undergone 'a dramatic architectural transformation' over the last 15 years, say the authors of a new book that gives a snapshot of some of the city's most important recent buildings."

The Canadian Press

"Toronto has undergone 'a dramatic architectural transformation' over the last 15 years, say the authors of a new book that gives a snapshot of some of the city's most important recent buildings."

The Canadian Press

"Toronto has undergone 'a dramatic architectural transformation' over the last 15 years, say the authors of a new book that gives a snapshot of some of the city's most important recent buildings."

The Canadian Press

"When surveying the city's development over the past decade through this handy resource book, it is readily apparent that change requires leadership, perseverance and talent to build projects that improve the quality of life in Toronto."

Canadian Architects

"The book, pocket-sized and jammed with photographs, was a three-year labor of love, and it features buildings and parks from Etobicoke to Scarborough, the waterfront to the 401. Attention is paid to the usual suspects, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum receive full pages, but equally enticing are little known areas like the Schulich School of Business at York University and the laneway homes on Croft Street in Little Italy."

National Post

"The descriptions [in the Guidebook] give a short but thorough background on the projects, while describing the formal merits of each; the color photographs are excellent; and the quality of architecture (most in the public sector) would make other cities jealous. Overall the guidebook is optimistic and positive, celebrating Toronto's recent architecture as a part of the city's larger embrace of culture and creativity."

Archidose

"The descriptions [in the Guidebook] give a short but thorough background on the projects, while describing the formal merits of each; the color photographs are excellent; and the quality of architecture (most in the public sector) would make other cities jealous. Overall the guidebook is optimistic and positive, celebrating Toronto's recent architecture as a part of the city's larger embrace of culture and creativity."

Archidose

"A handy pocketbook-sized text, this is a perfect companion for the Torontonian who likes to explore the city on foot."

BlogTO

"The descriptions [in the Guidebook] give a short but thorough background on the projects, while describing the formal merits of each; the color photographs are excellent; and the quality of architecture (most in the public sector) would make other cities jealous. Overall the guidebook is optimistic and positive, celebrating Toronto's recent architecture as a part of the city's larger embrace of culture and creativity."

Archidose

"The book, pocket-sized and jammed with photographs, was a three-year labor of love, and it features buildings and parks from Etobicoke to Scarborough, the waterfront to the 401. Attention is paid to the usual suspects, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum receive full pages, but equally enticing are little known areas like the Schulich School of Business at York University and the laneway homes on Croft Street in Little Italy."

National Post

"Toronto has undergone 'a dramatic architectural transformation' over the last 15 years, say the authors of a new book that gives a snapshot of some of the city's most important recent buildings."

The Canadian Press

"A handy pocketbook-sized text, this is a perfect companion for the Torontonian who likes to explore the city on foot."

BlogTO

"The descriptions [in the Guidebook] give a short but thorough background on the projects, while describing the formal merits of each; the color photographs are excellent; and the quality of architecture (most in the public sector) would make other cities jealous. Overall the guidebook is optimistic and positive, celebrating Toronto's recent architecture as a part of the city's larger embrace of culture and creativity."

Archidose

"A handy pocketbook-sized text, this is a perfect companion for the Torontonian who likes to explore the city on foot."

BlogTO

"The book, pocket-sized and jammed with photographs, was a three-year labor of love, and it features buildings and parks from Etobicoke to Scarborough, the waterfront to the 401. Attention is paid to the usual suspects, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum receive full pages, but equally enticing are little known areas like the Schulich School of Business at York University and the laneway homes on Croft Street in Little Italy."

National Post