Toronto-area architects and urban design professionals are being honoured for projects that are pushing the envelope with innovative new concepts. As contemporary urban design continues to evolve, architects and planners across Canada are moving beyond merely striving for a strong visual impact by putting functionality and sustainability front and centre.
The National Urban Design Awards (NUDA), presented each year by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, recognize projects that have “contributed to the quality of life in our Canadian cities and their sustainability,” according to the RAIC’s website.
“Good designs contribute at multiple levels,” says Calgary architect and NUDA jury member Marc Boutin. “They can be esthetically pleasing, they can bring joy and poetry to someone’s everyday life, but also they have performative aspects. They might be ecologically sound, so they address stormwater management or the appropriate use of building materials, or they help reforest an area and create a canopy that provides better quality air and removes pollutants.”
The awards recognize both completed projects and those still in the concept stage, as “ideation and execution both present unique challenges,” Boutin says.
Five GTA initiatives are among the 2022 NUDA winners, including transforming the site of a coal-burning power plant into a new waterfront community, connecting a university campus to its neighbouring greenspace, and revitalizing one of Toronto’s newest downtown landmarks.
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