DTAH Partner Megan Torza will be featured in an internationally recognized exhibit celebrating women in architecture.

From the MAXXI Museum in Rome, “Buone Nuove: Good News from Italy,” is a traveling exhibition that presents the work of women Italian designers to an international audience and recognizes their significant contributions and achievements. By highlighting their work, the exhibition aims to address the historical underrepresentation and to celebrate the accomplishments of these designers.

The Toronto exhibition is presented in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Architectural Science, after traveling to cities including Doha, Qatar; Stockholm, Sweden; and New Delhi, India.

Megan is one of 14 prominent women architects in the region selected for the local component of the exhibition, which focuses on their leadership, mentorship, and advocacy. The exhibit also presents community-inclusive projects that exemplify their commitment to designing innovative and inspiring spaces.

As an architect and urban designer, Megan’s professional development has been influenced by a strong personal interest in sustainability and adaptive reuse and the integration of contemporary architecture into historic urban fabric. The award-winning Tommy Thompson Park Entrance and Pavilion is featured in this exhibition for its successful embodiment of the rich history of the Leslie Street Spit, while providing a new front door to the park that is welcoming, engaging and ecologically sensitive to its context.

Women in Architecture: Practices, Stories, Visions
September 5 – October 10, 2024
Paul H. Cocker Gallery
Toronto Metropolitan University

Dufferin Grove Park is a vital community hub supporting a range of programs, including the popular weekly Farmers’ Market on Thursday afternoons. DTAH led architecture and landscape architecture improvements to the northwest corner of the park to increase the accessibility, functionality and capacity of the park’s Clubhouse and surrounding landscape to support existing and future community programming.

Improvements include a renovated Clubhouse, including a new kitchen, an enlarged multi-purpose room for community use, new all-gender and universal washrooms and improved storage space and consolidated utilities; a new double-pad ice rink; a separate Zamboni garage; a new basketball court with six basketball nets (including two at child-height); a permeable pedestrian plaza between the Clubhouse and rinks and other green stormwater management and sustainability features; and accessibility improvements to this corner of the park to meet AODA standards with improved pathways, additional seating, and more efficient and effective lighting.

After over 30 years at 50 Park Road, we are looking forward to beginning a new chapter in Toronto’s King-Spadina neighbourhood. Effective Monday, June 24, 2024, our new address will be:

425 Adelaide St. W
Suite 600
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 3C1

We’re excited about the possibilities and opportunities of our new location!

City of Vaughan recently celebrated the grand opening of the first phase of Edgeley Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, June 12.

Located at 300 Maplecrete Road, this is the first public park to open in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. DTAH led the architecture and landscape architecture for the park, which features a new pavilion and green roof, accessible washrooms, a community use room; a skating loop; a splash pad; a unique play area designed by Earthscape; and an open lawn.

The first phase of Edgeley Park is an active play area for the larger Edgeley Pond and Park, an important open space for the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, which is intended to function as a naturalized online stormwater management facility for the growing neighbourhood. DTAH led the vision and design for the site, which will integrate passive recreation opportunities while celebrating the important role that Black Creek plays in the larger watershed.

DTAH is excited to participate in Doors Open Toronto again this year! Our studio at 50 Park Road is open to the public on Saturday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last admittance at 4:30 p.m.

We will offer free presentations throughout the day as a part of the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) Open Studio program. Members from our studio will speak about some of our current projects.

The schedule of presentations:

11:00 a.m. Public Park Design: Creating a Dynamic Public Realm, presented by DTAH Partner James Roche

1:00 p.m. Overlea Bridge Renewal: Aesthetic, Safety & Public Art Enhancements, presented by Partner Mark Langridge

3:00 p.m. Toronto Island Park Master Plan: A Place for Nature and Play, presented by DTAH Senior Associate Victoria Bell

Visitors will get a chance to walk through our studio and learn about its rich architectural history. Completed in 1954, 50 Park Road was designed as the original headquarters for the Ontario Association of Architects. It is critically acclaimed as a landmark modern building in Toronto and unified architects within the province with its high-profile design. Visit the studio to observe how the heritage building has evolved over the years, and experience the working environment of a leading architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design firm.

50 Park Road was our home for over 30 years and is an important part of our firm’s history. This is your last chance to visit us at this location. In June, we are moving to the King-Spadina neighbourhood!

The Urban Design Guidelines for the Town of New Tecumseth are now complete! The guidelines were updated in response to the significant growth the town is experiencing, which is only expected to increase in the coming years. The updated urban design guidelines provide a foundation to guide development, creating a context-sensitive approach to infill, intensification, and redevelopment.

High-quality urban design promotes economic, social, and environmental benefits, and influences how people experience a place as well as how they move around. The guide recommends how to create a more accessible, inviting, and memorable public realm that will promote active lifestyles, foster social interactions, and encourage inclusiveness. The ultimate goal of the guidelines is to create a sustainable, healthy community.

Read more about the project on the Town of New Tecumseth’s website

We are honoured to announce that DTAH Partner Yvonne Lam has been named a 2024 RAIC Fellow for her multidisciplinary contribution to the profession. The College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) bestows Fellowship to RAIC members in recognition of outstanding achievement. Criteria include design excellence, exceptional scholarly contribution, or distinguished service to the profession or the community.

Yvonne Lam is an architect, landscape architect and urban designer with a keen interest in the intersection of buildings and landscape. She excels in the design and delivery of complex urban projects where high-quality public realm is integrated with civic infrastructure. Since joining DTAH in 2006, Yvonne has played a pivotal role in many key projects across Toronto’s Central Waterfront. She continues to lead and collaborate within large multidisciplinary teams for many ongoing waterfront projects including the design and implementation of Queens Quay East, the second phase of this exemplar “complete street”, and Parliament Slip, an exciting public destination in the heart of the East Bayfront.

Other notable projects include the ground-breaking Toronto Complete Streets Guidelines, as well as acting as project coordinator for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village, where DTAH was a key consultant on the Planning Design and Compliance (PDC) consortium team, charged with overseeing the highly specific program requirements of the Pan-Am Games as well as the subsequent transformation of the Village into a vibrant new Toronto neighbourhood.

Yvonne is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of professionals. She served as an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, and regularly participates as a guest studio critic at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Architecture. She joins DTAH Partners Mark Langridge and Megan Torza as RAIC Fellows. The 2024 Fellows will be inducted at the College of Fellows Convocation ceremony on Thursday, May 16, 2024 at a convocation ceremony during the 2024 RAIC Conference in Vancouver, BC.

Visit the RAIC website to learn more.

The Scarborough Junction Master Plan recently reached an important step towards transforming an industrial site into a vibrant mixed-use community. The project reached a settlement with the City of Toronto after 3.5 years of negotiation, increasing the height and density of the planned community in south Scarborough. The announcement marks a significant step towards the actualization of the development, which proposes new residential, retail, and public amenities.

The 26-acre site is located at Danforth Road and St. Clair Avenue East and is adjacent to the Scarborough GO station. DTAH is the landscape architect for the project, which adds 4.5 acres of park space, including a large central park, courtyards, mews, and urban squares. The sequence of open spaces aims to foster a healthy and active community by facilitating pedestrian movement and outdoor social interactions.

The new development ties together several established neighborhoods to create a transit-oriented community with convenient access to amenities, services, employment opportunities, and diverse, accessible housing.