Awards

We’re proud to have received a 2013 Canadian Green Building Award for the County of Simcoe Administrative Centre expansion. Designed in partnership with Teeple Architects of Toronto, the expansion is intended to resolve the complex access to the existing building and to take advantage of a natural site. Public access to 22 different departments are improved though the design of an external ring, which connects existing spaces and new areas of the building. Along with much needed public space, the design also includes a new cafeteria and lounge area for staff. The expansion was carefully sited to minimize the impact to the site. The new addition is LEED Gold certified.

The Canadian Green Building Awards recognize excellence in the design and execution of Canadian buildings, houses and interiors based on the criteria of sustainable design, architectural merit and technical innovation. The 2013 award winners were announced on June 4, 2013, at the CaGBC National Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Read more in the Summer 2013 edition of SABMag.

Emmanuel Baptist Church
Acknowledged our excellence in innovation through the use of steel.

“Ted Handy and his firm did an outstanding job of guiding us through the design process and the construction of the building. We are thrilled with the building and have been so blessed to partner with such quality and gifted people. Ted has an incredible gift of listening and assessing the needs of his client and then creatively designing solutions that are both beautiful and functional.”

-Pastor Rick Buck, Emmanuel Baptist Church

Places of worship have historically provided iconic structures in neighbourhoods and have often set the character of communities. Church design has been a focus of the firm for several years and it is our intent with each related project to understand and reflect a sense of space in each area of a church building. We understand the many elements to be considered when designing a place of worship, including future growth, accessibility, relation to neighbourhood, use of natural materials, multi-functional spaces, storage, urban planning and sustainability. Over the years of experience in working with church leadership and congregations, we have developed an integrated approach involving user groups to ensure members are provided with a space they can fellowship and thrive in.

With our passion and experience, we want to continue the privilege of designing churches for expanding congregations. We are interested in learning more about your church and your vision for growth.

Gibson Centre for Community, Arts and Culture
Recognized our sensitivity to heritage and existing context.

The former co-op building has been a part of the community since 1889. There have been few projects as ambitious as The Gibson Centre for Community Arts and Cultural in the town of Alliston’s history. The fact that the community is coming together and volunteering to preserve part of the history of the town shows they have great pride for their heritage.

Supporting and appreciating the arts is an important part of cultural enhancement and is not only the foundation of the organization’s mission statement, but also the reason countless volunteers don’t think twice about devoting their own time and energy to furthering the cause. Numerous renovations were required from installing new windows to restoring the exterior and the original interior woodwork of the building. The plans are designed to expose and enhance the wood and historical elements of the existing building structure.

Barrie Public Library
Demonstrated our understanding of context within a neighbourhood while remaining sensitive to the streetscape and surrounding heritage buildings.

The challenge was to design a building appropriate to its neighbours while maintaining the stature of a major public institution and anticipating the developments of future technologies. The library occupies an entire city block adjacent to the city’s historic downtown core and bounded by three hundred-year old churches in traditional Gothic style.

The building is organized on either side of the “Great Reading Hall”. This “L” shaped space separates the outer stack areas from the entrance court, which addresses the corner. As the heart of the building, the hall is a continuous two and one half-story volume with an exposed curved metal roof and clerestory windows. The full height windows at each end of the hall create a strong visual connection to the exterior streetscape.

2001 Barrie Urban Design Award of Excellence

Southshore Community Centre. Exemplified our understanding of context while preserving the heritage of the site.

The project began with the restoration and renovation of the 1904 CN Master Mechanics Building. The next stage involved adding a new community centre hall on the main level and areas for the Barring Rowing Club and Barrie Canoe Club on the lower level. Situated on the south shore of Kempenfelt Bay, the centre takes full advantage of the scenic views and ideal water access.

The re-conditioning of the existing building and seamless addition provides a popular landmark, which the community has taken great pride in. The structure of the hall is reminiscent of timber trestle bridge construction. The detailing of the building reinforces the railroad and nautical themes.

The resulting facility is enjoyed by boaters, pedestrians and an endless list of centre users.

Munro Ltd. Office Demonstrated our excellence in innovation through the use of concrete. Munro Ltd. is a concrete sewer pipe manufacturer with some recent success and need for expansion. The existing offices have very tight quarters in the corner of the plant building. Instead of adding on, it was decided to do a stand alone office linked by technology to the plant. This gives much better control of the site both for trucks with deliveries and for people coming to the office. The building was conceived as a series of connections of unique shapes as a response to the idea of pipe connections. The owner, being in the concrete industry, decided to make the precast panels at the plant. The end result was a showpiece for the business as well as for the manufacturing.