Designed in collaboration with HOK Architects, the new Honda Canada national headquarters 53-acre campus is located along Highway 404 in Markham’s West Development District. The Campus consists of a 138,000sf 4-storey office building, a 85,000sf Service Engineering/Training Maintenance Garage, Product Resource Centre with a secure compound for 70 test vehicles and a 226,000sf Parts Distribution Centre with 14-bay shipping receiving facility and the 910-car parking lot. A major national logistics centre for the global corporation, service engineering technical and maintenance training facilities, diverse product support as well as the research and development activities with over 50 automotive, diagnostic and service bays for various automotive, motorcycle and marine...

Located at the entrance to the remarkable Dubai Marina, this exceptional Promenade site epitomizes the progressive development changes that are occurring along Dubai’s waterfront.  In an effort to attract outstanding design talent from around the world, an international design competition was conducted to develop over 350,000 m2 of residential and commercial space.  As one of the invited competitors vying for this design commission, our concept was to create a tapestry of geometrically inspired towers linking marina and beach environments.  To achieve this, an abstract dune landscape of bridges, canopies, and elevated ribbons of parkland weaves a terrain spanning over a central boulevard and linking the base of each tower.  Springing from the dunes are five...

This unique $36M facility addresses the needs of high performance athletes, as well as those students pursuing a life-style regimen based on a healthy, active lifestyle.  The 1800 students attending this 220,000 sf school are supported by extensive athletic facilities that include three double gymnasiums, varsity calibre training facilities, plyometrics and aerobics studios, coaching centre and physiology labs.  Exterior facilities include an 8-lane synthetic surface track, artificial turf football field and soccer fields capable of hosting provincial calibre events within the 30-acre site.  The “Healthy” mandate goes beyond simply physical activity and includes a concern for environmental quality and the health of the wider environment - thus a LEED Silver...

Designed in collaboration with Saucier + Perrotte Architectes, the development of this new residential neighbourhood in the West Don Lands precinct of Toronto marks a significant initiative within the City.  As the first new waterfront neighbourhood, our design and development team intends to bring a unique and bold response to a brownfield, post industrial site that stretches along the Don River.  Comprised of four city blocks, this new neighbourhood will create 900 – 1000 residential units in what will be a green and sustainable community.  In embracing a LEED Gold target of sustainability for this project, the design concept will create a contemporary metropolitan district that serves as a new model of green living.  It will be a neighbourhood where...

In contrast to many of Dubai’s individual, inward-looking developments, ‘Hai Al Arab’ is fundamentally based on a mix of land use and compact urban form, bringing diversity and vibrancy as a sustainable community development model. Today’s sustainable community begins with a holistic vision that is more than just improving energy efficiency, using recycled materials, and minimizing the carbon footprint.  It also acknowledges local culture, history, traditions, geography, religion, economics and education.  The most striking feature about the master plan is the clustered approach that creates nodal communities, and where various residential housing types are organized around common amenities such as parks, schools and mosques.  These amenities are then...

This unique $10M cultural facility combines programs for a new 475-seat concert hall and a sports gallery/entertainment centre highlighting the career of professional hockey star Bobby Orr.  The design evokes cottage imagery and capitalizes on the scenic beauty of the Town’s waterfront overlooking Georgian Bay.  The multi-level concert hall/theatre will be the permanent venue for the renowned “Festival of the Sound” and will be notable for its world-class acoustic excellence.  The Hall of Fame is a multi-level room with a gallery on the main floor and an interactive display area on the mezzanine above.  A three-storey foyer connects the two programs, creating spectacular views from within. (in joint venture with Keith Loffler McAlpine Architect)

Building on the tradition of excellence established at it’s downtown Tianjin location, this new campus in being developed to provide state of art educational facilities for 4300 international and Chinese students, and comprise of 800,000 s.f. of building.  Positioned at the terminus of a major pedestrian only boulevard, a central, contemporary quadrangle is the primary organizing element of the campus, flanked by the main administration building.  In an effort to encourage community use of specialized facilities, the auditorium, arts and physical education buildings are located on the main street facing the adjacent residential community.  Within the quadrangle, the cylindrical shaped library and information centre is the symbolic heart of the school, bordered by...

The new Canadian head office for Kumon Canada Inc. combines 40,000 sf of office space and training facilities for franchise owners. The ground floor consists of three large training rooms and one large multi-purpose training space. A large open lobby with skylight and water feature provides ample area for open discussions and interaction among teachers and students.  Management offices are located on the second floor.  A feature stairway, with skylight above, connects the second floor with the main entry and lobby space below. Offices include state-of-the-art demountable systems furniture and workstations.

Located on a compact urban site, this $10 M multi-use facility includes a new community centre, public library and daycare, serving the residents of Canada’s highest density per capita neighbourhood.  The 50,000 s.f. facility has become the community’s focal point, organized to provide a high level of access to community programs and events.  Visual transparency from the street and within the building achieves dynamic results, such as the street-level windows of the gymnasium and the large corner window of the library.  The double-height central lobby provides centralized access to the gymnasium, public library, multi-purpose rooms and the second floor daycare facility, which is linked to a sheltered, roof-top exterior play area.  The building was also designed...

Phase One: The Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors make their home in this multi-award winning complex.  Phase One consists of a 5,400-seat stadium and one community ice rink.  The main stadium can accommodate major sporting events, trade shows and entertainment activities. The facility also includes 27 private box suites, a club lounge, a public restaurant and offices and various retail shops.  Phase One was completed in 12 short months using a fast-track mode of construction management. Phase Two: Our team was re-engaged to add two new community rinks alongside the existing single pad rink completed as part of Phase One. There are back-to-back central support spines in both levels in this expansion. The grade level serves the players and...

This revitalized Southern Ontario regional airport facility is now capable of servicing airlines on a domestic and international/trans-border/charter basis.  The $20M expansion of the passenger terminal was a result of increased passenger loads and a desire to re-brand its public image within the aviation and business industry.  As a means of addressing this challenge the new addition stretches across the groundside façade of the existing terminal providing a new entrance concourse, enlarged passenger holding room, new departure and arrival gates and offices for the Airport Authority.  An over arching canopy spans across the pick-up/drop-off drive aisle, protruding against the backdrop of the transparent concourse.  Phased construction techniques were successfully...

Located on the western shores of Dubai, Waterfront will transform 1.4 billion square feet of empty desert and sea into an international community – for an estimated population of 1.5 million people – twice the size of Hong Kong Island. Our project in this district is composed of over 15 mid-rise buildings of various sizes holding a mix of apartments over ground floor retail. The development of each block has been conceptualized to ensure the water’s edge promenade is continuous, accessible and active for pedestrians and residents. An Avenue of the Palms was created on a split level to separate the road traffic from pedestrians along the canal edge. The built form includes the creation of various courtyard housing types that line the Avenue. The facade treatment...