March 22, 2022
Francis Green - Google Earth
Our staff occasionally assemble on Friday afternoons for an office exercise we call Things We Like. Centred around a theme determined earlier in the week, staff are invited to share examples of relevant things they enjoy. Since our first Things We Like in 2016, our staff have participated in 75 of these exercises. Some themes are intended to generate ideas for projects we're working on, while others are simply intended to encourage creativity and generate discussion about things we'd like to see in our community.
Preliminary Sketch of Downtown Kitchener, 1965 - Toronto Star
In May 2018, we met to reenvision Francis Green, the public space located at King and Francis in downtown Kitchener. This prominent corner wh…
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April 26, 2023
Our staff will once again be participating in Jane's Walk, the annual community-based approach to city building that uses volunteer-led walking tours to encourage people to rediscover the value of walking, and to observe, reflect, share, question and re-imagine the places in which they live, work and play. This year, both John and Scott have Jane's Walks planned for the first full weekend of May (6-7).
Balzer-Manitou Trail: Parkway Potential, with Scott
Take a stroll with Scott Clark of John MacDonald Architect down Schneider Creek into the Balzer Greenway, following the route of a planned active transportation connection. Along the way, we'll look at the history of the Balzer farm, as well as discuss desire lines, local infrast…
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July 11, 2022
Eastside Branch Design Team
We're pleased to share that the Waterloo Public Library's new Eastside Branch Library has been awarded the 2022 New Library Building Award by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). According to John MacDonald: “These are the awards we cherish, where clients and their community confirm that the performing facility meets their needs, inspires their use, and validates the trust they have placed in us.”
Commitment to community development, architectural & technological innovation, and creative advancements that emphasize local connections are important aspects that are embodied by the recipients of the New Library Building Award. The award aims to encourage and showcase excellence in the design of n…
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August 26, 2021
Enrich your experience of architecture with tips on how to draw from your own perceptions.
Read more ...June 28, 2021
Architects are often asked “What is it that you do?” Where other professions may generate straightforward reputations, the nature and value of this thing called “design” is less easy to pin down, and the role of the architect in that design more obscure still.
Architects of course can be grouped in a variety of ways, but the tendency is for division by the “use” to which our offerings are put: the Product of the project, be it hospital, hotel, or office. This creates confusion more than understanding, since architects aren’t retailers of buildings.
We are trained in a Process, a “how do you do”, and offer that process to a variety of projects so that excellent and meaningful solutio…
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April 01, 2021
A graceful and delightful home design succeeds in achieving great relationships between the parts and the whole.
Designing a home is one of the toughest challenges for everyone. At first seemingly so simple (three bedroom, 2 storey, etc), a house can be quite complex. That is because a house has to support its residents and guests in everything they do: through different stages of life, eating, sleeping, resting, dreaming, playing, learning, working, cooking, entertaining, and lots more. Additionally, there might be a demand to accommodate for particular needs, either for accessibility, or work/ hobby related, or particular preferences.
The construction of this house spared the tree so the entry experience could be organized around it. This tree is now a delightful feat…
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February 16, 2021
Fun at the breakfast included a horoscope review: "use the daylight hours to the max. Others might find you to be vague. Plans take an unexpected twist or turn." Let's hope I get this article done early, I make my point clearly, and I stay on track. If not, I'll be paying more attention to random advice proffered under my zodiac sign.
Was this reference to "plans" mere chance? My day was to produce an article on those pernicious instruments called "visions" and "master plans". Was the horoscope serendipity, or some cosmic scheme showing a bit of slip? "Plans take an unexpected twist or turn" isn't, quite frankly, much of a stretch as predictions go.
Each long-term vision we construct is doomed for obsolescence. To paraphrase Colin Powell: "No master plan survives …
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February 08, 2021
What's with all the black and dark grey building exteriors lately? New construction; building renos; paint jobs to existing brick buildings; it seems to be the flavour (or colour) of the month. The Oxlea Tower on Frederick St., for example, now hulks even more on Kitchener's skyline, courtesy of its Darth Vader colour scheme. Black and grey come in all sorts of materials: as siding, baked coatings, panels, back-painted glass, and even masonry. Black is showing up in homes, office & residential towers, commercial buildings and public institutional facilities.
Are these a symptom of our times, something dour and lifeless that we're living through? Or perhaps emblematic? Will we look back at them and say, “Oh yeah, second decade!”?
Why such …
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February 01, 2021
Because our architectural practice and work is rooted in the physical world and the landscape that our designs affect, it’s important that this blog stay “grounded”. Literally.
Although discussions about design are often abstracted from context, that’s not us. Our work and interest is about making and enhancing particular places.
That’s why we’ve decided that Design and Community has a physical lifeline, which is the particular natural, rural, urban, and suburban mix associated with the Grand River Watershed, where our office and many of our projects are located.
We often think of a watershed as a geographic unit divorced from our built form. It’s not. The t…
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December 11, 2019
Mila chose the theme of "Industrial Architecture" for things we like because she thought the interpretation would be very versatile. The group came up with a range of choices including: industrial spaces that are in use today, buildings that were repurposed from old industry, and elements of design inspired by industry.
Margaret’s Pick: Becker Architekten’s Hydroelectric Plant, Kempten, Germany. Margaret appreciates the way the plant is integrated with the urban fabric, and wonders if this kind of project would work for Cambridge, Ontario.
John’s Pick: Maishama Waste Incineration Plant, Osaka, Japan. This fanciful building was designed by Austrian architect Hundertwasser, who protested the uniformity of Bauhaus…
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December 11, 2019
The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) gathered together at their annual general meeting and showed their support for ensuring healthier workplace standards. A motion brought forward by John MacDonald called his fellow architects into action by asking them to stand up to solve issues of equity and fairness within the architectural profession. The motion specifically pertains to exemptions in the Employment Standards Act that exclude architects, among other professions, from certain employment standards such as entitlement to minimum wage, overtime pay, and vacation. The motion was received with resounding support from members of the OAA.
John was inspired to spearhead a grassroots movement among architects in Ontario to prove that architects are willing and able to take t…
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