Festival of Architecture & Design and Doors Open 2008

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-- Festival of Architecture & Design and Doors Open 2008

Posted by smuncky on May-14-2008 19:53:

Festival of Architecture & Design and Doors Open 2008

With all the current talk about the city, this whole month is the Festival of Architecture and Design (FAD). Here is your chance to learn a little bit more about the city you live in. This will be my 3rd year that I'm going to Doors Open and visiting other events in the city.

quote:
Welcome to the 4th annual Festival of Architecture and Design (fAd). This May, fAd puts Toronto�s architecture and design communities in the spotlight with 60 exhibitions, films, lectures, readings and walking tours.

Meet local designers and international architects, activists and academics. Discover how architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic design and fashion design work to shape our city and enrich our lives.

2008 Calendar of Events

The main highlight of this festival is the Doors Open event.

quote:
Join Toronto Culture Saturday and Sunday, May 24 & 25, 2008 and renew your faith in Toronto architecture!

Multicultural places of worship and Toronto�s National Historic Sites will be in the spotlight during this year�s event, which gives visitors an opportunity to explore over 140 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance; admission is free. Many of the city�s finest churches, chapels, temples, synagogues and mosques are among the featured buildings this year, as well as structures never before open to the public.

Music will play a big part in Doors Open Toronto 2008; united under the banner, Sacred Spaces, Sacred Circles, this year�s event is a collaboration with Tafelmusik Orchestra and the Toronto Consort. Organizers will animate a dozen Doors Open Toronto venues with special performances.

Official program guides for Doors Open Toronto 2008 will be available in the Toronto Star Thursday, May 22, 2008.

Buildings to visit this year

Enjoy!

Posted by smuncky on May-14-2008 20:04:

My plan for this year is to visit these place.

On Saturday
-------------------
TTC Harvey Shops

Moriyama & Teshima Architects - 32 Davenport Road

University of Toronto - Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

University of Toronto - Multi-Faith Centre for Spiritual Study and Practice

Robertson Building

On Sunday
--------------------------
Distillery Historic District - Yeast Loft Building

Distillery Historic District - Malt Kilns Building and Tunnel

Distillery Historic District - Rack House D

St. Gabriel's Passionist Parish

Ontario Association of Architects

Posted by dEsidEL on May-14-2008 20:11:

Re: Festival of Architecture & Design and Doors Open 2008

quote:
Originally posted by smuncky

The main highlight of this festival is the Doors Open event.

I wish some of these buildings would have their doors open to the general public year round. We have some great architecture in this city which unforunately is seldom available to the general public.

Imagine all the places you could take friends and family visiting the city on a weekend if everything were open.

Posted by The Ear on May-14-2008 20:45:

Hey Smuncky,

Since you're the architect, will you be conducting guided tours of these places? I mean, I know there will be guides & all, but they're not going ot be pointing things out with an architect's eye.

B/c if I'm able to get out for this, I wouldn't mind having a TA architect tour guide leading the way.

Posted by smuncky on May-14-2008 20:57:

quote:
Originally posted by The Ear
Hey Smuncky,

Since you're the architect, will you be conducting guided tours of these places? I mean, I know there will be guides & all, but they're not going ot be pointing things out with an architect's eye.

B/c if I'm able to get out for this, I wouldn't mind having a TA architect tour guide leading the way.

unfortuently, i will not. some of these places have tours at certain times of the day and some places you can only access with a guide. other places have self guided tours.

if someone has never been to doors open before, i recommend going to see the Toronto Dominion tower. you get a fully guided tour on the 54th floor of the building which goes through the board room, offices, and the restaurant. the views out are quite good too. however, there is usual a line up for this and the wait can be up to 30min.

some of the places i'd recommend to go see is either one of the green roofs at 401 richmond, Mountain Equipment Co-op, or Robertson Building. i've been to the one at 401 richmond and it has a really nice view. i'm sure the others do as well.

city hall is a cool place to go to. you can access the obeservation deck which is normally closed. close to that is the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. my personal opinion of it changed when i went and experienced it from the inside. Lower bay station is a pretty neat place to see the "ghost" station which is normally closed off to the public. the distillery is a good place to visit since there a couple of places too see there all close to each other.

Posted by *~LiSa-LoO~* on May-14-2008 21:08:

Ughhhhhhhhhh I wanted to go so bad this year b/c I missed it last year. I'm out of the country though This'll have to wait another year - hopefully it's not the American long weekend again either b/c I'll be at DEMF since I missed THAT the last 2 years!

Posted by smuncky on May-14-2008 21:11:

quote:
Originally posted by *~LiSa-LoO~*
Ughhhhhhhhhh I wanted to go so bad this year b/c I missed it last year. I'm out of the country though This'll have to wait another year - hopefully it's not the American long weekend again either b/c I'll be at DEMF since I missed THAT the last 2 years!

this always happens during the month of may and doors open is usually around the same dates (the 3rd weekend in may)

Posted by *~LiSa-LoO~* on May-14-2008 21:15:

quote:
Originally posted by smuncky
this always happens during the month of may and doors open is usually around the same dates (the 3rd weekend in may)

I think for a city as big as Toronto with a lot to offer at doors open, they should make it 2 weekends! I'm pretty sure there are a couple of city's that have 2 weekends. I could be wrong though.

Posted by smuncky on May-14-2008 21:39:

There are actually a lot of Doors Open events all around the world.

A post from Flickr.

Canadian Sites
Heritage Canada www.doorsopencanada.ca/
Ontario www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/
Alberta www.doorsopenalberta.com/
Newfoundland and Labrador www.doorsopendays.com/

US Sites
Lowell, MA www.doorsopenlowell.org/
New York www.ohny.org
Chicago Great Chicago Places & Spaces"
Denver www.denvergov.org/doorsopendenver
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania www.friendsofgettysburg.org/doorsopensection.htm

Rest of the World
Scotland (the Original) www.doorsopendays.org.uk/
London, England www.openhouselondon.org
Wales and Northern Ireland www.heritagedays.net

Posted by magikb on May-14-2008 23:58:

I won't be making it, but Alex I cannot wait to see your pics.

Posted by VERTiG0 on May-15-2008 00:29:

Ooooooh.

Posted by The Ear on May-15-2008 14:14:

Thanks for tips, altough I'll be predisposed to seeking out some of the places you listsed on your intinerary, the observation deck at city sounds quite interesting.

Although, who the hell has an observation deck that's closed? Seriously not much observing going on then is there?

Posted by smuncky on May-23-2008 04:24:

bump

it's happening this weekend.

Posted by Geoffb3 on May-23-2008 04:45:

Thanx man ... doors open is great

Posted by smuncky on Jun-01-2008 22:53:

i went to see everything that i wanted to go see this year. hopefully next year's theme will be a bit better.

anyway here are some pics.

courtyard house

ROM

215 spadina (robertson building)

UofT multifaith center

UofT rare book library

ttc harvey shops - definitely one of the highlights of the weekend

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Distillery district

OAA

St. Gabriel's Parish

there's lots more at www.flickr.com/smuncky

Posted by DigiNut on Jun-01-2008 22:55:

Great pictures dude! I wanted to see some of those buildings and now I'm even more sorry I missed it.

Posted by *~LiSa-LoO~* on Jun-01-2008 23:01:

I always love your pictures Alex. Really hope I can catch Doors Open Toronto one year.

Posted by Geoffb3 on Jun-02-2008 01:03:

Great Pictures, although i still hate the rom

Posted by smuncky on Jun-04-2008 03:07:

thanks for the comments guys! much appreciated.

Posted by italarmo on Jun-04-2008 03:18:

Wawaweewa!!! My fellow designer... I LOVE IT!!!
So how's the OAA? I've heard great things about it, and I've been wanting to check it out for a while now... is it worth it?
FYI... your pics are VERY impressive! Love 'em all!

Posted by smuncky on Jun-04-2008 03:33:

quote:
Originally posted by italarmo
Wawaweewa!!! My fellow designer... I LOVE IT!!!
So how's the OAA? I've heard great things about it, and I've been wanting to check it out for a while now... is it worth it?
FYI... your pics are VERY impressive! Love 'em all!

it's a cool building. it's actually elevated. the ground floor has the underground parking and the rest of the building sits on the 2 cores. u walk up the stairs to the reception which is right next to the main space. this is like where they have gallery sets ups and stuff i guess. the southeast corner has a reception area with tables and chairs and a little bar as well. there's also a patio/balcony overlooking the ravine. the third floor overlooks the second but we we're allowed to go there.

the whole building is very airy and bright. lots of daylight through the glazing on the south and west sides. they were also handing out a bunch of their older issues of "perspectives".