Toronto Magazine - Premier 2008 - (Page 41) t he project came about when a mega collector in Toronto, the late Ken Thomson, left the bulk of his holdings to the gallery. He also donated more than $70 million to the AGO, where many of his prized possessions will be on permanent display. Of all Toronto’s new buildings, the only one constructed from scratch is the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Located downtown at the corner of Queen Street and University Avenue, it is home to the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. Though there has been much debate about the merits of its architecture, the 2,000-seat theatre has been lauded for acoustics. Designers Diamond + Schmitt of Toronto opted for restraint rather than glitz. Indeed, three of the opera house’s four façades are little more than blank brick walls. Inside, the horseshoe-shaped hall is finished in wood, which gives it an unexpected lightness. The most exciting element is the west exterior, which faces onto University, the city’s grand boulevard. Clad top to bottom in glass, it comes alive at night when illuminated from within. Also worthy of note is the Royal Conservatory of Music, just west of the ROM on Bloor. Another KPMB project, it incorporates the impressive late19th-century home of the Toronto Baptist College. It will include a 1,000-seat theatre and boast some of the finest views of the University of Toronto campus nearby. The U of T has also made some striking contributions to the skyline in recent years, most notably the Leslie L. Dan Pharmaceutical Building. This is Norman Foster’s first Canadian work. Despite its modesty, it has one of the most dramatic lobbies anywhere; in it are two enormous “pods,” one of which is big enough to accommodate a lecture hall, the other a classroom. After dark, these pods serve as screens against which changing coloured light is projected. Just down the road, on College Street, the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Research is arguably the most attractive laboratory building ever built in Toronto. Designed by Behnisch Architects of Stuttgart and Architects Alliance of Toronto, this small glass tower, divided horizontally at the halfway point, manages to be contemporary, yet respectful of its early-20th-century academic neighbours. Though it hasn’t received as much attention as some of the cultural projects, the three-year-old Terminal One at Pearson Airport also deserves mention. Created by the architectural triumvirate of Skidmore Owings Merrill, Moshe Safdie and Adamson Architects, the glamorous space is filled with natural light, exposed engineering and high-quality materials (especially the pink Tadoussac granite from Quebec). Terminal One also has some especially engaging public art, most notably the huge walk-through steel sculpture by Richard Serra. The piece is so large it had to be installed before the building could be completed. Although it remains to be seen whether the momentum can be sustained, it’s clear the architectural stakes have been raised. Toronto is indeed not the city it used to be. Christopher Hume is the architecture critic and urban affairs columnist for the Toronto Star. toronto | 2008 41
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