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Moriyama Teshima Architects opposes 'shock' closure of Ontario Science Centre in new letter

2024-06-26T15:26:00-04:00

Moriyama Teshima Architects has provided a statement in rebuke of the sudden closure of its late founder Raymond Moriyama’s beloved Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. The closure was announced Friday by the provincial government, citing the need for repairs in many of its RAAC roof panels in the interest of public safety.

The issue is another salient note in the controversial Ford administration-led plans to remove the structure as part of the proposed redevelopment of Ontario Place and has been called into question by critics Alex Bozikovic and Elsa Lam. Each responded with the position that the government's reading of the engineers' report is wrong and meant to favor prospects for a new development.

"The Rimkus engineering report makes it clear that closing the OSC is not a necessity," the letter states decidedly. "Repairs are needed, but on a manageable scale and with potentially minimal impact on the public experience of the building."

Celebrated Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama passes away aged 93

2023-09-05T13:45:00-04:00

Raymond Moriyama, a generational talent who greatly influenced the development of modern architecture in his native Canada, passed away on September 1st, according to his studio. He was 93 years old.

The founder of Moriyama Teshima Architects (MTA), Moriyama will be remembered for contributions such as the Ontario Science Centre, Canadian War Museum, and Bata Shoe Museum that were emblematic of his humanitarian commitments, personal experiences with multiculturalism, and social philosophy.

The Bata Shoe Museum. Image: Ali Eminov via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

He studied architecture and planning at both the University of Toronto and McGill University before practicing independently until being joined by Ted Teshima in 1970. The pair then went on to garner acclaim internationally over their designs for the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Etihad Museum, and the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, which was completed in Riyadh in 1999. Several major awards followed, and Moriyama ended his career wi...

Mass timber pedestrian bridge rises at Toronto's George Brown College

2023-04-28T14:26:00-04:00

Canadian construction company PCL Construction is celebrating a major milestone in the construction of George Brown College’s new Limberlost Place on Toronto’s waterfront, with the installation of a mass timber pedestrian bridge.

Standing 65 feet above street level, the structure connects level five of Limberlost Place to level six of the college’s Daphne Cockwell Center for Health Sciences. The 10-story Limberlost Place is reportedly set to be the first mass timber, net-zero carbon emissions institutional building of its kind in Ontario. It was designed by a team consisting of Moriyama and Teshima Architects and Acton Ostry Architects. The building is expected to be completed by 2024 and will be open for classes in January 2025.

Video via PCL Construction on YouTube

The pedestrian bridge stretches approximately 70 feet and is made up of two glue-laminated trusses and four cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. Individual CLT pieces were prefabricated at an off-site location befor...

Mukwa Waakaa'igan Indigenous cultural center project unveils updated design

2022-07-28T17:44:00-04:00

New renderings have been revealed for the planned Mukwa Waakaa’igan Indigenous Centre of Cultural Excellence at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, previewing a futuristic nod to the past while extending the conversation around an issue that’s been at the forefront recently as Pope Francis makes his long-awaited public apology tour across Canada.

The project is being headed by Moriyama & Teshima with Smoke Architecture, an Ontario studio focused on First Nations and Indigenous communities. The team says they intend it to serve as a showcase of the “truth-telling” work their client, the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association (CSAA), has pursued in shedding light on the injustices that took place during Canada’s fraught residential schools era.

Image courtesy Moriyama & Teshima Architects

Per the architects: “The architectural design has been articulated through consideration of Indigenous teachings, from building form to material selection. The new Cultural Centre's ar...