The mission of these awards is to recognize and celebrate excellence in local architecture and urban design during Toronto’s Festival of Architecture and Design.
The beautiful city astonishes us with its human-made and natural beauty. Its landmark structures and places, together with its overall design and harmonious composition, appeal to residents, to businesses and to visitors alike.
Architecture, landscape architecture and urban design play a vital role in the creation of the beautiful city. Well-designed and proportioned spaces make people feel welcome, support pedestrian activity, improve safety and accessibility, and create an unforgettable sense of place. Our buildings, spaces and urban fabric help define our community and provide a collective sense of what Toronto and its citizens are all about.
The City’s biennial Architecture and Urban Design Awards recognize, celebrate and promote public and private awareness of the role played by architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. This year marks the 4th Awards competition since the City amalgamated in 1998. The Awards are now an integral part of Toronto’s new "Clean and Beautiful City" initiative.
The 2005 Architecture and Urban Design Awards competition has included internationally renowned jurors and includes a new awards Gala celebration. Judging of entries took place in March. The awards ceremony and Gala will be held during the evening of Monday, May 16th, 2005 at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
The theme of the 2005 AUDA Gala is Transformation – transforming the City with good architecture and urban design at the AGO, which itself is undergoing a major transformation.
A ticketed event, the Gala will be a celebration and a professional and community networking opportunity. The awards Gala will bring together architects, landscape architects, planners, land developers, builders and urban policy makers, design professionals, artists and interested community members from across Toronto.
This year’s Awards and Gala process was organized by a Steering Committee led by the City of Toronto and with representatives from the Toronto Society of Architects, the Ontario Association of Architects, the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and the Toronto Board of Trade.
The Awards ProcessThis year’s jury included: Claude Cormier, Landscape Architect of Claude Cormier Architectes Paysagistes Inc. of Montreal; John Bentley Mays, Architecture Critic Real Estate at The Globe and Mail and Brigitte Shim, Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto and Partner with Shim-Sutcliffe Architects Inc. The jury judged entries accepted in the following six categories: Elements; Building in Context; Small Open Spaces; Large Places or Neighbourhood Designs; Visions and Master Plans and Student Awards.
Architects, landscape architects, designers, artists and owners of the winning projects will receive an award (where applicable) and a certificate for an Award or Honourable Mention, in the applicable categories, at the Gala. A Jury Report will also become available for distribution that evening. The shortlist of finalists will be revealed the The Globe and Mail on May 14th. The list of winners and honourable mentions will be listed post-Gala on May 28th in The Globe and Mail. After the Gala, submissions will be displayed across the city at the various civic centres.
The 2005 Architecture and Urban Design Awards Gala will take place Monday, May 16th from 6:30pm to 11:00pm at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Hosted by Mayor David Miller and AGO Director and CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the Gala will recognized and celebrate the best of Toronto’s urban design, architecture and landscape architecture.
The Gala will be a burst of creative activity that complements the spirit of the Awards and will include an address by Mayor Miller; the Awards presentation and video; a poetic interlude by Toronto’s Poet Laureate, Pier Giorgio di Cicco; live music by Dr. Draw; performances by Zero Gravity Circus; an art installation by annie Thompson; stand-up comedy by Michael Nemiroff; cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres; and much more. Gala guests will also have special access to the AGO’s Massive Change The Future of Global Design exhibit.
Tickets to the Gala are available for $50 exclusively through TicketKing at www.ticketking.com or by calling (416) 872-1212. Gala information has been posted on the City’s website at www.toronto.ca/auda. The direct information e-mail line is [email protected]
Creating a signature event of this calibre required creative thinking and strong partnerships. The 2005 AUDA Steering Committee sincerely thanks its sponsors, acknowledging their contribution to the continued growth and success of this event:
Media sponsor: The Globe and Mail
Founding & Sustainable sponsor: Concord Adex Developments
Event sponsors: Aird and Berlis LLP; Bousfields; Burnac; Cadillac Fairview; Cassels Brock LLP; Context Development; Core Architects; The Daniels Corporation; Davies Howe Partners LLP; Du Toit Allsopp Hillier; Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP; Goldman Holdings; Goodmans LLP; Greenco Project Management; IBI: Kolter Property; Loblaws; Malibu Investments; McCarthy Tetreault; Minto Urban Communities; Monarch Developments; OPPI; Plazacorp Investments; Ritchie Ketcheson Hart & Biggart LLP; Stikeman Elliott LLP; TEDCO; TSA: Urban Strategies; Westbury National Show Systems; Wittington Properties; Wood Bull LLP.