Daniels Spectrum, a community cultural hub in Toronto’s Regent Park operated by Artscape, has received the Good Design is Good Business Award, announced recently by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the designers of the facility. This prestigious award from Architectural Record honours companies and organizations “that take advantage of design to further business strategies in ways that are innovative but appear effortless.”
Artscape is elated that Daniels Spectrum, an arts and cultural facility rooted in the community, has been recognized on the international stage. As one of only 10 projects chosen to receive this award from a pool of worldwide entries, Daniels Spectrum was chosen for its exemplary demonstration of the sweeping benefits of great design.
Artscape congratulates Diamond Schmitt Architects, who designed the facility and received this award, as well as the partners in this project, The Daniels Corporation, Toronto Community Housing and the Regent Park community.
This award recognizes the benefits of Daniels Spectrum that extend far beyond the built form: Daniels Spectrum is delivering on the social goals of nurturing talent, providing creative space to the community and creating a new platform for cultural expression. The Daniels Spectrum case is also about celebrating new programming initiatives in a neighbourhood undergoing radical transformation, mounting culturally diverse events in world-class facilities and welcoming the city of Toronto to a new cultural destination. By every measure, it is succeeding in achieving these goals. In 2013, the first full year of operation, Daniels Spectrum welcomed over 50,000 visitors and hosted over 300 events. As a result, leading industry magazine BizBash named Daniels Spectrum Best New Venue for Meetings and Events in Canada. The seven innovative cultural organizations that call Daniels Spectrum their professional home have witnessed many successes in the past year as well as growth, supported by the facility’s sustainable funding model. By bringing these groups together under the same roof, new collaborations are being fostered and a new level of professionalism infuses performance, learning and enterprise.
Seema Jethalal, Managing Director of Daniels Spectrum, recognizes the role unique design plays in the success of the cultural hub. “Every day, Daniels Spectrum hums with energy and welcomes young and old through its doors. Thanks to the dynamic and multiple purposes of the place, amazing work is happening and creative ideas are flourishing. We appreciate that the judges of this competition recognized the huge impact Daniels Spectrum is having in the community, which could not have been possible without the strong partnerships forged in the design and planning of the project.”
The project will be published in the June issue of Architectural Record.
For more information, please visit www.artscape.ca.