the gallery is now officially closed. thanks to all of you who supported us.

urbanscape group has moved. as of November 1st, 2009, our new office is located at 1800a avenue road. our new space does not feature a gallery. we hope before long to launch a gallery in a new location, so check back in the new year for new developments. thank you for helping us make this adventure a success, the great experience that has been urbanscape architectural gallery.

the urbanscape team

eleanor doran's works are a commentary on the contemporary urban scene, on the street, its people, and the places they frequent. on architecture, publicity, text and graffiti.

photography forms the structural base of each piece onto which more traditional elements are layered.

the show runs october 7 - october 24, 2009. the exhibition and gallery closing celebration is on saturday, october 24, from 6:00 pm on.

this is the urbanscape group's final show at the 2959 dundas street west location.

Exhibition: June 24 to July 11, 2009.

Reception: Thursday, July 09,  6:00 - 9:00 pm.

Recognizing and profiling the innovative and expanding skills of Ontario’s leading architectural professionals, the Ontario Association of Architects is showcasing the 2009 OAA award-winning projects at Urbanscape Architectural Gallery. Visitors have a chance to see the winner of this year’s Best in Show Award, The Artscape Wychwood Barns, Toronto, designed by Joe Lobko Architect Inc. and du Toit Architects Limited. This award-winning building has been recognized as the project that most successfully addressed the criteria within the Design Excellence category such as creativity, context, program, environment, “good design is good business” and legacy. The exhibit also features The People’s Choice Award winning project, The Renfrew County Courthouse, Pembroke, by NORR Limited Architects and Engineers.

The 2009 Awards were chosen by Juries comprised of a number of members of the public whose interests and background represent the Ontario design community. One hundred and thirty-six submissions were received and reviewed. Fourteen new buildings in Belleville, Peterborough, Pointe Au Baril and Toronto have been honoured.The OAA Awards offer the Ontario architects, students and interns an annual opportunity to showcase their best work and increase public appreciation of the services provided by the architectural profession. For more information about the winners, please visit OAA website.

The Tower of Babel and Other Follies - Exhibition of works by Ian McKay

Exhibition runs from June 3 to June 20, 2009.
Opening reception on Saturday, June 6, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

Babel 2008

About the Tower of Babel 
Over the past 20 years I have been working with architectural images. This exhibition incorporates works from an ongoing series based on the Tower of Babel. For me, this tower would have to be infinite in scale. The drawing method is axonometric, there is no horizon and no vanishing points. In theory I can draw in all directions endlessly. The other works shown in the exhibition are about 9/11 and its aftermath. At the onset of these paintings I had just been diagnosed with Macular Degeneration. These images are simultaneously about the destruction of war and the degradation of my vision.
Ian McKay

For more information on the artist, please visit his web site at www.ianmckaygallery.ca

Exhibition runs from May 6 to May 30.
Opening on Saturday, May 9 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

1958 city hall competition, courtesy of Canadian Architectural Archives, University of Calgary

Urbanscape Architectural Gallery, in partnership with the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) presents Unbuilt Toronto: The City That Could Have Been. Juried images of unbuilt projects from practising architects and designers are juxtaposed against historical images of unrealized building proposals drawn from Mark Osbaldeston’s book, Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been (Dundurn Press, November, 2008). Presented in two parts, Unbuilt Toronto: The City That Could Have Been consists of historical images – covering more than 150 years and as selected from Mark Osbaldeston’s book. Visitors will be exposed to proposals for ambitious and often controversial projects such as the Civic Improvement Committee’s proposed Federal Avenue of 1911, Eaton’s 1928 stand-out College Street tower, and “Project Toronto,” Buckminster Fuller’s futuristic plan for the city from 1968. The exhibition also features images of more contemporary unrealized projects for Toronto, many of which have never before been seen by the general public.The Toronto Society of Architects has invited designers, large and small, to submit unrealized architectural, landscape or urban design projects that might have resulted in a very different city from the one seen today. To ensure potency of dialogue, the contemporary projects submitted must have had substantial potential for realization within the Greater Toronto Area: each project had a client, was part of an invited submission, or was short-listed for a competition. Final selection by the TSA’s curatorial panel of architects, educators and urbanists was based on design excellence, the context for cancellation, and the significance of impact had the project been realized.

Exhibition is a part of the 5th annual Festival of Architecture and Design (fAd). Each May, fAd showcases Toronto’s architecture and design communities with a variety of events such as exhibitions, films lectures, readings and walking tours.Meet local designers and international architects, activists and academics. Celebrate good design and discover how it shapes our city and enriches our lives. More information at www.toronto.ca/fad

january 14 - january 24

design studio work created by students of the toronto chapter of the RAIC syllabus architectural program. the work was initially shown in december 2008 in the final presentation of the program's fall semester.

information regarding the program can be found at http://www.raic-syllabus.ca/ 

august 2008 : architecture & design showcase

opening reception : thursday, august 21, 6 - 9 p.m.

featuring two exhibitions :

twenty + change : 

twenty + change is an exhibition of contemporary architecture, landscape, and urban design projects : the exhibit features built, in-the-works, and speculative projects by twenty designers and firms working in toronto : the intention of the exhibition is to showcase work by emerging practices and designers who have yet to receive widespread public and media attention : toronto has a rich community of young designers who continuously push the limits of their discipline, setting a new agenda for innovation, invention, and social and physical environmental quality : by presenting the products of a new generation of designers, twenty + change foreshadows the near future of architecture, landscape, and urban design in toronto :

and :

2008 oaa awards :

the annual oaa awards offer ontario architects, students and interns the opportunity to showcase their best work and increase public awareness and appreciation of the architectural profession and architectural works :

highlights for 2008 include : the landmark award, which recognizes buildings that identify and enhance community, as well as establishing a standard of design excellence for future generations; and the new people's choice award, which enabled the public to vote for their favourite project in the category of design excellence :

on the oaa website :

april 2008

the results of an open architectural ideas competition organized by potogroup from vancouver : the competition questioned the emerging typology originating in vancouver's downtown area, inviting participants to explore, rethink, and experiment with new ideas that would challenge the concept of the podium/tower typology : the projects challenged the logic of the present, investigated macro and micro scale, examined the notion of 'vertical sprawl', formulated new questions, and facilitated variations that would allow new potential for living and existing in the city :

www.poto.ca

ocad at urbanscape

march 14 - 29 : 2008

these models (from second and third year environmental design studios) represent only one aspect of the work within environmental design – that of three-dimensional model making : they are the tip of the iceberg : we are not seeing the research or the sketches, plans, sections, elevations or perspectives, let alone the virtual computer modeling of the building : the range, scale and complexity of our programs and our imagined worlds are vast, but models give us something material and measurable : they represent the physical manifestation of creative thought and creative process in the shaping of our built environments :

october 4 - october 17 : 2007

the oaa awards offer the ontario architectural profession an annual opportunity to present its best work to a public and professional audience; it advertises the excellence of both individual award winners and the profession as a whole; it fosters a greater appreciation of architecture and architects among all levels of society, professional and non-professional :