Ontario Association of Architects Announces its 2024 Design Excellence Awards Finalists

Chosen by a jury of respected design experts, this year’s collection features a diverse range of building types, including sustainably designed community centres, schools and learning facilities, residences, and an indoor horticultural attraction, as well as performing arts venues in Sudbury and New York City. These 20 Finalists serve as the shortlist for the OAA’s Design Excellence Awards category; the 10 winners will be announced next month and honoured at the OAA Conference in Niagara Falls in May.

The biennial OAA Design Excellence Awards program offers Ontario practices the opportunity to display the transformative influence of architecture, promoting broader public recognition and appreciation for the field..

“I am delighted to be able to share these stunning projects with the public,” says OAA President Settimo Vilardi. “Our architecture community is truly exceptional, pushing boundaries and shaping the landscape of the built environment in Ontario and beyond. Congratulations to the 20 Design Excellence Awards Finalists—your work serves as an inspiring testament to the exceptional talent within our industry.”

Selected from 100 eligible submissions, the 20 Finalists were judged on criteria such as creativity, context, sustainability, good design/good business, and legacy. Submissions also required disclosure of Energy Use Intensity (EUI) metrics, reflecting the OAA’s dedication to advance climate action in the public’s interest and ensuring sustainable, resilient design remains a critical aspect of every successful project.

The selections, in alphabetical order, are:

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

8 Spadina at the Well
(Toronto, Ontario) by Hariri Pontarini Architects (Design Architect), Adamson Associates Architects (Architect of Record)

Photo credit: Brady McCloskey

Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation
(St. Peter’s Bay, Prince Edward Island) by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects (now part of WF Group Inc.), in association with SableARC Studio

Photo credit: James Brittain

Centennial College A-Building Expansion
(Toronto, Ontario) by DIALOG Ontario Inc.

Photo credit: Nic Lehoux

Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University
(Boston, Massachusetts) by KPMB Architects

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Sports Park
(Mississauga, Ontario) by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, Ltd. (MJMA)

Photo credit: Chris Lee

David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center
(New York City, New York) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc. (Master Plan and Concert Theatre) and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (Public Spaces)

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

Drake Hotel Modern Wing
(Toronto, Ontario) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

Harrison McCain Pavilion at Beaverbrook Art Gallery
(Fredericton, New Brunswick) by KPMB Architects

Photo credit: Henry Dowling

Historians’ Library
(Cambridge, Ontario) by Dowling Architects

Photo credit: Tom Arban

House in High Park
(Toronto, Ontario) by Ian MacDonald Architect Inc.

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

Lawrence Orton Early Learning & Child Care Centre
(Toronto, Ontario) by SvN Architects + Planners with E.R.A. Architects Inc.

Photo credit: Ema Peter Photography

The Leaf at Assiniboine Park
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) by KPMB Architects (Design Architect) in association with Architecture49

Photo credit: Lindsay Reid/Diamond Schmitt

Manitou a bi Bii daziigae
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc. and Number TEN Architectural Group

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

Neil Campbell Rowing Centre
(St. Catherines, Ontario) by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, Ltd. (MJMA) in association with Raimondo + Associates Architects Inc.

Photo credit: Scott Norsworthy

Ontario Court of Justice Toronto
(Toronto, Ontario) by NORR Architects & Engineers Ltd. in association with Renzo Piano Building Workshop S.A.S.

Photo credit: Tom Arban Photography

Place des Arts
(Greater Sudbury, Ontario) by Moriyama Teshima Architects and Bélanger Salach Architecture in a joint venture

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

Toronto Public Library–Albert Campbell Branch
(Scarborough, Ontario) LGA Architectural Partners Ltd.

Photo credit: Tom Arban Photography

University of Toronto Schools
(Toronto, Ontario) by Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.

Photo credit: Felix Michaud

Virgin Vineyard House
(North Hatley, Quebec) by LAMAS Architecture Ltd.

Photo credit: Doublespace Photography

Whistling Wind Island
(Pointe au Baril, Ontario) by Atelier Kastelic Buffey Inc.

Profiles of all 20 Finalists will be posted on the OAA Website later this month, published in the forthcoming Awards 2024 book, and shared via X/Twitter and Instagram.

The ultimate 10 Winners will be announced in early April. They will be celebrated at the 2024 OAA Conference in Niagara Falls this May, along with three other Design Excellence awards: the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Design Excellence in Architecture, and the People’s Choice Award, which asks members of the public to vote for their favourite.

In April, the OAA will also announce the 2024 recipients of the biennial Best Emerging Practice, Medal of Service, and Lifetime Design Achievement Award, as well as the new inductees for the Honour Roll, which posthumously acknowledges the impact of members of the profession.

To view the 2022 Design Excellence Awards winners, you can read the Awards 2022 book or watch that year’s Celebration of Excellence.