Courthouses

The Legislative Assembly Building is the first and finest example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Canada and is of national architectural and historic interest.

In 1990, a conservation plan, led by +VG Architects, was implemented over the next six years. The exterior conservation was one of the largest and most sophisticated stone conservation and roof refurbishment projects ever undertaken in Canada. The project was completed within 3% of estimates prepared at the out.set of the job.

The construction involved scaffolding of large sections of the building for each phase. The scope of the project included replacement of over an acre of slate and copper roof. It required the removal and restoration of over 600 historic wood windows, removal and replacement of all the face mortar and removing and replacement of over 17,000 cubic feet of sandstone. It also involved interior work, as the roof drainage system (cast iron risers buried in the interior walls) had to be replaced in its entirety.

Ordinarily this scale of project and type of construction work would be executed on an unoccupied building. This was not acceptable to the client and the building had to remain fully operational throughout the six year construction schedule. This challenge was compounded by the serious occupational health and safety risks involved with continuous noise, silica dust, volatile organic compounds in paints, caulking materials, lead dust from mortar removal, and pigeon droppings that constitute hazardous material. Stringent safety procedures were set-up and monitored on a continual basis.

The LAO building is presently in its fourth year of a five year masonry and window conservation program which involves analysis of previous conservation activities and continued conservative maintenance.

The New Toronto Courthouse is a 17-storey tower courthouse that, when completed, will be the largest courthouse in Ontario. The project site has a rich history dating back to the 1840’s, with the last pre-existing building on the site having been demolished in the 1980’s. At that time heritage foundations and other elements were encapsulated under a parking lot.

In 2016, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) began an extensive Archaeological excavation of the site leading to the discovery of thousands of historical artifacts and the mapping of the lost footprints of many former buildings and structures, and the publication of two books. EllisDon retained +VG to navigate the complex approvals process with Infrastructure Ontario, the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG), and the City of Toronto and to provide community consultation related to the heritage interpretation. +VG led consultations with:

• The Heritage Interpretation Working Group set up by the City of Toronto,
• The MAG Indigenous Elders’ Council, and
• Separate Indigenous consultation meetings with Six Nations, Huron-Wendat, and Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.

+VG’s challenge as the heritage architect was to provide heritage commemoration and interpretation on a site where all heritage material had been removed by the archaeological investigations or by the excavations for the courthouse. A multi-faceted heritage interpretation strategy was developed to engage the public as they approach the site and continuing through into the interior of the courthouse in the large glazed public atrium. The broad on-site Heritage Interpretation Strategy Included:

• Site hoarding with heritage interpretation and graphic displays
• Bronze inlay markers and plaques cast into the sidewalks and plaza spaces surrounding the courthouse
• Three large stainless steel interpretation signage panels in the exterior plaza
• Marker date stone and interpretative panel for the former British Methodist Episcopal Church (BME Church)
• Full scale graphic window display commemorating the façade of the BME Church at its original location
• Interior graphic explanatory panels
• Archaeological artifacts display case for rotating exhibits
• Digital information touch-screen kiosk
• Heritage wall display of historic photographs, maps, and artifacts

Extensive coordination for the Heritage Interpretation Strategy was provided by +VG with the design team: architectural, archaeological, graphic communications, landscape, and lighting. Deliverables included the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), Heritage Interpretation Design Plan (HIDP), and Site Plan Application approvals.

+VG Architects served as the Prime Consultant, in association with Invizij Architects, to deliver all consulting services required for the design and construction of this renovation and energy modernization project which was performed through a Construction Management model.

The project includes the integration of a heating and cooling retrofit through the Hamilton Utility Corporation (“HUC”) designed independently by H.H. Angus and Associates Consulting Engineers. The design conforms to the City’s Barrier Free Design Guidelines.

The Art Deco building was previously occupied by McMaster University as a tenant. The project intent was to convert the heritage building to provide a functional space for the Provincial Offences Administration (POA) offices, as well as all necessary courtrooms and ancillary spaces for both staff and the public, and additional administrative offices for the Ontario Municipal Board and City of Hamilton staff, and to accommodate future growth.

Work to protect and preserve the historic elements of the building was guided by City of Hamilton Heritage Resource Management. The majority of the work focused on the interior renovation of the facility, but some exterior work was required to comply with accessibility and police vehicular turning radius requirements.