Courthouses

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is Canada’s foremost example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture and a building of national significance.

Since 1990, +VG Architects has led a multi-decade conservation program, beginning with a comprehensive Conservation Master Plan and continuing through successive phases of renewal, maintenance, and upgrade.

Initial work focused on large-scale building envelope restoration, including replacement of over an acre of slate and copper roofing, conservation of more than 600 historic wood windows, full mortar replacement, and significant sandstone repair. All work was completed while the building remained fully operational as Ontario’s seat of government, requiring rigorous coordination and strict health and safety protocols.

Subsequent phases expanded to include mechanical and electrical upgrades, foundation conservation, and interior improvements, alongside a structured cyclical review program to guide ongoing maintenance. This proactive approach allows for continuous monitoring and targeted interventions to preserve the building in a state of good repair.

More recent work has focused on masonry, window, and metals conservation, incorporating evolving best practices and lessons learned over time. The program also includes landscape rehabilitation and accessibility and security upgrades, ensuring the site continues to serve both its civic function and heritage value.

The New Toronto Courthouse is a 17-storey facility that will become the largest courthouse in Ontario, occupying a site with a layered history dating back to the 1840s.

Following the demolition of earlier structures in the 1980s, significant archaeological remains were preserved beneath the site until extensive excavations began in 2016. Led by Infrastructure Ontario, this work uncovered thousands of artifacts and documented the footprints of former buildings, forming the basis for a comprehensive interpretation program.

+VG Architects was retained by EllisDon to lead the heritage approvals process and develop a site-wide interpretation strategy in coordination with Infrastructure Ontario, the Ministry of the Attorney General, and the City of Toronto. The work involved extensive consultation, including engagement with the City’s Heritage Interpretation Working Group, the Ministry’s Indigenous Elders’ Council, and representatives from Six Nations, Huron-Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

With no physical heritage fabric remaining on site, the design approach focused on layered interpretation integrated throughout the public realm. Elements include inlaid bronze markers, exterior interpretive panels, digital installations, artifact displays, and a large-scale commemoration of the former British Methodist Episcopal Church.

The result is a coordinated and immersive strategy that reconnects the site to its history while supporting the civic presence of the new courthouse. The project received a 2024 OAA Design Excellence Award.

+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.