Institutional
A path to fully inclusive community hubs
The idea of creating inclusive community hubs—where people of all ages and abilities can gather together—is gaining significant momentum.
Campus high-rise brings health to new heights
Dingy is a word that conjures thoughts of old institutional spaces. Academic buildings with dimly-lit hallways and windowless classrooms punctured with fluorescent glare. Rarely are
Purpose-built Indigenous hub will be Ontario first
Construction is officially underway on what will be Ontario's first mixed-use, purpose-built Indigenous hub in the West Don Lands of Toronto.
Indigenous voices hushed in planning processes
Indigenous communities across Canada continue to be sidelined or completely excluded from initial planning phases of new developments and renovations.
Selecting workstations for post-COVID re-entry
Designing a workplace today is a balancing act. It must effectively account for social distancing requirements while also recognizing the need for interaction and collaboration.
ASHRAE updates healthcare facility ventilation standard
The 2021 edition delivers critical guidance for designers and operators of these frontline facilities and incorporates 17 changes to the standard.
Pandemic intensifies evolving role of FM
Facility managers are no longer viewed as a back-office function, but rather “a strategic instrument to attract and retain talent and create a great experience,”
Can purchases help reverse global warming?
When considering products with recycled content, pay attention to the types of recycled materials that are in them.
What toxic chemicals are lurking in our buildings?
In the age of COVID, it's also important to consider how chemical exposures influence our ability to fight disease.
New home for world’s largest Inuit art collection
Qaumajuq, meaning “it is bright” or “it is lit” in Inuktitut, opens virtually this week, but the 40,000-square foot addition has been almost a decade in the making.
Niagara Welland Commons comes to light
Crafted into a mix of interconnected brick buildings circa 1970, Niagara Welland Commons brings natural light to a decades-old campus.
How will campuses change because of COVID-19?
Colleges and universities are questioning how much space will be needed in the future campus, how it will be operated, and how to make our built environment more healthy, sustainable and resilient.
Circadian lighting improves seniors’ daily routines
Circadian lighting plays a special role in facilities management as long-term care homes and schools increasingly look to enhance wellbeing among seniors and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Virus hastens new tower at St. Michael’s Hospital
A much anticipated, and unfinished, addition to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto was fast-tracked to keep pace with a fast-moving pandemic.
Community centres redefined for a new era
How to socially distance in spaces charged for social interactions? This is just one challenge facing community centres as they prepare for reopening—bit by bit—across
Designing for wellbeing in residential healthcare
One area where cohesive design is becoming increasingly important is residential healthcare, which encompasses memory care and mental health.
Curating social spaces in 2020
Humans are naturally social creatures. So why shouldn’t our built environment be designed to accommodate and encourage this natural state of being?