Sala Rosa Concert

Photos by Andrew Chau & Welland Sin

The One and Only, Kweku and the Movement, and First U Get the Sugar at Sala Rosa, Montreal. April 5.

aga khan museum toronto’s best-kept secret

Perspective rendering of the future Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, from canadianarchitect.com

The Aga Khan (آقا خان), spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, is celebrating his golden jubilee this year. Fittingly and well-deservedly, his media presence has been everywhere. The Aga Khan has spent his life promoting community development, pluralism, peace, and as a plus, a legacy of great architecture.

The New Ismaili Centre by Charles Correa, from canadianarchitect.com

The Aga Khan seems to have taken a liking for Canada, and we have two major projects under construction right now in Toronto and Ottawa. Toronto outbid London (England!) for the Aga Khan Museum, a three-part project consisting of museum, religious, and cultural centre.

The Fumihiko Maki designed Aga Khan Museum, from canadianarchitect.com

The designs are still being completed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, celebrated architect Charles Correa, Vladimir Djurovik of Lebanon, with Moriyama & Teshima from Toronto overseeing the project construction. This is truly a stellar cast of architects, and I have high hopes that this will be the most exciting project in Toronto for years to come (complete in 2011).

View of Vladimir Djurovik’s landscaped gardens, from canadianarchitect.com

It is too bad though that the old Bata Shoe headquarters were demolished for this plan… As the Toronto Star’s Christopher Hume aptly remarked, “Surely there’s an element of irony when an architecturally worthy building must be destroyed in the name of culture.”

Canada’s second Aga Khan project is the Ottawa Centre of Pluralism, to be housed in the former building of the War Museum.

Aga Khan Centre of Pluralism in Ottawa, photo courtesy of the Government of Canada

a wrapped courtyard

Posters by Evelyne Bouchard

A video of the Tunisia installation at the McGill School of Architecture. The exhibit explores the notion of private space in the traditional Islamic medina. The wrapped cloth restricts access to the interior courtyard but allows for liminal views to the sights and sounds of the country.

Video by Andrew Chau

farms in cities

Surprisingly enough, there do exist urban farms in Canadian cities.

Ottawa Central Experimental Farm from above, Image from Google Earth

One is the Ottawa Experimental Farm, which is very close to downtown (just southwest of Parliament Hill). This farm not only has a large swath of land dedicated to growing crops and testing out new cultivation techniques, it has an extensive built campus of research laboratories, government ministries, greenhouses, visitor facilities, and even an arboretum.

McGill University’s MacDonald Campus from above, Image from Google Earth

freight train graffiti

Some photos from the decommissioned CN freight yards in the north end of Montreal.

A talk with Sandra Ainsley

Peter Bremers’ Icebergs and Paraphenalia, photo courtesy of sandraainsleygallery.com

“Sandra Ainsley established her first gallery in Hazelton Lanes in Toronto in 1984, and has since established herself as a leading dealer on the global market. In early 2002, Sandra was approached by developers interested in reconstructing the old Gooderham and Wort’s Whiskey Distillery. This 10,000 square foot space is now home to one of the finest collections of glass art in the world. 1

Susan Rankin’s Garden Columns (stacked), photo courtesy of sandraainsleygallery.com

In January, I had the opportunity to speak with Sandra Ainsley as a part of my Entrepreneurial Leadership course at McGill University, a course where prominent Canadian leaders from diverse fields are invited to share their life experiences. Below are my thoughts on her visit.

Dale Chihuly’s Red Chandelier, photo courtesy of sandraainsleygallery.com

Sandra Ainsley is many things. Owner of an internationally renowned glass gallery, mother to three children, recognized entrepreneur, friend of Dale Chihuley. Even so, describing Sandra Ainsley in one word is easy.

I would choose genuine.

neat furniture + booths at ids08

some highlights from this year’s show:

clever.

A booth made entirely from flatten-able paper boxes!

ids 2008 collaborations

The four ‘collaborations‘ were designed by Toronto firms Teeple Architects, KPMB, Johnson Chou, and Giannone & Associates. Each team was allowed to use just one material for the construction of a concept from floor to ceiling.

Contours, Teeple Architects and Willis, using Dupont Corian

KPMB Architects, Taproot, & Tron-X, using Smith and Fong PLYBOO

nice madrid metro ad

…a view of the city from a transparent underground

by BBDO Spain affiliate contrapunto

fostering radical activists

cross-posted to thesis matrix, as an ongoing development of my masters thesis research.

Greenpeace activists campaigning against nuclear power in Brasilia

In a city that has been all but abandoned by government and corporations, Detroit citizens have had to become self-reliant. Because of declining tax revenues, the city has had to cut down on many basic services. Fed up with the lack of security, mass transit, utilities, locals have banded together in community organizations to combat the city’s ills and negative image.