{"id":244654,"date":"2025-10-28T01:55:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T01:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/244654\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T01:55:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T01:55:07","slug":"northern-buildings-lauded-by-provincial-recognition-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/244654\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern buildings lauded by provincial recognition program"},"content":{"rendered":"

A pair of Northern Ontario buildings has been selected for provincial recognition as part of the annual Queen\u2019s Park Picks, an initiative of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Schreiber Discovery Centre in northwestern Ontario and The Village at Canadore College in North Bay are two of nine submissions from across the province to be acknowledged in 2025.<\/p>\n

Under the program, now in its 10th year, members of provincial parliament are invited to submit their favourite buildings or other structures from their ridings, which are then judged on their merits by a jury of architects.<\/p>\n

This year, 36 MPPs from all political parties provided 55 submissions. Those selected were celebrated at Queen\u2019s Park Oct. 21.<\/p>\n

Themed \u2018Reshaping Communities,\u2019 this year\u2019s program included places that have \u201csignificantly impacted\u201d constituents, the OAA said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe theme aligns with the 2025 OAA Conference’s focus and reflects the association’s commitment to regulating the practice of architecture to protect the public interest,\u201d the organization said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also highlights the essential role of adaptability in design, urging the profession to create sustainable solutions for a rapidly changing world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Submitted by Lise Vaugeois, the MPP for Thunder Bay \u2013 Superior North, the Schreiber Discovery Centre<\/a> is a museum and heritage site designed by Number Ten Architectural Group and completed in 2020.<\/p>\n

The facility, aligned parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway, amalgamates a historic diesel engine, a railcar that\u2019s been converted into museum space, and a central building that includes an immersive virtual reality experience. A sculptural canopy connects all three.<\/p>\n

Incorporating materials including wood and steel, the site is designed to tell the history of the town \u2014 named for the chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway \u2014 in a contemporary way.<\/p>\n

Community members eagerly provided input throughout the process, with the goal of creating an attraction that would draw visitors off the highway to experience the town firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough small in size, the Discovery Centre reflects a big shift in how communities can think about their future,\u201d the OAA notes. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t try to recreate the grandeur of the past. Instead, it builds a new kind of junction \u2014 one that links people not by rail, but by memory, movement, and curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Village<\/a>, designed by Critchley Hill Architecture and completed in 2018, was nominated by Vic Fedeli, the MPP for Nipissing.<\/p>\n

Located on the campus of Canadore College in North Bay, The Village is both a hands-on teaching centre for the college\u2019s health and wellness students and a facility where community members can receive care.<\/p>\n

In this \u201cliving lab,\u201d training, treatment and community engagement happen \u201cside by side,\u201d the OAA notes.<\/p>\n

It includes respirology and cardiology clinics, a cognitive stimulation lab, and a dental clinic, in addition to multipurpose classrooms and labs, and a childcare simulation lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A notable design element includes a light-filled central gathering space used for workshops, cultural events and informal gatherings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the architecture of The Village is intentionally quiet, its program is anything but,\u201d the OAA notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy collaging diverse forms of care \u2014 mainstream and Indigenous, medical and cultural, student-focused and community-serving\u2014it creates a place that mirrors the complexity of the community itself.<\/p>\n

“The Village models how architecture can help an institution turn outward, weaving together communities to teach, learn, heal, and gather.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A pair of Northern Ontario buildings has been selected for provincial recognition as part of the annual Queen\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244655,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,114750,356,75,114751],"class_list":["post-244654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadore-collegeschreiberontario-association-of-architects-oaaontario-association-of-architectsthe-village-canadore-collegeschreiber-discovery-centrequeens-park-picks","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ontario-association-of-architects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}