This article presents a quick guide/introduction to discovering architecture of Toronto.

(Part II of Toronto 2010 will be coming shortly!)

Doors Open Toronto

Quoting directly from the doorsopen.org website:

"Doors Open Toronto is an annual weekend event coordinated by the City of Toronto Culture Division. The program allows visitors free access to architecturally and/or culturally significant properties that are either not usually open to the public, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Many locations have organized guided tours, displays and activities to enrich the visitor experience. Buildings are selected based on a number of criteria developed by the City's Culture Division. The roster of buildings reflects Toronto's built heritage and cultural diversity, ranging from War of 1812-era structures to a modern mosque and environmentally progressive 'green' buildings. Our dedicated team of volunteers will be happy to assist you at all locations."


To read noted architect Christopher Hume on Doors Open, click here

Doors Open covers 144 buildings, and happens next weekend on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28.

Pugly Awards

Established in 2005, The Pugly Awards are given to the best and worst designed new buildings in Toronto. Last year, Toronto Police 51 Division won as the best new design, and Wellington Square Condomimiun won for the worse new design.

The Pugly Awards uses an online voting system and is geared for the general public rather than the architects/experts. Consider it the Peoples Choice Awards for new buildings in Toronto. The awards bring awareness and attention to architecture in Toronto to those who may not normally do so. A suggestion that we would have is that it would serve itself much better by providing much more detail in describing the candidates. Currently users vote on each candidate based on a set of four photos, which is comparable to voting on the Oscars based on movie trailer. We know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover and neither should we with architecture.

Voting for the Puglys continues on through May, and the results will be announced on June 6.
To cast your vote, click here

Top 10 Residential Towers in Toronto

A few months back, the National Post published an article naming their top 10 residential towers of Toronto.Ofcourse it is opinion, and many may disagree with their choices, but it is a nice starting point. You can find the list here.

Thats it for now!

-Maven