The Toronto office gearing up for the 14th annual Doors Open event this weekend, where visitors have an opportunity to get a sneak peek behind the doors of over 150 architecturally, historically, culturally and socially significant buildings across the city on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26, 2013.

Our office will have its doors open and will be featuring an interactive exhibit titled “Concept to Completion.”

Cannon Design has been participating in Doors Open for at least 3 years. We look forward to seeing you all there!

The Numbers Are In! EAW Donates $22,000 to Local and National Organizations

Environmental Awareness Week 2012 marked a significant milestone in the event’s 11-year history.  Through the extraordinary work and commitment of  Cannon Designers across the firm and the extraordinary generosity of our dedicated sponsors, EAW raised over $22,000 in additional funds that has been distributed to worthy national and local organizations.

Environmental Awareness Week is Cannon Design’s annual celebration of smart ideas, innovative technologies and iconoclastic thinkers that help guide our progress toward becoming a regenerative practice. Our commitment to organize Environmental Awareness Week year after year is informed by a collective spirit of generosity to our clients, our employees, our profession and our communities. View our EAW interactive document.

Below is the breakdown of Cannon Design’s 2012 donations. We encourage you to visit the organizations’ websites and learn more about them!

$12,000 equally distributed to 12 Cannon Design offices to donate to local organizations:

Baltimore: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Boston: Mass Design Group and Carbon Nation

Buffalo: Grow WNY

Chicago: USGBC Illinois

Los Angeles: Integrated Design Lab

New York City: Urban Green Council

Phoenix: Excellence in Sustainability Scholarship Fund

St. Louis: Perennial and Urban Harvest STL

San Francisco: RebuildingTogether San Francisco  and ACE Mentor San Francisco Bay Area

Toronto: Evergreen Brick Works

Vancouver/Victoria: Simon Fraser Elementary PAC (for new sustainable playground)

Washington D.C.: Institute for Sustainable Communities and Neighborhood Farm Initiative

$10,000 toward three national organizations:

Natural Resources Defense Council

Institute for Market Transformation

Architecture for Humanity

Again, we couldn’t have accomplished this mission without the generosity of all our sponsors. We are looking forward to EAW 2013 in the fall!

Here are the 13 museums visitors can access for free:
Conservatory of Flowers, SF
California Academy of Sciences, SF
Walt Disney Family Museum, SF
Museum of Contemporary Art, LA
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Adler Planetarium, Chicago
The Field Museum, Chicago
Museum of the city of New York, NY
Museum of Arts and Design, NY
National Building Museum, DC
Portland Children’s Museum
Portland Art Museum
Pittock Mansion, Portland

Here are links to the apps.
iOS
Android

Healthcare Design’s Architectural Showcase competition brings a comprehensive compilation of state-of-the art architectural and interior design projects from firms that have achieved outstanding and innovative design solutions in healthcare environments around the globe.

In this annual program, only a few projects are selected by the Healthcare Design jury to receive a prestigious Citation of Merit award.  This year, we’re very excited that the Tata Medical Centre, Cancer Hospital in Kolkata, India, is among four recipients earning Citation of Merit recognition.

About  Tata …

A unique project – The high aspirations and creative thinking that characterizes the Tata Medical Center presented fertile ground for the development of exceptional architecture. While resolving the technical and pragmatic requirements of the project, it is elevated to inspiring architecture through its intangible aspects. 

 It expresses universal ideals, while being authentic to time, place, and culture. In a country where family-centered care is the norm, the design of the campus fosters a sense of community through the infusion of gathering spaces, gardens and places that promote dialogue and support care. In taking a humanistic, culturally resonant path to healthcare design, the Tata Medical Center has become an inspiring civic landmark for the city. 

Creating a healing environment – Natural light, views to nature, a sensitive use of materials and color, an abundance of space and carefully crafted spaces, have a remarkable power to lift the human spirit, and this building shows that it is intrinsic to the healing process. The materials’ palette for the project is grounded by locally sourced natural materials—bringing refinement, sustainability and identity to the spatial  experience. 

The exterior expression weaves inside to create a seamless progression; beautiful stone facades are complemented by the warmth of wood and exquisite local art.  Though the Center houses state-of-the-art clinical facilities, its atmosphere is far from sterile.  The transition from public to private spaces is accentuated through the materials’ and color palettes: vibrant communal spaces with colors drawn from traditional artforms give way to contemplative places of retreat in private rooms and wards.  By offering glimpses into adjoining areas, framing views of the gardens and providing access to terraces for pause and reflection, a sequence of spaces unfolds that surrounds patients, caregivers and staff in an environment of gentle hope and inspiration.

The Tata Medical Centre, Cancer Hospital will be featured in the September 2013 showcase issue of Healthcare Design.   

This is probably something we should think about as we design these spaces. How can we create safer laboratories or make safety more intuitive for researchers?

Feel free to comment on the renderings below and visit the Making It Reitz site to learn about the project in greater detail. It has been an exciting opportunity to work so closely with Gator Nation.

Across the city, there were definitely more commuters getting to work by bicycle and stopping at one of the 6 commuter stations around the area distributing breakfast to cyclists. With its strong support, Cannon Design continues to prove it is a steward of healthy cities and healthy workplaces. Many thanks to all those who participated – keep riding your bikes all year long and we can have an event better Bike To Work Week in 2014.