URD1513H S
Instructor: Nicolas Barrette
Meeting Section: L0101
Wednesday, 6:00PM - 9:00PM

This course examines the historic built form of Toronto. Over two-and-a-half centuries in the making, this speculative colonial project has expanded through the process of soaking up common land to allow for perennial cycles of urban development. In its most recent cycle, the existing built fabric of the city must contend with new scales and forms of growth.

In a changing city with varied agendas, old buildings can provide meaning as anchors through space and time. They can also be seen as obstructions that limit the potential of new development trends. Many of these factors are amenable to the will of developers, lawyers and also planners and architects - all of whom rely on policies, plans, codes, standards, precedents, bylaws, and zones to shape the city.

These different poles of thinking show how ideas of permanence and value are continuously revised. This course aims to investigate the territory in-between construction and demolition that includes rehabilitation, reuse, retention and relocation. We will focus on developing an understanding of the mechanisms at play in the conservation of heritage fabric by understanding the historic built form of the city and the ways architects and urban designers can intervene effectively and sympathetically within existing contexts.

The course will reflect on revised material cultures, typologies and meanings that have emerged from the process of heritage planning. It will also examine different treatments, interventions, and consequences arising from the adaptation of buildings and new demands for intensification, efficiency, accessibility and sustainability.

Students will be exposed to a range of published material, in-class discussions, written reflections, creative interrogations, and local site visits. Relevant histories and case studies representing both local and international contexts will be drawn from. Sessions will also be visited by guest speakers from allied disciplines who will expand on course themes.