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Alice Liang

R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant/Courtesy SimonP/Wikipedia

Gardiner Museum/Courtesy Aviad 2001/Wikipedia

Koerner Hall/Courtesy Mjk17/Wikipedia

Queen West Street/Courtesy John Vetterli

Alice Liang has over 25 years experience of design experience in architectural practices in Toronto and abroad. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto and registered as a member of the Ontario Association of Architects in 1981. Alice became a Principal of Montgomery Sisam Architects in 2006 in recognition of her extensive experience in planning and design of institutional facilities.

Favorite New Green Building
The Terrence Donnelly Biomolecular Centre at the University of Toronto St. George Campus on College Street was designed by Behnisch and ArchitectsAlliance, and is by far the most innovative and evocative academic building on campus in a very urban setting.
 
Must-see Historic Building
The Distillery District draws and attracts many visitors to Toronto for its highly successful preservation and integration of old and new.  The heritage buildings from the era of whisky production were restored to retain the rich texture and patina of the days gone by. Balzac Cafe serves a great cup of coffee in a beautiful space that's refined and tough at the same time.

Off-the-Beaten-Path Architecture 
The R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant is on the Lake Ontario Shore—It's a great find and pleasant surprise to come across such a magnificent piece of "utilitarian architecture" in Art Deco style, on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Best Public Parks/Spaces
The Roof Garden at 401 Richmond Street is a well-kept secret and a gem at the top of a converted loft warehouse with mostly tenants of the artistic (galleries, studios), cultural, non-profit organizations.  It is a "green" microcosm, thriving with plants, bird and insect life. It’s also a great place for lunches, cocktail parties, outdoor film screening, etc.

Museums/Galleries/Performing Arts
The Gardiner Ceramic Arts Museum designed by KPMB Architects makes significant cultural and civic contribution to the city with modern and minimalist elegance. The Museum of Canadian Contemporary Arts (MOCCA) is in the heart of Toronto's art community, a low key factory warehouse with fascinating exhibitions of Canadian artists' work. Koerner Hall is simply the best concert hall/venue in the city, located at the crossing of a vibrant city street and the tranquility of "Philosopher's Walk" on University of Toronto Campus—great performance events of high quality and great diversity.
 
Drinking, Dining, and Shopping
The 416 Snack Bar at Bathurst & Queen is a very cool yet modest bar (in size) with great drinks and cheap-but-good eats/snacks; They have a great "combo" deal of champagne and very fresh oysters. Canoe on the top floor of TD Tower (by Mies Van der Rohe) hasgreat food and fabulous view of the city and Lake Ontario, maybe even across the border on a clear day! The Queen West area has a diverse collection of smaller boutiques, galleries and shops of designers fashion, furniture, local artists' work, etc.