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Jack Diamond/Photo © Michael Cooper

Centre for Green Buildings at Evergreen Brick Works/Photo © Paul French

RC Harris Water Filtration Plant/Courtesy City of Toronto

Southbrook Vineyards/Photo © Tom Arban

Union Station/Photo © Paul French

Four Seasons Centre/Photo © Tom Arban

Jack Diamond founded the internationally acclaimed Diamond and Schmitt Architects in Toronto in 1975. His extensive design work includes city halls and opera houses, hospitals, academic buildings and private residences. Diamond represents the antithesis of the starchitect phenomenon, preferring to design beautiful, sustainable buildings that are responsive to their environment and context.

Favorite New Green Building
The LEED Platinum Centre for Green Cities at Evergreen Brick Works presents a fascinating contrast of sustainable building design in the industrial archeological setting of a former brick foundry. Evergreen’s varied and ecologically-minded programming means there’s always something of interest going on, especially on weekends. The extensive parkland adjacent with boardwalks that cross ponds, nature trails and rambles to the former quarry make this destination an inner city respite.

Must-see Historic Building
Built in the 1930s in grand Art Deco style on an expansive greensward that overlooks Lake Ontario, the R.C. Harris Water Filtration Plant serves double-duty as the principle water purification plant for Toronto and a park. Designed by Thomas C. Pomphrey of Toronto, its opulence belies its Depression-era origins. Unlike most engineering structures, this was created to make an architectural statement.

Off-the-Beaten-Path Architecture 
Southbrook Vineyards is a 150-acre organic winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Certified LEED Gold, the hospitality pavilion is a delicate glass structure set against a 200-metre long, three-metre high landscape wall with pigmented stucco that changes with the light of the day – from deep blue to periwinkle to dove gray. The light-filled pavilion is punctuated by recessed wine displays and full-height glass vaults that house aging barrels of wine.

Best Public Parks/Spaces
This cross-roads for Toronto commuters is the busiest—and most opulent— railroad station in Canada. Union Station’s Great Hall is 250 feet long and 88 feet high with a vaulted tiled ceiling. Natural light from four-storey tall clerestory windows refracts throughout the room. The floor has inlaid marble in a herringbone pattern. Union Station was constructed between 1914-20 and was designed by the Montreal architecture firm of Ross and Macdonald, with assistance from the CPR's architect Hugh Johnes, as well as Toronto architect John M. Lyle.

Museums/Galleries/Performing Arts
Canada’s only purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, opened in 2006. The 2,070-seat, five-tiered theatre is home to the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. It features monumental curtain walls, an amphitheatre lobby that doubles as performance space and an intimate auditorium with superb acoustics, sightlines and comfortable seating. The opera is one of the hottest tickets in town and often sells-out for performances.
 
Drinking, Dining, and Shopping  
High atop the Mies van der Rohe-designed TD Tower in the Financial District is the restaurant Canoe. Executive Chef Anthony Walsh emphasizes Canadian ingredients and cuisine. The seasonal menu features rarities such as Nunavut caribou and Quebec fois gras, prepared with delicacy and aplomb. The wine list and service are commendable. Canoe caters mostly to the Bay Street crowd for power lunches and transforms to a romantic setting with panoramic views at night.

This legendary Rooftop Bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Yorkville attracts the literary set. A wall of sketches of Toronto authors lines the bar. Deep cushion sofas set before the fireplace, cozy nooks and comfortable leather stools make this a place to settle into. In good weather, the outdoor patio provides wonderful views of the U of T campus and the downtown skyline.