In 2003, the City of Vaughan selected KPMB Architects, in an invited competition, to design a new City Hall and a Master Plan for the redevelopment of a 24-acre Civic Centre site. The winning proposal was to set a new standard for future development in Vaughan while establishing a formal civic identity for the city. The new City Hall houses administrative offices for all municipal departments, Committee and Hearing rooms, and a granite-clad Council Chamber that faces the public Civic Square. The building is organized around a series of low-rise blocks (called lofts), each containing an atrium that allows clerestory daylighting to reach 90% of the regularly-occupied workspaces. The building is targeted for LEED Gold and employs a host of sustainable features. In 2012, Vaughan City Hall won a Governor General's Medal in Architecture.

In my role as Project Architect, I coordinated the Mechanical, Electrical and Communication consultant drawings during the Design Development phase, collaborated on lighting design, and produced all RCPs and related details for tender. During the Contract Administration phase, I performed site reviews, produced deficiency reports, and was the primary contact for the coordination of LEED documentation.

Awards:
2012 Ontario Association of Architects Award, Honourable Mention
2012 Governor General's Medal in Architecture
2005 City of Vaughan Urban Design Award
2004 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence

Photography: Maris Mezulis/ Tom Arban