The Architecture of Openness

Critic Christopher Hume says that "an architecture of openness" is overtaking Toronto, foregoing individual personality for a greater sense of community and connectivity.

1 minute read

March 31, 2011, 7:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Glass facades are one manifestation of the openness Hume is talking about, as well as a recognition that meeting the street is a good thing. Specifically, Hume looks at the redesigned Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, which used to be a Brutalist structure:

What's now replacing those buildings from the 1950s, '60s and '70s is a complex so revolutionary it looks, well, ordinary. It barely stands out."

"The infamous brick wall that surrounds the site will be left standing on three sides of the CAMH campus, but it no longer serves to keep people out. It is a historic artifact, a relic of a different age.

Other health-care facilities are also joining the move to transparency, and for good reasons. Studies show that with natural light, views of the outdoors and a sense of community, patients recover measurably faster."

FULL STORY: Open-concept architecture transforms city

Monday, March 28, 2011 in The Toronto Star

Architecture Ontario Toronto Brutalism Facades

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