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REAL ESTATE NEWS,
February 14, 1992
Company's profession graphically reflected in award-winning design
by Kathy Dermott
An award-winning commercial building is a graphic
reflection of the business it houses.
The renovated Dupont Street building which is home to a marketing and design
firm, was recently honored for its Ïhigh graphic impactÓ and its integration
into the streetscape by the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), which
accorded it an architectural award of excellence.
The semi-detached building faces the street clad
in plain corrugated steel with a splash of each of the three primary
colors.
The third-storey window is framed in yellow; the contemporary asymmetrical
bay window on the second floor is framed in blue; and a red triangle
above the entrance echoes the shape of the window in the front door.
One of the criteria for the front of the building was to make it a metaphor,
a symbol, a graphic image of the office behind, says Peter Hamilton
of Peter Hamilton Architects.
Although Hamilton and his client, Burton Kramer of Kramer Design Associates
Ltd., are not fans of conceptualism, they did respect its popularity
in Toronto and the need to keep the building's style similar to that
of its neighbor.
The front of the structure reflects the building next door, which also
has a bay window and a dormer in a more standard form.
Kramer Design Associates Ltd. has been housed in the building for three
years. It moved there after outgrowing its previous quarters on Prince
Arthur Avenue, where it had been located for 15 years.
When faced with the move, Kramer decided to buy a building and renovate
to his demands, rather than trying to make the firm conform to the limitations
of rented space.
It made more sense to buy and have the option of expanding if we needed
to, he said.
He looked for 18 months and finally decided on the Dupont Street location,
a building the firm had decided against buying a decade ago because
it was too much of a wreck.
Not only was the location of the building too good to ignore (it is
within walking distance of Kramer's home and in good proximity to galleries,
book shops and restaurants), but it could be renovated to meet the special
requirements of the business.
Those requirements included a darkroom, studio space and a conference
room close to the reception area.
Hamilton dropped the reception area down to the street level to give
a more spacious feel to the office, and left a portion of the hall open
to overlook the entrance.
An addition to the back of the building provided 30 per cent more floorspace.
The addition allowed for a deck with a southern exposure off the third-floor
studio.
Because the design firm deals with a great deal of color, Kramer and
Hamilton kept the interior colors of the building to a minimum. The
interior ductwork is exposed to add a visual element to the space.
A light well running from the third to the second floor provides illumination,
as do custom windows on the front and rear of the building. The rear
windows step up in unison with the exterior fire escape stairs.
The fire escape stairs are painted a turquoise blue which combined with
the teal color of the stucco exterior, gives the building a Mediterranean
feel. The stucco begins on the east wall, picking-up where the wrap-around
staggered steel siding leaves off.
The renovated building has done more than attract the award from the
OAA. People have walked in off the street out of sheer curiosity, and
Kramer added a significant client to his portfolio when she indulged
her interest in the building and decided to visit it.
For more information
please visit http://www.kramer-design.com
or contact:
Janet Young
KDA Services Group, Kramer Design Associates
Tel: (416) 921-1078 x 39
Toll Free: 1-877-214-6721
Email: info@kramer-design.com
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