Art pieces in themselves, take a look at the diverse aesthetics Canadian architecture has to offer.

By, Aylia Naqvi

Over the years, Canada has evolved into one of the ultimate tourist attractions. This is in large part due to its diverse and bountiful architectural zeitgeist. Canadian architecture has evolved vastly over the course of time, style and history, manifesting into some of the most diverse and aesthetically pleasing building designs. Below, venture through the various structures that define Canada’s inimitable architecture and unpack what it is about these contemporary buildings that make driving through Canadian streets akin to a gallery in motion. 

If your roots trace back to Mississauga’s suburbs, you’ll have undoubtedly seen these architectural figures on your way to the Square One shopping centre. The residential condominium twin tower skyscraper complex was nicknamed the “Marilyn Monroe” for its structural curves. 

The sister towers catch our eyes from a distance as they twist and turn from top to bottom. By creating an “organic” structure, in terms of making the cities look more friendly rather than artificial. The unique design of the Absolute World adds to the modernization of Mississauga architecture.

The design also shows how the city was able to push architectural boundaries and take a creative risk. The Absolute World equates to art as the curvy shape of the buildings makes an individual want to look at the building from all angles, every angle shows a completely different view. 

“This project by Chinese architects MAD is becoming an iconic landmark in Mississauga,” said Vincent Hui, a professor at Ryerson’s architectural science program. “It tries to break from the typical glass box condo that peppers the GTA by creating a curved, twisting exterior.”

The Royal Ontario Museum is an example of Canadian architecture from the past century that encapsulates our capacity for high art and technicality. The ROM is not a single architectural entity, but rather, it is a depiction of architecture over time. 

The Crystal is considered to be one of the most challenging construction projects in North America. This can be clearly seen through the unique form of design, as there are no right angles or vertical lines in the structure. The ROM’s architectural style is unique to the eyes as it depicts both an older building style and a clearly modernized one. 

The artistry of the ROM is not only depicted in the crystal, which is where your eyes are drawn to first, but also in the old building, as you get a visual of architecture from two different parts of history. 

“This project is striking as the ‘crystal,’ designed by Daniel Libeskind, seems to be a cancerous growth on the original Neo-Romanesque building,” said Hui, adding that this project was among some of the high profile works that marked Toronto’s architectural renaissance. “The ambitious form is a stylistic trademark of Libeskind as you can find projects with similar aesthetics around the world.”

But the building is not without its imperfections, argues Hui. “Though the form may be bold, it has been criticized for its ability to prioritize the curation of artifacts as well as the relationship with its surrounding context.” 

The Casa Loma is a gothic revival style castle. As noted in All Ontario, the castle’s appeal derives from its architectural focal point including its “pointed arches, steep-sloping roofs, lancet windows, spires with crockets, rubble-coursed stonework, decorative patterns, finials, scalloping, hood mouldings and fancy carvings.” 

Canada embraces the Gothic Revival style frequently in its architecture, taking inspiration from the Victorian era. According to Hui, this embrace is revered by the Canadian public, with its appreciation transcending beyond its times of conception. 

“Toronto’s very own Gothic revival castle evokes a number of architectural tropes the general public connects with fairy tales,” notes Hui. “The general public flock to this building for events ranging from the formal, such as weddings, through to recreational Halloween and Christmas events.” 

Hui adds that the building often serves as the backdrop for many television and film productions in Toronto,“likely add to the tourist draw of this rather anomalous building north of the Annex.” 

According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, Habitat 67 is an iconic collection of 354 interlinked, concrete boxes. The beauty of Habitat 67 is clearly seen in its Tetris-like style. 

The style of the building is gravity-defying, as one might have to focus on what exactly they are looking at before understanding the mechanics of the architecture. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the project introduced urban housing using prefabricated construction. 

“This is a particularly inspiring project for Canadian architecture students as it is essentially a student project that Moshe Safdie conceived of in his thesis at McGill University that was built for the Expo 67 World’s Fair,” said Hui. 

“The amalgam of prefabricated concrete units in a seemingly haphazard game of Jenga is striking from afar, but the interesting interplay among the units creates terraces, communal spaces, and walkways.”

Also being designed by Safdie, the national art museum holds most of its art inside, that doesn’t stop its exterior architecture from being a breathtaking symbol of Canada’s creations. 

The northern, western, and eastern facade is made of pink granite walls, while the southern exterior has elongated glass walls. The beauty of this building is shown through the geometrical and rather symmetrical designs used to make a somewhat arched shaped dome. The building’s use of colour is particularly unique to architecture as it has warm hues, which leads to its strikingness to the eye. 

“Visitors to Safdie’s National Gallery are initially struck by the profile of a historic building but clad glass,” notes Hui. “The architect is fairly successful at creating a curated experience from the relationship with the site through to the great courtyards and lighting effects throughout the gallery.”

The Architect Magazine described the Museum of Human Rights as “massive nodes of raw structural steel pushing past the stone and glass to let you know that for all its volcanic and glacial geomancy, the building is the work of human industry and intention.” 

The Museum of Human Rights has been regarded as “the work of human industry and intention” by The Architect Magazine as it was designed inside out. The building depicts anti-symmetrical shapes that look like they do not belong together, however, this only depicts the architectural art aspect of the building. 

Hui describes this project as one of the most “formally ambitious projects in Manitoba.”

“Aside from the incredible structural and construction feats the building undertakes to create a bold shape, the interior is also noteworthy for its circulation,” he adds. “Visitors weave between the heavy mass and light glass and steel structure as they ascend the building.”

Science World is known as one of the most iconic buildings in Vancouver for its geodesic dome. The beauty of this building lies in the dome, which strikes the eye with different geometrical designs. The dome in itself is a unique design reflective of the science centre’s contents,  which further adds to the risk factor in terms of its architecture. 

“This is a project that showcases a geodesic dome made popular in the mid-20th century by an engineer named Buckminster Fuller and captures a lot of the sci-fi, futuristic ambitions of the time,” said Hui. 

“The spherical form is not uncommon in Canada as it is also found in Montreal (the current Biosphere) and our very own Ontario Place. These structures often become iconic parts of city waterfronts.”