Diamond Schmitt

Construction progress continues at Ādisōke, the future joint facility for the Ottawa Public Library / Bibliothèque publique d'Ottawa and Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. Inside, the five-storey, sky-lit Town Hall atrium is taking shape as custom architectural millwork and wood cladding are installed along the staircases and upper gallery balconies. Mass timber ceilings, feature wall panels, and expansive glazing are defining warm, light-filled gathering spaces inspired by the surrounding landscape. On the exterior, the cedar soffit installation continues along the building, complementing the completed granite base, while building-integrated photovoltaic panels are incorporated into the envelope to support on-site renewable energy generation. Together, these elements are bringing the building closer to its final expression as a welcoming civic destination designed to connect people together through stories, knowledge, and community. Ādisōke is designed by Diamond Schmitt in joint venture with KWC Architects Inc. #diamondschmitt #diamondschmitt_onsite #designtotranscend

The vision for a new performing arts district in Vancouver has been featured in Canadian Architect magazine. Initiated by the Vancouver Cultural Precinct, an alliance of performing arts and community leaders led Vancouver Concert Hall and Theatre Society, the vision works to address a critical shortage of performance space in downtown Vancouver. Informed by a two-year feasibility study conducted by Diamond Schmitt, the proposed design framework establishes a resilient and inclusive foundation for the City of Vancouver's growing cultural ecosystem. It includes four acoustic-first performance venues supporting performance at multiple scales, with shared spaces to strengthen connections and professional opportunities. The proposal also identifies existing venues and sites capable of supporting the precinct within Vancouver's broader cultural and civic fabric. “The Vancouver Cultural Precinct is an opportunity to connect the excellence of award-winning performers to new venues, tailor-made for music, theatre, and dance. It will correct the shortfall of seats relative to other comparable cities and create a world destination for the arts. It is an extraordinary opportunity to shape a city’s identity through the transformative power of design,” said Principal Donald Schmitt. #diamondschmitt #designtotranscend

The new Cameron Community Centre and Library has topped out in Burnaby, marking a major construction milestone for the new civic facility in Cameron Park. Designed as a pavilion in the park, the building brings recreation, learning, culture and community spaces together around a central atrium beneath an expressive hybrid mass-timber and steel roof. One of the first structures of its kind for the City of Burnaby the exposed timber system reduces the use of carbon-intensive materials while creating a warm, welcoming public environment. A green roof with solar panels, high-performance building envelope, and 68 hours of on-site emergency power further support the building’s resilience. Shaped through consultation with 25 collaborators and user groups, the centre is designed to serve people of all ages, abilities, and identities. The Diamond Schmitt project team attended the beam-signing ceremony to celebrate this milestone (from left to right): Jarle Lovlin, Kathryn Pierre, Jeff Mitchell, Rod Maas, Ana Maria Llanos, Macy Mills and Neda Poursotoudeh. #diamondschmitt #diamondschmitt_onsite #designtotranscend

How are Canadian museums and galleries tackling their carbon footprint? In an article by Lana Hall for The Globe and Mail, the design of the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery at the Art Gallery of Ontario, led by the project team of Diamond Schmitt, Selldorf Architects and Two Row Architect, is featured as a case study in museum sustainability, alongside the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The AGO’s new gallery is one of the first cultural institutions of its size to achieve CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Design certification. The design features a compact form with high levels of wall and roof insulation, paired with an all-electric system that recovers energy efficiently. As Diamond Schmitt Principal Michael Leckman puts it, the design works "like a very warm winter coat through which very little energy is escaping." #diamondschmitt #designtotranscend #AGO

What does it take to consistently develop emerging professionals into great architects and designers? At Diamond Schmitt, that question has led to a deeper challenge: how to scale the judgment and expertise of principals across a growing, distributed team. Traditional approaches — redlines, one-on-one mentoring, in-the-moment feedback — remain valuable, but they're limited in reach and hard to scale. So the studio began exploring a different model: one where knowledge could be captured, shared, and reused to support both learning and design excellence. Join Principal Michael Leckman and Sam Horton, Learning & Development Consultant, at Knowledge Architecture’s annual conference KA Connect, as they share how Diamond Schmitt evolved the studio’s learning and development program, Diamond Schmitt University (DSU), and its Synthesis-powered platform, DSX, into a knowledge amplification system. #diamondschmitt #diamondschmitt_university #designtotranscend

The exterior expression of Park Road is taking shape as the cladding installation nears completion! Designed as a contemporary flat iron building in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, the project anchors a prominent urban crossroads. Its articulated façade of bronze-coloured metal panels and fins give the sculptural tower a distinct presence, while new pedestrian connections, access to transit and nature, and an enhanced public realm strengthen its relationthip to the city. On site, Senior Associate Liviu Budur shares a construction update and a closer look at this important project milestsone. #diamondschmitt #diamondschmitt_onsite #designtotranscend

It’s exciting to see the Cameron Community Centre and Library taking shape, with the mass timber structure nearing completion and contributing to a 40% in carbon reduction. Congratulations to the team on bringing this sustainable, community-focused design to life!

A bold new vision for Vancouver’s performing arts future—one with the potential to transform the city’s civic and cultural life—has been unveiled. Initiated by the Vancouver Cultural Precinct, an alliance of performing arts and community leaders guided by the Vancouver Concert Hall and Theatre Society, the proposal is the outcome of a two-year feasibility study led by Diamond Schmitt. Informed by consultation with 32 performing arts organizations, the study responds to a critical gap in Vancouver’s cultural infrastructure and establishes an initial framework for a connected downtown arts district linking new and existing venues, public spaces, transit, and walkable streets.   “The Vancouver Cultural Precinct is an opportunity to connect the excellence of award-winning performers to new venues, tailor-made for music, theatre, and dance. It will correct the shortfall of seats relative to other comparable cities and create a world destination for the arts. It is an extraordinary opportunity to shape a city’s identity through the transformative power of design,” says Diamond Schmitt Principal Donald Schmitt. More than a collection of buildings, the precinct is envisioned as an inclusive civic framework where performance, rehearsal, education, production, public gathering, and cultural exchange come together. Active beyond scheduled performances, its foyers, plazas, streets, and shared spaces would bring artists, audiences, and communities into closer relationship while contributing to the cultural and civic renewal of downtown Vancouver. By supporting performance, rehearsal, education, production, public gathering, and cultural exchange, the precinct has the potential to strengthen the City of Vancouver’s performing arts ecology and establish the city as an international cultural destination for generations to come. Read more about the Vancouver Cultural Precinct’s vision: https://lnkd.in/gifSMkwX #diamondschmitt #designtotranscend #vancouverculturalprecinct

ULI Toronto is hosting a behind-the-scenes tour of KING Toronto. As Executive Architect, Diamond Schmitt advanced the project's architectural vision into a highly resolved, buildable, performance-driven façade that features an innovative custom prefabricated cladding system that combines the aesthetic of glass block with the strength and insulation of a curtain wall. Designed by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, this 16-storey mixed-use development shapes a landscape of peaks and valleys, redefining urban density along King Street West with its distinctive pixelated form, integrating residential, commercial, and public spaces. The tour will be led by Lilly Kraljevic, Senior Associate and Mateusz Perich, Architectural Designer, of Diamond Schmitt; Oren Jourdan, Director of Construction and Development at Allied Properties REIT; and Milton Argotti, Construction Manager at EllisDon. On this guided walk-through, participants will learn about the project’s design and construction approach, see how the pixelated form was resolved into a constructable system, and discuss how the project integrates into the public realm and addresses sustainability. More about the event and how to register on ULI Toronto. #diamondschmitt #designtotranscend #kingcondo

The new Guelph Central Library is more than a civic building. As the anchor of the Baker District redevelopment, it will create a welcoming place for learning, gathering, and cultural exchange while contributing to the renewal of downtown Guelph.   A new feature in The Globe and Mail by David McPherson explores how the library is helping shape a broader mixed-use community and demonstrates the role public architecture can play in strengthening civic life and catalyzing long-term urban transformation.