A Toronto-based studio, RDHA specializes in the public realm, which encompasses a wide range of work progressing into a public realm focussing on architectural work including corporate central, modern offices, scholarly structures, transportation offices, recreational centres, libraries, adaptive reuse projects, and much more.
Established in 1919, the firm has grown focussing on the more concept-driven architecture of the highest calibre. The firm has emerged as one of Canada’s acclaimed design studios with a strong backbone of 100 plus years of technical and administrative experience. RDHA Driven by Principals Bob Goyeche, Geoff Miller, Tyler Sharp, and Momin Hoq, the firm of 25 experts has fostered a broad arrangement of involvement incorporating modern office, libraries, diversion, post-auxiliary schooling, travel, and secure office plan.
Some of the projects from the extensive list of architectural typologies are as below:
Cultural
1. Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park Brampton, Ontario
In the City of Brampton, the Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park give the rural local area another public library and local area park. The association’s objective was to make a comprehensive social event place, an antithesis to the in any case at a rural region, and a state of pride for the city.
Communicating inclusivity, advancement, devotion to learning, coordinated effort, interest, boldness, and responsibility the new structure mirrors the vision of the organization. This siting also maximized room in the rear for a neighborhood park and a parking and drop-off sequence with a canopied entry forecourt. Consistently coordinating general plan chiefs, and focusing on a LEED Gold rating, the structure shows the most elevated levels of accomplishment in both poise and maintainable plan.
2. Idea Exchange Old Post Office Cambridge, Ontario
Canada’s first “bookless” library committed to Makerspaces, the Idea Exchange Old Post Office offers Cambridge inhabitants free admittance to a variety of spaces for learning and imagination, and another, focal center for meeting and mingling. The project has emerged as a legacy structure that accommodates a ‘bookless’ library. The library contains public studio spaces for creation joined with an eatery and occasion space.
The multidimensional design conveys from all sides, radiating insight and common sense as it deftly consolidates old and new. The plan redesigns and re-establishes the current mailing station building and adds a straightforward structure drifting over the Grand River. Standard components, for example, drywall and strip lights, are treated with a level of care that adds class. The building corresponds to the context by accomplishing the modern structure utilizing the off-track materials, boosting utility, appearance, and economy.
3. Lakeview Library MPL01 Mississauga, Ontario
The Mississauga Library Project is an adaptive re-use procedure for the significant redesign and expansion to the Lakeview, Port Credit, and Lorne Park branch libraries, all dating from somewhere in the range of 1956 and 1967. The arrangement offers a harmony between a suitable reaction to three the same, noteworthy structures and a proficient answer for a speedy timetable.
The current outside heights of the library are formed as an essential mood of strong and void. The strong regions are included vertical fields of stonework; the void regions are involved vertical fields of coating. The synthesis of strong and void is additionally complemented by the fuse of an overhang and porch framework that wraps every library making a better grain, vertical surface.
4. Hamilton Central Library and Farmers’ Market Hamilton, Ontario
The Hamilton Farmers’ Market and Public Library project is a significant redesign and expansion to a current office situated in the city of Hamilton. This redevelopment will endeavor to hinder vehicle traffic and energize person on foot development along this segment of York. The subsequent straightforward, sparkling, even piece reconnects the library to the market and the new road edge, projecting the life and essentialness of the library and market of the city and its occupants.
This venture was finished as a relationship between RDHA and nearby Hamilton firm dpAi, with Tyler Sharp going about as Design Architect for the undertaking. The venture tries to rejuvenate the current structure through the overhaul and rearrangement of the inside spaces of the two projects and the development of an expansion on the northwest corner of the site.
5. FitzGerald Building Revitalization, University of Toronto
On February 28, the Governing Council presented its last endorsement for the FitzGerald Building Revitalization project. RDHA and OMA New York are cooperating on the FitzGerald Building Revitalization project on the University of Toronto’s midtown St. George Campus. The memorable FitzGerald Building, implicit 1927 and assigned under the Heritage Act, is in a conspicuous area at 150 College Street.
This intriguing and testing project includes the total remodel of the obsolete lab/research office into an enticing, superior office climate to be utilized principally for the Office of the President and the University’s Central Administration. The University imagines that the Fitzgerald Building will be a model in versatile re-use and set a trend for reformist grounds workplaces.
The essential objective is the making of an advanced, adaptable, communitarian office climate, where the nature of the room results from the affirmation and convenience of a developing ‘me’ to ‘we’ work environment culture.
6. Plaza Building, Brock University St. Catherines, Ontario
The current 5 storey plaza building is a new addition to Brock’s University. The building incorporates a ground level with four floors of academic workplaces and showing spaces above. The structure is associated with the current Student Services expanding on three of five levels and goes about as a grounds entryway for passerby traffic showing up by both vehicle and public travel.
The office achieved LEED Silver affirmation and as Brock University’s first LEED project. The building became a focus for development and growth for Southern Campus.
7. Whitehorse Central Operations Center Yukon Territory
The planning of the building strategically divides the zones into pedestrian and vehicular movements which in the future has a potential for growth for it to develop without major modifications. The building sits in the context, allowing it to expand in three directions and expand its horizon to offices, workshops, and more vehicular storage bays. The Whitehouse facility incorporates three of seven devoted support and fixes inlets and internal storage for 20 buses.
RDHA’s first venture in Canada’s north, this 11,567 sqm principle building was worked to accomplish energy productivity 84% over the Model National Energy Code of Canada. The building houses multiple departments that include operations of traffic, waste, and water which include utility systems, engineering, human resources, safety function, and transportation. The building has metal panel cladding and glazing that helps in achieving the highest solar exposure to motivate passive heating. The building is efficient in its performance along with which it provides a spacious work environment for the staff.
8. Williams Parkway Operations Center Brampton, Ontario
The plan of the Williams Parkway Operations Center expects to commend the administrations through the production of another nearby milestone while meeting complex specialized prerequisites in a powerful and conservative construction. This 19.6 section of land grounds is the essential reaction point for the city foundation plan, support, and fix for the City of Brampton, Canada’s ninth biggest city.
The plan stresses worker prosperity and public straightforwardness, and contains three principle segments; a managerial central command works building and works yard. The task was inherent in two stages while obliging full procedure on a current, part of the way covering works yard site. By offsetting unobtrusiveness with structural greatness, the structure gives a guide to future tasks building.
9. Welland International Flatwater Center Welland, Ontario
The building is situated on a nineteenth-century trench that associated Lake Ontario to Lake Erie before its detour in 1973, this perplexing exploit of a controlled climate with wonderful preparing conditions for a scope of water sports. Based on an unassuming spending plan and an incredibly close timetable, the structure constructions of the cast set up cement and steel are utilized as inside completes all through.
The new structures and 92-section of the land site will turn into a multifunctional waterfront park toward the finish of the games, stressing water sports and the scope of local area capacities. The WIFC is the office of decision for first-class titles, with a foundation surpassing current global principles for facilitating and openness.
10. Guelph Market Square Pavilion Guelph, Ontario
The Pavilion is a little construction intended to oblige changing and rest regions for a skating arena in the colder time of year season and a sprinkle cushion in the late spring months. Further to this, the structure houses a Zamboni machine, mechanical spaces, a water assortment reservoir and chillers for the ice arena/sprinkle cushion, an available washroom/change room, public storage spaces, and giver divider acknowledgment.
The point of the undertaking is to make a safe space from the components and a metropolitan marker for the public square. The main thrust behind this planning cycle has been to utilize the structure as a proving ground for formal and material constructional frameworks which had not recently been utilized by the workplace. The attention is on conventional experimentation and specialized development in a limited-scale building object.
11. Surrey Operations Center & Work Yard Surrey, British Columbia
This venture reconfigures and densifies the City of Surrey’s current focal tasks place and works yard site, giving another plan benchmark to this frequently disregarded structure type. Three new structures are communicated as rectilinear bars of fluctuating statures, reacting to both the assortment of program parts and the mind-boggling necessities of development staging, which required continuous office activities and the slow evacuation of existing structures.
The undertaking structure and material range convey transparency, warmth, and lucidity. Completely coated bifold inlet entryways amplify normal light in workshops and give an outside shelter when open, broadening the inside workspaces during warm months. A capacity storehouse on the north property line gives acoustic and visual obstructions ensuring the encompassing private turns of events.
12. First Leaside Financial Headquarters Uxbridge, Ontario
This 40,000 square foot reasonable office improvement is intended to house a developing monetary protections firm. The decision of an area a long way from any metropolitan region delineates the customer’s advantage in making an elective contemporary work setting, communicated through the structure’s relationship to site and nature.
Compositionally, the structure rises in two ways. The principal climb highlights the midtown business region, while the second rises along the length of the current rail hallway toward the southwest. The workplace improvement is expected to accomplish LEED Platinum status. Accordingly, a few natural drives have been consolidated into the structure plan. These drives include broad and serious housetop planting; normal ventilation; warm fireplace impact; and geothermal warming and cooling.
Secure
13. New Canadian Chancery Dhaka, Bangladesh
This complex incorporates 30,000 square feet of workplaces for Immigration, CIDA, Trade and Investment, and our Political and Economic Advisory, just as an 8,000 square foot Official Residence. The focal objectives of the task were the formation of a feeling of appreciation and protection, supporting a feeling of collegiality among international haven staff while giving an enticing door to Canada for guests and possible new Canadians.
The planning group picked a more roused way based on Canada’s fluctuated stew of humankind, sympathy, scene, and monetary and political solidity. The consequence of their challenging eight-year-long errand has brought about a structure that keeps away from the anticipated and the worn out.
Transit
14. Union Station Enhancement Toronto, Ontario
This significant framework project is the basic piece of the Metrolinx Regional Express Rail program that will give the entire day, two-way, administration on all GO Transit hallways. The venture incorporates an arrangement of foundation to oblige expanded limits and the future jolt of the trains.
The Union Station Enhancement Project (USEP) includes the improvement and development of Union Station to oblige more continuous (and higher speed) train administration, expanded traveler request levels, and the charge of the Metrolinx rail network all through the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
15. GO Guildwood Station Scarborough, Ontario
Guildwood is the primary station in the organization to have a green chamber fused into its plan. A straightforward direct organization containing station building, square, and passage access structures consumes the tight interstitial space between a current parking area and the bermed rail passageway.
The station’s steel outlined rooftop and overhang, lined in wood, set up a solid even datum against the site’s slant, interspersed by an enlightened lift tower. Conversely, the inward staff spaces, burrow passage constructions and utility rooms are incorporated into the embankment.
Reference
RDH Architects Design Firm. (n.d.). RDHA. Retrieved July 11, 2021, from https://www.rdharch.com/history
Image References
All images are taken from: https://www.rdharch.com/history
Img 14: Vantuono, W. (2021, July 29). Toronto completes Union Station Revitalisation Project. International Railway Journal. https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/toronto-completes-union-station-revitalisation-project/
