The older buildings found in Canadian cities and towns possess rich architectural qualities in form, materials and details, characteristics which architects would do well to study. Many Canadian architects recognize this and design new buildings which exhibit a respectful, contemporary response to the strong vernacular qualities of the local environment. Directly opposed to this view is globalisation, which is overwhelming the special sense of place found in most Canadian communities. Globalisation is most disturbing when international ‘star’ architects are imported to design major buildings, but its effect is probably more pervasive in the everyday adoption by lazy architects of design ideas copied from other parts of the world. Too often, the star architect is selected for a trade-mark style, transplanted inappropriately into a Canadian setting, where its shock value is expected to create the buzz that the client seeks. Is this the kind of arrogant intrusion that our communities really need? Are we so insecure in our own design abilities that we should acquiesce in the face of clients who, seduced by the glamour of the latest architectural fashion, believe that a dramatic new building, however wrong for its setting, will automatically enhance their status? Canada doesn’t need this kind of showpiece architecture, particularly when we have so many creative architects whose excellent contemporary work makes skilful use of regional materials and complements local vernacular and traditions.
moulded shapes; furthermore, they are penetrated by the vertical holes required by the extrusion process. Special shapes can still be obtained, but it is difficult to justify the expense of importing all the brick for a major public building to obtain a small percentage of custom shapes. We devised the technique of trimming off one corner of the clay as it extrudes from the press to make a chamfered corner; the chamfers are laid uppermost in soldier or rowlock courses, recalling the character of the earlier brick masonry buildings.
We first used this detail in the exterior design for the Hamilton-Wentworth Police Administration Building, located in central Hamilton, in an area where major industrial enterprises once occupied entire city blocks. Masonry piers define the structural grid. Courses of chamfered bricks at the top of masonry spandrels between the piers form sills below the windows; where windows are not required, the openings are filled in with recessed masonry panels. The chamfered courses at the top of the parapet walls will become the typical window sill detail, if completion of the top floor of the building ever becomes necessary.
The replacement of the Hamilton General Hospital provided an even more challenging opportunity to explore masonry detailing reflective of nearby 19th century industrial architecture. The hospital first opened on its site in 1882, in what was already becoming the heavily industrialized part of the city. The site area available to us for the new building was severely restricted by the need to maintain existing hospital facilities in operation throughout construction. This forced us to locate the 14m high main (south) elevation of the first three storeys, plus the
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