Heather Dubbeldam

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Heather Dubbeldam, OAA, FRAIC, LEED AP, WELL AP is a Canadian architect based in Toronto. She received the 2016 Prix de Rome in Architecture for her research on sustainable housing.[1] In 2003, Dubbeldam founded Dubbeldam Architecture + Design a midsized multidisciplinary firm.[2] Prior to starting her own firm, she worked for Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB), where she gained her architectural license.[3] Beyond architectural practice, Dubbeldam contributes to the architectural community as a volunteer on various boards. These boards include: Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT), Twenty + Change, and the Design Industry Advisory Committee. Her volunteering also includes affiliations with multiple architectural schools as a critic and advisory council member.[4]

History[edit]

Career[edit]

After completing her studies at Carleton University’s School of Architecture, Dubbeldam spent seven years at KPMB before establishing her multidisciplinary studio in Toronto.[3] Her early work for the Gladstone Hotel project in 2005 was the first to gain notice in the press. For the hotel she designed a room in her individual style alongside 15 other artists and designers responsible for their own spaces respectively.[5] In 2008, her firm received the Ontario Association of Architects Best Emerging Practice award.[6]

Dubbeldam's most awarded residential projects include the Through House, Contrast House, and Skygarden House. Additionally, she has designed larger award winning commercial buildings such as the headquarters for Azure and Slack.[3] Sustainability has remained a consistent focus throughout her projects/career and her firm actively engages in ongoing research focused on sustainable building practices.[6] This focus on sustainability played a role in her 2016 Prix de Rome win. With the $50,000 prize, she furthered her research on energy-efficient housing in Germany and Scandinavia, contributing to the advancement of passivhaus, net-zero energy homes, and regenerative design.[7] This recognition as one of “Canada's oldest and most prestigious architectural prizes” provided support for Dubbeldam's work, bringing importance to sustainability discourse and fostering progress within the profession.[8][9]

Recently, Dubbeldam's firm has earned over 60 awards that acknowledge their pursuit of sustainable design.[3]

Notable projects[edit]

Skygarden (Toronto, 2015)[edit]

One of Dubbeldam's most awarded projects is Skygarden, completed in Toronto in 2015. This architectural work integrates sustainable features while maintaining a clean aesthetic.[10] The project garnered praise for Dubbeldam's intentional design approach, which blended sustainability with contemporary style, a rare occurrence during a time when eco-friendly products often compromised visual appeal.[11]

Project awards[edit]

Through House (Toronto)[edit]

The Through House is an architectural work by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design to renovate a 128 year old house in a crowded downtown neighbourhood.[12] Renovation projects like this attempt to retrofit and adapt older buildings to meet modern Eco-friendly standards, as a strategy is greatly reduces the carbon footprint of a project as compared to the development of a new building.[13] The projects design language focuses on the repeated use of materials on the exterior and interior of the home, maintaining the intention of the design as blending these experiences together.[14]

Project Awards[edit]

  • Canadian Green Building Award
  • Ontario Association of Architects Award - Design Excellence
  • Ontario Association of Architects Award - People's Choice
  • Azure Az Award - Award of Merit
  • Azure Az Award - People's Choice
  • Ceramics of Italy Competition - Honorable Mention
  • Re-Thinking the Future Awards - Residential Interior
  • CID Awards - Winner Residential Tile Design

Azure Office (Toronto)[edit]

Originally an early 20th century transformer factory, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design reworked the building into the new Azure head office. At 5,600 square feet over two levels the office is of a relatively modest scale, hosting an open plan office for 26 workstations alongside meeting rooms and offices.[15] The renovation of the factory building into the Azure headquarters earned the firm the Architecture Masterprize for Office Design.[16] The award committee describes the project as follows:

Throughout, the factory’s original industrial quality has been preserved and accentuated with bold colours and furniture, instilling an authenticity to the space while imbuing it with a creative and vibrant energy. Boasting double height windows, a split-level mezzanine layout, and an abundance of natural light, it is an ideal setting for the creative enterprise it now houses.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ RAIC (July 20, 2016). "Dubbeldam Architecture + Design awarded prestigious Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture for research in sustainable housing" (PDF). The Next Green Innovation in Sustainable Design. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Studio". Dubbeldam Inc. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  3. ^ a b c d Jen, Leslie (2021). Canadian Architecture: Evolving a Cultural Identity. Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing. pp. 76–81.
  4. ^ "Heather Dubbeldam". BEAT. 2019-10-08. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  5. ^ MacKeen, Erin (Fall 2005). "Making Room at the Gladstone Hotel" (PDF). 401 Richmond: 1.
  6. ^ a b Sheppard, Lola (2009). Twenty + Change: Emerging Canadian Design Practices 02. Riverside Architectural Press.
  7. ^ officebureau (2016-07-21). "Dubbeldam Architecture + Design Awarded the Prix de Rome". Azure Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  8. ^ Moore, Shannon (2016-07-20). "Canada Council for the Arts announces architecture prize winners". Canadian Architect. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  9. ^ "How designer Heather Dubbeldam plans to change Canada's conversation about sustainable housing". The Globe and Mail. 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  10. ^ "An Eco-Friendly Home Doesn't Have to Look Like a Spaceship". Architectural Digest. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  11. ^ "StackPath". www.oaa.on.ca. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  12. ^ Future, Rethinking The (2016-02-17). "Through House | Dubbeldam Architecture + Design". RTF | Rethinking The Future. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  13. ^ Peters, Terri (September 2016). "Architectural Interventions For Social Sustainability: The Renovation Of Modern Housing". Conference: Sustainable Built Environment: 1–6 – via ResearchGate.
  14. ^ "Through House / Dubbeldam Architecture + Design". ArchDaily. 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  15. ^ "Azure Office | Dubbeldam Architecture + Design". ArchiDiaries. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  16. ^ a b "Azure Office". architectureprize.com. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
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