Our History

Diamond Schmitt Architects is Founded

Beverley Place, Toronto, Ontario

Beverley Place, also known as the Hydro Block, replaced plans by Ontario Hydro for a 12-storey transformer station in the midst of an established residential neighbourhood. Beverley Place received a City of Toronto Non-Profit Housing Corporation Neighbourhood Development Award and a Design Award from Urban Design Magazine in New York.

Village Terrace, Toronto, Ontario

The Village Terrace condominium, recipient of a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, was retained by Diamond and Schmitt Architects in 1980. This 18 Storey condominium project was designed to respond carefully and contextually to both its ravine setting and the surrounding neighbourhood.

Berkeley Castle, Toronto, Ontario

Located in Toronto's St. Lawrence neighbourhood, the rehabilitation of a group of condemned industrial buildings yielded a mixed-use retail and office complex. Diamond Schmitt Architects' offices were located in this complex for more than 20 years. This Project received a National Award of Honour from the Heritage Canada Foundation in 1984.

Metro Toronto Central YMCA - Toronto, Ontario

The Metro Central Y, completed in 1984, is the flagship of the YMCA in Toronto, continuing the organization’s tradition of leadership and service to the inner city and responding to the changing lifestyle and cultural needs of the urban resident. This project received a Governor General’s Medal for Architecture in 1986.

Betty Oliphant Theatre, National Ballet School, Toronto, Ontario

The Betty Oliphant Theatre provides a stage training facility for the National Ballet School in Toronto. The Centre sits on a compact site incorporating two renovated Victorian houses of historical and architectural importance. The theatre is a small and technically sophisticated with a stage comparable in size and equipment to major North American performance spaces.

Earth Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

The Earth Science Centre at the University of Toronto opened in July, 1990. The $55 million project broke new ground in the design of research and teaching facilities and received a Governor General's Medal for Architecture.

York University Student Centre, Toronto, Ontario

The York University Student Centre,  recipient of a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, houses entertainment and food services as well as student offices and clubs. It was created as a key link in a colonnade system that forms a continuous perimeter around the campus green.

Richmond Hill Central Library, Richmond Hill, Ontario

A hallmark of the design of the Richmond Hill Central Library is the high level of integration between structural, mechanical and electrical systems, and the manner in which the structure has been used as an element of the architecture. This project received a Governor General’s Medal for Architecture in 1994.

Jerusalem City Hall, Jerusalem, Israel

A civic campus - rather than a city hall - more accurately describes the collection of ten existing and three new buildings, together with the main plaza, minor plaza, courts and gardens that comprise this municipal complex. The main plaza, new and renovated structures and gardens, serve as a focus for all citizens and is positioned to be equally accessible from both East and West Jerusalem.

Capital Information Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

An existing Heritage Building was renovated to provide interpretation and orientation to Canada's national capital. This project was completed in 1996 and was the recipient of an Award of Excellence from the Ontario Association of Architects and an Award for Office Efficiency Through Renovation from the Building Owners & Managers Association.

Memorial Pool, Toronto, Ontario

This 50,000 square foot community aquatics centre, completed in 1997, is part of a public facility which includes an arena, health club and an elementary school and allows joint use by students and the community. Memorial Pool received an Award of Excellence from the Ontario Association of Excellence.

Gerstein Science Information Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario

The Gerstein Science Information Centre master plan was completed in 1998 resulting in three phases of renovations and additions implemented over the next 10 years. This project has received multiple awards from the Ontario Association of Architects and the Ontario Library Association.

Two Awards from the Ontario Library Association

Diamond and Schmitt Architects receive two awards from the Ontario Library Association for the Cornwall Public Library and the Oakwood Village Library and Arts Centre in Toronto.

Three Awards from the Ontario Association of Architects

In 2000 Diamond and Schmitt Architects received three Awards of Excellence from the Ontario Association of Architects for the Ways Lane Residence, the Memorial Pool and Health Club and the Regent Park Community Health Centre.

Marion McCain Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

This project was completed in 2001 and received a Medal of Excellence from the Lieutenant Governor's Awards for Architecture program later the same year.

The JCC in New York City

The Jewish Community Centre in Manhattan opened in May 2002. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and the Bahen Centre for Information Technology at the University of Toronto were also completed in 2002.

Architectural Firm of the Year

We received the Architectural Firm of the Year Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. "The award recognizes the achievements of the firm for its quality of architecture, its service to its clients, its innovations in practice, contributions to architectural education and to professional institutions and associations and public recognition."

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Jerusalem, Israel

In 2004 the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a recipient of a Good Design is Good Business Award from the BusinessWeek / Architectural Record Awards program.

"Demanding security issues were integrated into the architecture so they became either environmental assets or invisible." —Moshe Safdie, FAIA

Two Awards for Innovation from the RAIC

In 2005 Diamond Schmitt Architects received two innovation awards from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for the sustainable design strategies employed at the University of Guelph - Humber building in Toronto and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Campus in Oshawa. The Guelph-Humber Building incorporates the prototype bio-filter living wall.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, Ontario

Canada’s first purpose-built opera house, The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, opened in June, 2006, and has received numerous awards and widespread acclaim. The 2000-seat theatre is home to the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada.

Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Centre for the Arts, Washington, D.C.

Sidney Harman Hall, the home of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, was completed in 2007. This project received an Award of Excellence from the American Association of Architects, D.C. Chapter and a Good Design is Good Business Award from the BusinessWeek / Architectural Record Awards program.

Southbrook Vineyards - Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

Southbrook Vineyards received LEED Gold Certification shortly after opening - one of only three wineries in North America to receive this designation. Southbrook has won several awards including a BusinessWeek Architectural Record Award, an Award of Excellence fron the Ontario Association of Architects and a Green Building Award from SAB Magazine.

Mariinsky Theatre - St. Petersburg, Russia

In 2009, Diamond Schmitt Architects won an international competition to design the new Mariinsky Theatre in Russia.

Diamond Schmitt Architects Win Two OAA Awards of Excellence

Southbrook Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Gerstein Library Reading Room at the University of Toronto both received Awards of Excellence from the Ontario Association of Architects in 2010.

Twenty Completed Projects

In 2011, Diamond Schmitt Architects completed twenty projects including La Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence in Ottawa and the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building at Drexel University in Philadelphia.