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As architects, we are motivated by an interest in creating something that lasts – structures and sites that will remain part of our cities for generations to come. We also appreciate the fact that our most successful endeavours often evolve over many years. And sometimes they take much longer than anticipated, thanks to the many complexities and variables inherent in delivering these kinds of developments. Though we usually think of building our legacies with, well, buildings, our practices have the potential to leave an even more significant impact.

This year marks Adamson’s 90th anniversary, and it’s incredible to see how much the firm has achieved over the decades. Gordon Adamson could surely never have imagined what he was creating a foundation for when he launched his eponymous firm in Toronto. The young architect had just turned 30, and our hometown – which had just marked its centennial – was a much smaller city in a much bigger world. Trans-Pacific phone calls were only made possible that same year, and we were still five years away from Pan American offering the world’s first transatlantic passenger service from New York to the UK. There’s no doubt Mr. Adamson was determined to leave his mark on the world, but the mark he imagined likely didn’t stray beyond Canada’s borders.

Striking out on his own was a bit of a risk for Adamson, but he established what would become a long tradition of taking a chance on young architects and giving them space to grow. Over time, Adamson and his team grew an impressive portfolio of significant Toronto projects and, eventually, work in other Canadian cities. He encouraged burgeoning talents to explore new frontiers – on the map and in design – setting a path for generations of successors to blaze new trails under the Adamson name.

Over time, these generations of Adamson team members built a reputation for technical skill, creativity, and collaboration that began to gain notice in the industry. They established strong relationships with other architects, carving out a niche that launched Adamson onto the international scene.

Establishing a specialty in the Architect of Record / Executive Architect role brought us work in the U.S., then the UK and Asia. Successful projects led to more projects in the same locales, and Adamson soon grew from one little Canadian practice into an international family of affiliated firms. We have grown not through mergers and acquisitions but organically, through people and partnerships that created opportunities to branch out into new territories. It is the relationships we have built alongside these projects that allowed the roots first planted in Toronto to reach cities far and wide.

Over the past few decades, we have launched several new offices, in several cities and, yes, with quite a few names. You might know us as Adamson Associates Architects; Adamson Associates, Inc.; Adamson Associates (International) Limited; or perhaps AAI Architects, P.C. (And if you have worked with more than one of our teams and are not quite sure what to call us, we get it!)

While we don’t all share the same name, we do share our skills, our experience, our expertise, and a common creative culture. We share our history, and we share an exciting future. Every office and every team member is part of the ongoing evolution of the firm started by a young architect named Gordon Adamson 90 years ago, and we can’t wait to see what is yet to come. So, thank you, Gordon, and all that came after him as a part of this amazing journey – and cheers to the next 90 years!

We are excited to share the news that our Google Bay View campus project has officially achieved LEED Platinum certification, making it the largest LEED v4 BD+C: NC Platinum certified project in the world! The announcement was made in early November by USGBC president Peter Templeton, at the Greenbuild International Conference in San Francisco.

The all-electric Bay View campus is packed with sustainable features, including the bespoke “dragonscale” solar skin that covers the sloping canopy roofs and will generate 40% of the buildings’ electricity needs each year. Cooling and heating is provided by the largest geothermal pile system in North America, which is expected to cut carbon emissions by nearly half and reduce the amount of water used for cooling by 90%.

Learn more about Google’s first ground-up campus, and its extraordinary innovations here.

Among several high-profile Adamson projects that have had their big reveal this year, Canary Wharf Station is likely the one that has been seen – and enjoyed – by the largest number of people.

The project is one of ten new stations that comprise London’s new Elizabeth Line, which – it was recently announced – has provided travellers with 14 million more journeys than projected since opening in late May. The line’s impressive passenger numbers make Canary Wharf Station a highly visible development – despite the fact that it’s built not just under ground, but under water. Hidden below oversite development Crossrail Place, for which Adamson collaborated with design architects Foster + Partners, the station box sits in the waters of Canary Wharf’s North Dock, reaching 28 metres below ground level.

For those who haven’t had the chance to travel the new transit artery, or see the station in person, Transport for London has produced a video series documenting the design and architecture of the Elizabeth Line. Senior Associate Michael Gore takes viewers through Adamson’s design of the station in a recent installment, which can be viewed here.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Ritchie to Principal. Michael has worked at AAI New York since 2014. During this time, he has established himself as a highly-skilled architect, designer, and project manager.

Michael lends to our team more than a decade of experience in design, BIM coordination, and the administration of large teams of architects, MEP engineers, andconstruction managers. Most recently, Michael led AAI’s Architect-of-Record team on the renovation and repositioning of the award-winning 390 Madison Avenue.

ENR 2020 Best Regional Projects Awards

AAI has worked on four of 2020’s ENR Best Projects in New York:

• Cultural/Worship Award of Merit: LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island
• Residential/Hospitality Best Project: 53W53
• Residential/Hospitality Award of Merit: One Manhattan Square.
• Specialty Construction Best Project: Nordstrom facade restoration (as part of Central Park Tower)

Salesforce Park is a 2020 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Open Space Awards Finalist. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli with Executive Architect, Adamson Associates, Inc., the 5.4-acre public park sits atop the 1.5 million square foot Salesforce Transit Center, which runs along four blocks of downtown San Francisco south of the Financial District. The new transit center consolidated regional bus systems and will serve as the future rail terminus for the Caltrain commuter rail and California High Speed Rail connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. Designed for beauty, mixed-uses, and sustainability, Salesforce Park has become a hub of community activity.

*Salesforce Transit Center and Salesforce Park are public properties and the name is the result of a naming rights agreement with saleforce.com.

Simon Groves, a Senior Associate in our London office, recently shared details on the unique asymmetrical staircase at One Bank Street in London, via Archello. The 700,000-square-foot office tower at Canary Wharf was designed by Kohn Pederson Fox with Adamson Associates (International) Limited as Executive Architect. Interiors were provided by TP Bennett.

TP Bennett produced the initial design concepts for the staircase. “We originally worked up the design as a spiral,” explained Andrew McLean. “But we have a designer who’s very interested in the geometry of stairs and he produced a more interesting ‘ribbon’ design.”

The refinement of that SketchUp concept was carried out by Adamson’s team, which developed the detailed design in close collaboration with the specialists at EeStairs.

Staircase at One & Five Bank Street

“I wanted to create a staircase that had a pure form,” says Groves, who lead the refinement of the feature stair. “Simplifying the ribbons of the inner and outer balustrade enclosures, and raising them to 1900mm, with no unnecessary undulation at the landings between the stair flights was key. This meant there were no stop-start points in the balustrades, just a pure form.”