ALL STOP CITY

MONUMENT
MORPHOLOGY
MAPPING
PATINA
PROJECTIONS
PATTERNS
PRACTICE
DATA


A thesis project in the Master of Architecture program at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design by Ross Beardsley Wood, 2021/2022, Advisors: Mason White and An Te Liu.
Paving Van Horne Avenue (Dupont Street). 1890s.  

Dufferin, Bartlett, Dovercourt, Ossington, and Shaw railway grade crossings - looking north. 1912.
100 years of additions, alterations, and changes of use.
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Manufacturing + Office
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Worsted Spinning
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Paper Products
Aviation Components
Aviation Components
Aviation Components
Aviation Components
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Washing Machines
Brooms et al.
Brooms et al.
Boilers et al.
Boilers et al.
Boilers et al.
Shoes, Paper Box, et al.
Shoes, Paper Box, et al.
Shoes, Paper Box, et al.
Shoes, Paper Box, et al.
Shoes, Pharmaceuticals, et al.
Shoes, Pharmaceuticals, et al.
Pharmaceuticals et al.
Pharmaceuticals et al.
Pharmaceuticals et al.
Pharmaceuticals, Packaging
Pharmaceuticals, Packaging
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co.
Aked & Co. + Patrons & Baldwins Ltd
Aked & Co. + Patrons & Baldwins Ltd
Aked & Co. + Patrons & Baldwins Ltd
Aked & Co. + Patrons & Baldwins Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
Robinson E S & A Ltd
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Thor Canadian Co Ltd
Speciality, R.S. Gold, CNIB, International
Speciality, R.S. Gold, CNIB, International, Plumbing
Speciality, R.S. Gold, International, Plumbing, Lloyd
Speciality, R.S. Gold, International, Lloyd
Rapistan, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo, International, Lloyd
Rapistan, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo, International
Rapistan, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo, International
Rapistan, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo, International
Rapistan, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo, International
Chem Pac, Comstock, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo
Chem Pac, Comstock, R.S. Gold, Higgs, De Carlo, Milburn, Vaponefrin, Polson, Sutcliffe
Chem Pac, Comstock, R.S. Gold, Milburn, Vaponefrin, Polson, Sutcliffe
Chem Pac, Comstock, R.S. Gold, Milburn, Vaponefrin, Polson, Sutcliffe
Chem Pac, Comstock, R.S. Gold, Milburn, Vaponefrin, Polson, Sutcliffe
Chem Pac Ltd + Milburn T Co Ltd
Chem Pac Ltd + Milburn T Co Ltd



The grade crossing is great for recreating, forever traffic jams, and protesting. It ties Dupont and Geary together.





wild card

people storage


train rec.


Letter to the heritage department re-Yarn
Tower proposal over Uranium Processing Facility


compound cantilevers 

Main-frame straightening, seat-frame fabrication, backrest milling (Elderbox Maple), natural dying (sumac), and shaker weave seat.
Collaboration w/ Ophelia Lau

guerrilla preservation

Spring seed pod harvest, storage preparation, and germination.


grid-care

Appropriation of ERA condition assessment drawings for 888 Dupont as maintenance specifications.




template for a mapping project


Tanner Field, Ross Beardsley Wood. LAN3700, Winter 2022.
Instructor: Doug Anderson

Welcome to “Toronto”, 1615.
Have you ever wondered what Toronto was like before it was a city? Find out here, by navigating through the map of the city in 1615. You can find your block, explore the native landscape of today’s neighbourhoods, research the flora and fauna block by block, and help continue to rediscover 1615. 


Mapping template interface, language, and taxonomy borrowed from the Mannahatta Project
Additional layers of mapping, data aggregation, and visualization

Boreholes

Through the City of Toronto’s Application Information Centre, data submitted to the city for current Development Applications is publicly accessible. Geotechnical investigations for current applications provide accurate subsurface conditions at specific points across the city. This data could be extracted on an on-going basis to create a subsurface dataset for the city.



Digital Sacred Places

Sacred places occupy digital space as well as physical. The Lost Rivers movement is an example of this as individuals have pieced together an exploratory atlas of past hydrological forces. How can sacred places be included and/or referenced in a mapping excercise such as Toronto 1615?



QR Code

This mapping project could be paired with a perspective view element allowing viewers to look backwards and potentially forwards at specific locations. These specific locations could be accessed through the web interface as well as through distributed QR codes allowing users to engage on site and potentially augment reality (AR) of specific perspectival views.




11/05/21






Soft Radiographic
The armature is embedded within the projected form – plant and pattern are conflated in a reciprocal relationship of envelope and structure.

Polyester film, plexiglass, wood, florescent lamp
24” x 48” x 16”
Globe
Ball
Sphere
Orb

Structure
Form
Sculpture
Geometry
Volume
Space
Frame
Cage
Skin
Original
Armature
Scaffold
Pattern
Guide
Support

Steel
Wire
Rod
Tension
Train
Tutor
Help
Care
Optimism
Hope


Growth
Future
Predict
Project
Projection
Trajectory
Intention
Rules
Framework

Consume
Engulf
Combine
Join
Share
Colonization
Formal
Power
Mastery
Conformity
Trickery
Illusion
Picturesque
Fanciful
Ornamental Entertainment

Kitsch
Tacky
Humor
Joy
Playful
Jovial

Romantic

Boundary
Mask
Trim
Clip
Possession
Ownership
Stewardship
Health
Care

Hack
Play
Appropriate
Model
Re-





Spatial Projection


Double Globe Topiary Armature
A scaffold of light gauge steel rod used to train a plant into a form consisting of two stacked spheres.

Galvanized Steel
12” x 36” x 12”
Fall 2021

Angelo di Petta’s Studio, Ceramics Workshop, 10/23/21
We need to stop building so many hyper-specific buildings and start building generic ones that will last.

Historic tall-wood “mill construction” buildings in Toronto have proven to be a versatile and durable typology, but due to a lapse in construction between 1940 and 2000, trade knowledge of this building practice was lost. While contemporary mass timber construction has significantly advanced, a study of the vernacular typology will illuminate both historic urbanism in Toronto and forgotten learned principles of mill construction.
Field surveys were conducting documenting 42 historical tall-wood buildings in Toronto that Kenneth Koo at FPInnovations identified in his 2013 report A Study on Historical Tall-Wood Buildings in Toronto and Vancouver. Koo’s report set historical precedence for Ontario’s Tall Wood Building Reference in 2017 and the 2020 National Building Code changes around building taller in wood. The documentation gathered during the field surveys supplement Koo’s engineering report by illustrating the physical qualities of identified buildings through high-resolution ortho-corrected photography.

The collected field documentation and in-situ observations have been paired with GIS aerial orthoimagery, perspectival archival imagery, historic insurance maps, and newspaper clippings to create a morphological index of the select typological examples. Koo’s original building list has been audited and augmented to create a textual specification companion to the visual imagery.  The resultant dataset stands as a referenceable cross-section of historic tall-wood buildings in Toronto and provides a platform for further research into the resilient typology.
Typological-Morphological Research Methodology

GIS
Mapping
Field
Survey
Photographic
Processing
Archival
Research
Development
Analysis
Feedback
Loops
-Geolocation of example buildings
-Geographic perspectival visualization
-Production of keyplans, underlays, and orthoimagery
-Location verification and visual site survey
-Multiple Persepctive high resolution digital photographic exposures
-Audit of initial building list
-Orthocorrection of photographic images
-Compositing elevational streetface frontages
-Typ. image processing (colour, cropping, etc.)
-Archival image collection and analysis
-Investigation of building use over time
-Positive identification through insurance maps
-Review identified building management companies
-Review current development proposals/plans
-Identification of development trends
-Iteratively cycle between working methods to incorporate new observations and analysis -cross reference incoming data with established to improve accuracy

Observations page is a WIP - Please come back soon!

“By the turn of the nineteenth century, industrial buildings (factories and commercial warehouses) began to replace the finer grained residential building fabric in the areas around Spadina, especially after the Great Fire of 1904, which destroyed the City’s primary manufacturing district near Front and Bay Streets. Following this event, the area of King-Spadina  became the industrial centre of Toronto.” - 590 King Heritage Impact Statement
Next Steps
1. Archival Research
2. Typological Classification
3. Taxonomy


Ross Beardsley Wood MArch, BAS.
ross.beardsleywood@mail.utoronto.ca

2021/2022 Mass Timber Institute Independent Study with Dr. Ted Kesik 
at John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

67-77 Mowat Avenue
Name: Toronto Carpet Manufacturing Company
Alt. Name: Barrymore Cloth
Built: 1899-1920
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5.5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: Liberty Village
Architect: William Steele and Sons
Heritage Status: Designated (1975)






993 Queen Street West
Name: The Candy Factory Lofts
Alt. Name:  Ce De Candy Company
Built: 1907
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5.5
Current Use: Residential
Original Use: Manufacturing 
District: West Queen West / Trinity Bellwoods
Architect: 
Heritage Status: Listed (2020)



559 College Street West (b.1940)

82 Peter Street (b.1928)
Name:
Built:
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys:
Current Use:
Original Use:
Neighbourhood:
District: King-Spadina
Architect:
Heritage Status:

30 Duncan Street
Name: Caplan Building
Alt. Name: Caplan Shoe Manufacturing
Built: 1926
Footprint:
Height: 26m
Number of Storeys: 8
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: King-Spadina
Architect:
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)




364 Richmond Street West
Name:
Built: 1920
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5
Current Use:
Original Use:
District: King-Spadina
Architect:
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)

217-225 Richmond Street
Name: Gelber Building
Alt. Name: Gelber Brothers Wholesale Woollens and Yard Goods
Built: 1923
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5.5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Warehouse & Wholesale
District: King-Spadina
Architect:
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)



579 Richmond Street West
Name: Independent Cloak Co. Building
Built: 1913
Footprint:
Height: 
Number of Storeys: 5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing (Garment)
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Isadore Feldman
Heritage: Listed (2017) 





40-46 Spadina Avenue
Name: Systems Building
Built: 1907
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing (Stationary)
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Burke, Horwood and White
Heritage Status: Listed (2016)
Notes: Occupied by Business Systems Limited until 1960.



80-82 Spadina Avenue
Name: W. J. Gage Building
Built: 1912
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5
Current Use: Office + Retail
Past Use: Maufacturing, Publishing
District: King-Spadina
Architect: C. J. Gibson
Heritage Status: Listed (2005)
Notes: Gage business moved to Spadina post Fire.



99 Spadina Avenue
Name: Rea Building
Built: 1900
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 6 (4+2)
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: King-Spadina
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)




116 Spadina Avenue
Name: Reading Building
Built: 1925
Architect: Benjamin Brown
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 8
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Benjamin Brown
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)
Notes: Originally commissioned by Henry Greisman.



129 Spadina Avenue
Name: Spadina Building
Built: 1919
Footprint: 
Height:
Number of Storeys: 7
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: King-Spadina 
Architect: 
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)
Notes: Originally commissioned by Henry Greisman.



425-439 King Street West
Name: Samuel Building 
Built: 1908
Addition: 1913 (top floor)
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 6
Current Use:
Original Use:
Neighbourhood: Fashion District
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Burke and Horwood
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed (2005)
Notes:




445-455 King Street West
Name: Krangle Building + Toronto Pharmacol Building 
Built: 1906 + 1904
Footprint:
Height: 
Number of Storeys: 4.5
Current Use: Office + Retail
Original Use: Manufacturing + Retail
Neighbourhood: Fashion District
District: King-Spadina
Architect: J. Francis Brown
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed (2005)
Notes: Bought by William Krangle and Co. in 1949.




468 King Street West
Name: Samuel and Benjamin Building
Built: 1910
Footprint:
Height: 22m
Number of Storeys: 6.5
Current Use: Office + Retail
Original Use: Manufacturing + Retail
Neighbourhood: Fashion District
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Burke, Horwood and White
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed (2005)




469 King Street West
Name: Dominion Paper Box Co.
Built: 1903
Addition: 1907 (Back)
Footprint:
Height: 16m
Number of Storeys: 4.5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
Neighbourhood: Fashion District
District: King-Spadina
Architect: George W. Gouinlock (Addition John Francis Brown)
Property Owner: Allied 
Heritage: Listed (1973)




489 King Street West
Name: Hart Building
Alt. Name: R G Long & Co.
Built: 1918
Demolished: 2020
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 4.5
Current Use: n/a
Past Uses: Commercial (Pub, Film Studios)
Original Use: Warehouse
Neighbourhood: Fashion District
District: King-Spadina
Heritage: Designated (2015)




200 Adelaide Street West
Name: Canadian Magazine Building 
Built: 1913
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5.5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
Neighbourhood: 
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Burke, Horwood and White
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed (2005)



257 Adelaide Street West  
Built: 1910
Addition: 1990? (top)
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 6.5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
Neighbourhood: 
District: King-Spadina
Architect:
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)
Notes: Addition of two storeys.


312 Adelaide Street West
Name: The Manufacturers Building
Built: 1929
Major Renovation: 1980s
Footprint:
Height: 27m
Number of Storeys: 8
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
Neighbourhood:
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Baldwin and Greene
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed (2017)
Notes: Commissioned by David Garfinkel. Wrong Date.



331-333 Adelaide Street West
Name: Fremes Building 
Built: 1925
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys:
Current Use: Office + Retail
Original Use: Manufacturing
Neighbourhood: 
District: King-Spadina
Architect: Langley & Howland
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Listed 2005
Notes: Commissioned by Simon Fremes.



345 Adelaide Street West (b.1906)
Name: MacLean Building
Alt. Name:
Built: 1914
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 7
Current Use:
Original Use:
Neighbourhood: Fashion District
District: King-Spadina
Architect: George Gouinlock
Property Owner:
Heritage Status: Listed (2005)
Notes:


204-214 King Street East / 185 Frederick Street
Name: W.A. Drummond & Company Dairy Supply Warehouse
Alt. Name: Adams Brothers Harness Manufacturing Co.
Built: 1911
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 6.5
Current Use: Office + Retail
Original Use: Manufacturing + Retail
Neighbourhood: 
District: St. Lawrence
Architect: S.A. Waggett
Property Owner: Allied
Heritage Status: Designated (1985)
Notes: Three grouped buildings. Sold air rights (easement).



156 Front Street West (b.1905)
144-146 Front Street West (b.1903)


179 John Street
Name: Model Knitting Company 
Built: 1930
Footprint:
Height: 33m
Number of Storeys: 7
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: Grange
Architect:
Heritage Status: n/a




468-496 Queen Street East
Name: Dominion Brewery
Alt. Name: Dominion Square
Built: 1878-80
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 4
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Manufacturing
District: Trefann Court
Architect:
Heritage Status: Listed (1973)




319 Queen Street East / 145 Berkeley Street
Name:
Alt. Name:
Built: 1880-84
Major Work: 1988
Footprint:
Height: 
Storeys: 5
Current Use: Office
Original Use: Warehouse
Neighbourhood: Moss Park
District: King-Parliment
Heritage Status: Listed 2019





111 Queen Street East
Name: Robertson Brothers Confections
Alt. Name: Queen Richmond Centre
Built: 1870-1906
Footprint:
Height:
Number of Storeys: 5
Current Use:
Original Use: Manufacturing 
District: Moss Park
Heritage Status: Designated (1982)


n

Photographs by Rob Wilson

the pit click for website
click for website

Meateyes 2083. A data miner is scouring archival photographic databases in hopes of finding clues of how the world was operating before climate change effects were irreversible and why preventative measures were not taken.

Meateyes provides a glimpse of this search as the miner accesses a historic fonds series of the Toronto Archives, refines their search parameters to narrow the query results and extracts data with machine learning/processing software.



The short film was produced using MS DOS text for the archive database interface, medium format photography for archived (original) images, digitally manipulated images representative of machine learning/processing software (facial recognition, geometric/biometric analysis), and distorted deep bass audio rips.

Meateyes is referencing Operational Images (2013) by Trevor Paglen as well as Harun Farocki’s Eye / Machine series (2001-2003).

For On Ghost Images 2019-20, Instructor: Petros Babasikas