Brook McIlroy

Brook McIlroy is an award-winning design firm founded in 2000, and based in Toronto, Thunder Bay, and Winnipeg. This is a multi-disciplinary firm which incorporates an architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and planning practice, allowing projects to be designed as "whole environments", focusing on all scales of the design. Along with these disciplines, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business presented the PAR Gold Level Certification (Progressive Aboriginal Relations) to Brook McIlroy in 2020, as the firm works to restore Indigenous presence within Canadian communities.
Background
Calvin Brook co-founded Brook McIlroy in 2000, and currently is a Principal there along with Anne McIlroy and Ryan Gorrie. Amongst its Principal designers, this multidisciplinary firm has thirty-six employees of different academic backgrounds, which are LEED Accredited Professionals, architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, and artists, scattered across the firm’s three offices. Although the firm was initially founded in Toronto, it eventually established a second office in Thunder Bay, 2012, shortly followed by a third office in Winnipeg, 2016, which includes a dedicated Indigenous Studio.
Design philosophy
The generalized design philosophy of Brook McIlroy stems from designing a project as a whole environment and incorporating an Indigenous perspective, which is the foundation that each of the three studios is built on. Although the firm follows this philosophy, each of the studios specializes in a aspect of design. The Toronto studio focuses on creating innovations in all scales of design, ranging from subtle innovations, using mass timber, to site innovations, increasing sustainability. A more recent project from the firm at 728 Yonge Street, in Downtown Toronto, 2019, is an example of some of the firm’s innovations in design. The elevator core, traditionally made of concrete, is created using Cross-laminated timber, CLT, beams, a more carbon-friendly materials making the project more sustainable. This application of CLT has resulted in more research being done in the material and its capability, with Sidewalk Labs indicating that CLT may be used in building thirty story towers. The most recent award given was the 2019 Canadian Architect Award of Merit to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, designed in partnership with Patkau Architects, and sits on Prince Arthur’s Landing.
One of the most successful projects from this firm is Prince Arthur’s Landing, which is an ongoing revitalization project since 2010 of Thunder Bay’s downtown waterfront and has accumulated over 20 awards. Most notable awards came from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Canadian Urban Institute, Waterfront Center (D.C), International Downtown Association, and Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, etc. The most recent award given was the 2019 Canadian Architect Award of Merit to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, designed in partnership with Patkau Architects, and sits on Prince Arthur’s Landing.
Selected awards
Since its founding, the firm has created many awarding winning designs in different fields such as urban planning and design, landscape design, wood design, and architectural design. These include national as well as international awards and distinctions, which include:
* Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture & Design / The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, International Architecture Award
** 2013: Gathering Circle, Prince Arthur’s Landing, Thunder Bay
* Canadian Institute of Planners
** 2021 Award for Planning Excellence Merit: Healthy Communities Planning, GZHE-MNIDOO GI-TA-GAAN (Creator’s Garden and Amphitheatre) Master Plan
** 2020 Award for Planning Excellence: Vaughan City-Wide Urban Design Guidelines
** 2011 National Honour Award of Excellence: University of Saskatchewan College Quarter Master Plan
** 2011 Regional Award of New Directions: IOD Park Thunder Bay
* Royal Architectural Institute of Canada: National Urban Design Awards
** 2014 Urban Fragments ** 2012 Urban Design Plans ** 2012 Urban Fragments * Canadian Wood Council Award
** 2020: 720 Yonge Mass Timber Building
* Canadian Architect Award
** 2019 Award of Merit: Thunder Bay Art Gallery Waterfront Relocation Project
* Ontario Association of Architects
** 2016 Design Excellence Award: Prince Arthur’s Landing, Thunder Bay
** 2014 Concepts Award: Jiigew
** 2012 Merit Award, Artifact Award: Gathering Circle, City of Thunder Bay
* PRO (Parks and Recreation Ontario)
** 2020 Award of Excellence: Park or Facility Design Award (pop. over 100,000): Lake Wilcox Park Youth Area
** 2020 Award of Excellence: Park or Facility Design Award (pop. over 100,000): Awen’ Gathering Place
** 2010 Award for Planning Excellence: North Oakville Secondary Plan & Implementation Strategy
** 2005 District Outstanding Planning Award: Fort Erie Gateway
Selected projects
* Prince’s Arthur’s Landing at the Thunder Bay Waterfront
** Water Garden Pavilion
** Spirit Garden
** Delta Marriott Thunder Bay Hotel
** Baggage Building Arts Centre and Jardin Ellipse
* Hoop Dance Indigenous Gathering Place at Mohawk College
* McMaster University Campus Master Plan Update
* Hamilton Pier 7 & 8 Master Plan
* North Bay Waterfront Master Plan
* Rockcliffe Community Design Plan
* Victoria University Grounds Master Plan

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu