A Modern Approach to Preserving the Past.
There are at least two approaches to creating additions to historically important sites: blend in or stand out.
The blending-in approach – in which new construction mimics heritage forms and materials – can create confusion between the authentic and the ersatz. This may do a disservice to history.
Our approach to designing the entryway to Fort York was to make a clear distinction between new and old, and to ensure that the new does not mask the old. A clear glass canopy over the door, for example, does its protective job without distracting from the historic fabric of the barrack. The concrete pad is pulled away from the wooden barrack walls.
There are at least two approaches to creating additions to historically important sites: blend in or stand out.
The blending-in approach – in which new construction mimics heritage forms and materials – can create confusion between the authentic and the ersatz. This may do a disservice to history.
Our approach to designing the entryway to Fort York was to make a clear distinction between new and old, and to ensure that the new does not mask the old. A clear glass canopy over the door, for example, does its protective job without distracting from the historic fabric of the barrack. The concrete pad is pulled away from the wooden barrack walls.