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KPMB Architects
KPMB primary wordmark.jpg
Practice information
Key architects Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, Marianne McKenna, Shirley Blumberg
Founded 1987
Location Toronto
Significant works and honors
Buildings TIFF Bell Lightbox, Gardiner Museum, National Ballet School of Canada, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Canadian Museum of Nature, Koerner Hall
Awards American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Architecture, Governor General's Award, RAIC National Urban Design Award, Ontario Association of Architects Award of Excellence, Toronto Urban Design Award

KPMB is a Canadian company that designs amazing buildings. It was started in 1987 by four talented architects: Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, Marianne McKenna, and Shirley Blumberg. Their main office is in Toronto, Canada, and they have designed many buildings there. Besides designing the outside of buildings, KPMB also creates beautiful interior spaces. The company's full name used to be Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, but in 2013, they officially changed it to KPMB Architects.

How KPMB Architects Started

Before KPMB began, the four founders worked together at another architecture company called Barton Myers Associates. When that company moved its main office to Los Angeles, these four architects decided to stay in Toronto. They then started their own design studio. In 2013, Thomas Payne left KPMB to begin his own architecture company.

Early and Award-Winning Projects

Some of KPMB's first projects were done with Barton Myers, like the Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto. They also helped with a big expansion of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Early on, KPMB won two important design contests. They designed the new Kitchener City Hall and the Joseph S. Stauffer Library for Queen's University. These wins helped them become well-known.

KPMB's Impact on Toronto

Many of KPMB's most famous buildings are in their home city of Toronto. In their early years, they often updated old buildings or added new structures next to existing ones. Examples include King James Place and the Design Exchange. The Design Exchange used to be the Toronto Stock Exchange building. KPMB turned it into a cool exhibition space for design.

Toronto's Cultural Buildings

In the 2000s, KPMB designed many cultural buildings that helped create what people call the "Toronto Cultural Renaissance." This means a time when many new and exciting arts and culture places were built. Some of these include:

KPMB's Work Around the World

KPMB has designed buildings not just in Toronto, but all across Canada, the United States, and even in Europe.

Canadian Projects Outside Toronto

Across Canada, KPMB has worked on many different types of buildings. They designed parts of Concordia University in Montreal. They also created the Remai Modern art museum in Saskatchewan. One of their most impressive projects is the Manitoba Hydro Place in Winnipeg. This building is known for being incredibly energy-efficient, even in Winnipeg's very cold climate. In 2022, KPMB was chosen to help transform old church properties for the United Church of Canada. This project, called Kindred Works, aims to create new homes for many people.

Projects in the United States

In the United States, KPMB has designed buildings for several universities. These include the Walgreen Drama Center for the University of Michigan and Sprague Memorial Hall for Yale University. They also designed the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. KPMB continues to work on projects for places like Princeton University and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

International Projects

KPMB has also designed buildings in other countries. They created the Star Alliance Lounge at the airport in Zürich, Switzerland. They also designed the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, Germany.

Notable Projects by KPMB

KPMB has designed many important buildings. Here are some of their major projects:

Buildings in Canada

  • Kitchener City Hall, Kitchener, Ontario
  • Design Exchange, Toronto, Ontario
  • Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  • Roy Thomson Hall, Enhancement, Toronto, Ontario
  • McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec
  • Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario
  • Canada's National Ballet School, Project Grand Jeté, Toronto, Ontario
  • Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario
  • Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Ontario
  • Manitoba Hydro Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, Toronto, Ontario
  • Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario
  • TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto, Ontario
  • Vaughan City Hall, Vaughan, Ontario
  • Centre for International Governance Innovation Campus, Waterloo, Ontario
  • Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
  • The Joseph L. Rotman School of Management Expansion, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
  • Bridgepoint Health, Toronto, Ontario
  • Fort York Branch Library, Toronto, Ontario
  • Pan American Games/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village | Canary District, Toronto, Ontario
  • Global Centre for Pluralism, Ottawa, Ontario
  • Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) Expansion and Arts Court Redevelopment, Ottawa, Ontario
  • Massey Hall, Renovation and Expansion, Toronto, Ontario
  • Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and Harbour Square Park, Toronto, Ontario (Ongoing)
  • St. Luke's United Church, Toronto, Ontario (Ongoing)

Buildings in the United States

  • Goodman Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
  • Sprague Memorial Hall, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Charles R. Walgreen Jr. Drama Center & Arthur Miller Theatre, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Orchestra Hall Renewal, Minnesota Orchestra, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Adams Center for Musical Arts, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building & Louis A. Simpson International Building, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
  • Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
  • Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Buildings Around the World

  • Star Alliance Lounge, Zürich, Switzerland
  • Canadian Embassy Berlin, Berlin, Germany

See also

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