Diamond Schmitt

09/03/2026

Universities are navigating uncertain and shifting terrain—changes that are reshaping not only how education is delivered, but how campuses themselves must be planned, designed, and integrated into the communities around them.

New technologies are transforming how students learn and how institutions think about knowledge transfer and other pedagogical goals, while also responding to rightful calls for increased accessibility and inclusion, and supporting physical and mental well-being and social life. The question is no longer what buildings a campus needs, but what kind of a place a campus should be.

In our latest Explorations, “From gates to gathering: Reimagining the academic campus,” Principals Don Schmitt and Mike Szabo draw on more than three decades of experience designing university buildings, campus districts, and master plans to examine the evolution of the campus—from the traditional, inward-facing academic precinct toward a more open, connected, and active civic destination.

The campuses that will remain relevant will be those not defined by boundaries or physical borders, but by their ability to evolve with the cities around them.

Read the full Explorations: https://bit.ly/4zQPj84

Half a century removed from higher education’s postwar peak, universities today are navigating uncertain and shifting terrain—changes that are reshaping not only how education is delivered…

09/02/2026

We’re pleased to share that the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI) has recognized three members of Diamond Schmitt’s visualization team in this year’s Architecture in Perspective competition, which celebrates excellence in architectural illustration from around the world.

Director of Visualization Christiano Mahler and architect Silas Clusiau each received a Rendering Award of Excellence. Christiano’s exterior study depicts a conceptual performing arts setting, enveloped in fog while Silas’s rendering presents a late-autumn morning at the Ron and Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts.

Architectural visualization specialist Rajkumari Sawant received the Jurors Rendering Award for In Known Lands, a scene developed for a cultural project proposal. In the image, a young girl observes a totem pole—an artwork that holds immense knowledge and significance. The museum building becomes a backdrop for art, life, and stories passed from one generation to the next.

Congratulations on this well-deserved international recognition!

09/01/2026

Old Dominion University unveils the design of its new landmark project – the Engineering and Arts Building.

The facility will create a shared campus destination for research, making, performance, creativity, and public engagement—strengthening the academic experience while opening new opportunities for students, faculty, and the broader community. A central focus of Diamond Schmitt’s work is the arts and performance program, including a flexible 800-seat convening hall that sits at the heart of the building and supports academic, cultural, and community programs.

“By bringing the performing arts into direct dialogue with research and engineering, ODU is creating a unique environment where artistic expression, technical inquiry, and experimentation can shape one another,” says Principal Gary McCluskie. “The new Engineering and Arts Building will do more than support interdisciplinary exploration. It will create the conditions for new ideas, methods, resources, and partnerships to emerge—advancing innovation across disciplines.”

The project team is comprised of: Diamond Schmitt – leading design of the arts and performance spaces, Ballinger – designing the engineering spaces, and VMDO – architect of record.

Read more: https://dsai.ca/news/old-dominion-university-unveils-vision-for-landmark-engineering-and-arts-building/

08/31/2026

Fifteen years on, the Instructional Centre remains a place where learning, landscape, and campus life meet—while supporting the ongoing evolution of the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus.

Set on a triangular-shaped site, the building is approached through a pedestrian plaza that leads into a four-storey, skylit atrium, conceived as a social and academic crossroads. Balconies, a landscaped courtyard, and a two-storey glass bridge animate the space, drawing daylight and views deep into the building. Classrooms and study spaces surround the atrium, keeping it active throughout the day, while a rooftop garden adds another layer of shared outdoor space to the building.

The lecture halls, some seating as many as 350 students, borrow the discipline of theatre design. Horseshoe and oval configurations prioritize sightlines, acoustics, and a sense of intimacy, so that even the largest teaching spaces feel connected.

Certified LEED Silver, the Instructional Centre integrates rooftop photovoltaics, a green roof, and orientation-specific solar shading into its form. Extensive glazing, including the curtain wall of the faculty wing, frames the surrounding ravine landscape present from within, reinforcing a relationship between building and site that remains central to the project.

Photos: Lisa Logan, Tom Arban

08/28/2026

Two Diamond Schmitt projects have earned Gold certifications at the 19th GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Awards, recognizing designs that reimagine what civic infrastructure can be.

Waterworks received Gold in the Commercial & Hospitality Building / Mixed-Use Building category. The project rehabilitates and expands a significant industrial heritage site in Toronto, transforming it into a civic anchor that brings together food-focused retail, the McDonald Family YMCA, social wellness facilities, family-oriented housing—including 15 affordable units—and an existing youth shelter.

New pedestrian connections, expanded planting, shaded outdoor spaces, a green roof, and new glazed openings help reconnect the site to its neighbourhood while supporting long-term community health and well-being.

The City of Toronto Paramedic Services Multi-Function Station 02, designed in collaboration with gh3*, also received Gold, in the Concept & Unbuilt category. Conceived as both an emergency response facility and centre for education, recruitment, professional development, and critical post-disaster operations, the project transforms a demanding suburban-industrial site into a resilient civic hub.

Targeting Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon, the design integrates photovoltaic generation, including a solar wall, geothermal heating, a high-performance envelope, and mass timber construction to reduce embodied carbon while creating a warm, calming environment for staff.

The People’s Choice Award voting is now open. Learn more and vote!
Waterworks: https://int.design/en/project/waterworks
Toronto Paramedic Services Multi-Function Station 02: https://int.design/en/project/toronto-paramedic-services-multi-function-station-02

08/27/2026

Diamond Schmitt ranks 31st on Building Design+Construction's list of the top 200 architecture firms for non-residential and multifamily work.

Over the past 12 months, the studio has seen significant growth in two areas of civic and social infrastructure: emergency medical services architecture and affordable housing.

On the emergency-services side, construction began on the net zero energy Toronto Paramedic Services Multifunction Station 02 and the Docksteader Reporting Station, designed to Zero Carbon Building and Net Zero Energy standards — part of a broader body of work on facilities that support operational readiness, staff wellbeing, and reliable service delivery during both daily operations and emergency events.

The studio also advanced new social housing and high-rise family housing projects in Vancouver, reflecting the growing need for housing models that are delivered efficiently while supporting livability, dignity, community connection, and long-term value to municipalities.

Milestones followed across health, education, and culture as well: TMU's School of Medicine opened in Brampton, pairing medical education with a public primary care clinic; the Ron and Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts topped out in Fredericton; and Humber College station opened on the new Finch West LRT in Etobicoke, connecting the campus to the wider transit network.

Diamond Schmitt approaches architecture as an active civic framework — one that fosters social exchange, broadens access, and invites meaningful public participation, shaped around the people and communities it serves. This work is carried through a collaborative, interdisciplinary design process that aligns vision, performance, and delivery from the outset.

Diamond Schmitt ranks 31st on Building Design+Construction’s list of the top 200 architecture firms for non-residential and multifamily work. Over the past 12 months, the studio has seen significant…

08/26/2026

Celebrating 15 years of the Library and Academic Building at Centennial College!

Designed to reflect Toronto's cultural diversity, the building transforms an academic program into a welcoming home for learning – and a gateway for connecting the campus with its surrounding community.

Its architecture makes the life within visible. A circular auditorium and glazed vertical bays animate the façade, while those striking bays extend across the roofline and draw natural light deep into the building. Black granite, iron-spot brick, warm copper, and composite wood give the exterior creates a distinctive civic presence.

At its heart, a four-storey central atrium acts as a social engine. Clear circulation and interconnected spaces create opportunities for students and faculty to meet, connect, gather, and study throughout the day.

Fifteen years on, the LEED Gold Certified building continues to support academic life with a warm, inviting, and enduring place for the Centennial community.

The project has been recognized by the Ontario Association of Architects, the Ontario Library Association, and the Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association.

Read more about the Library and Academic Building at Centennial College here: https://dsai.ca/projects/centennial-library-and-academic-building/

08/25/2026

Construction on BAND Gallery is now 70% complete!

Home to the Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND), the gallery is a cultural hub for Black artists, curators, and cultural workers, dedicated to supporting, documenting, and showcasing their work. The project renovates and expands a Victorian-era house in Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood, reimagining the space from basement to attic, and blending heritage restoration with a contemporary addition to accommodate larger and more diverse exhibitions, designed to museological standards.

Architect Dami Akinbode shares a construction update, walking us through the expanded gallery spaces — including a new artist studio, workshop, and office — and community gathering areas which create an open, accessible, and welcoming presence in the neighbourhood.

08/21/2026

Construction starts on 200 Beausoleil, bringing 159 new affordable homes to Ottawa’s Lowertown neighbourhood.

Diamond Schmitt, in collaboration with KWC Architects, are leading the project's community-focused design. Featuring a six-storey podium, the building will provide 159 one- and two-bedroom rental homes, including 32 accessible homes. Amenities include a Wellness Centre, Games Room, Arts and Activity Room, exterior terrace, and shared ground-level amenity space, encouraging residents to gather, stay active, and connect with their community. Additionally, residents will benefit from convenient access to transit, community services, parks, and local amenities close by.

"Beausoleil is a community-focused development that will bring 159 new affordable homes to the heart of Lowertown. The design brings a sense of playfulness and colour to the streetscape, while creating active, welcoming spaces that support connection and community. We are proud to work alongside Ottawa Community Housing on a development that represents an important investment in affordable housing and the long-term vitality of Lowertown," said Senior Associate Arne Suraga.

The all-electric building is designed using Passive House principles, with solar energy and barrier-free features, promoting sustainability, accessibility, and long-term affordability.

Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) has marked the groundbreaking of 200 Beausoleil, an affordable housing development on an urban infill site in the City’s Lowertown neighbourhood. Diamond Schmitt…

08/19/2026

We are pleased to announce promotions across our Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and New York offices. These new appointments recognize the depth of talent, leadership, and commitment that continue to shape Diamond Schmitt’s practice.

Duncan Bates (Toronto), Jeffrey Mitchell, Architect AIBC, OAA, CPHD (Toronto) Diana Saragosa, Architect OAA, CPHD (Toronto) have been appointed Principal.

Erin Broda, Architect OAA (Toronto), Jeff Geldart, Architect AAA, OAA (Calgary), Lilly Kraljevic, Architect OAA (Toronto), and Persis Lam, Architect OAA, CPHD (Toronto) have advanced to Senior Associate.

Beatriz Leon, LEED AP, WELL AP (Toronto), Noah Steffes, RA – New York, LEED AP (New York), and Tristan Crawford (Toronto) have been promoted to Associate.

There were also several administrative promotions: Waleed Khan has been designated Project Accountant Lead; Alana de Voe and Marlon Enero have been named Senior Architectural Project Coordinator; and Rowan Davidson has moved into the role of Learning & Development Coordinator.

“The strength of our studio is shaped by the diverse individuals who contribute across generations, disciplines, and areas of practice,” says Don Schmitt, Principal. “This year’s promotions recognize those colleagues whose energy, innovation, continuity, and excellence strengthen our work and advance the evolution of the firm.”

Congratulations to each of you on these well-deserved promotions. We look forward to your continued leadership and contributions in your new roles.