Casey House

Casey House 

Hariri Pontarini Architects is honoured to announce that Casey House has been awarded the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC).

Photo credit: doublespace photography

The project began in 2007 when, motivated by a desire to fulfill founder June Callwood’s dream of offering a day health program to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, and realizing that they had outgrown their Huntley Street home, 

Casey House hosted a competition to find an architect to design their new facility. 

Siamak Hariri, Founding Partner of Toronto based Hariri Pontarini Architects, was chosen for the project. 

“We were thrilled to be selected and approached the design from the inside-out, devoting countless hours to close consultation with Stephanie Karapita, former CEO, and with Karen de Prinse, Chief Nursing Executive & Director of Clinical Programs,” said Mr. Hariri, “We wanted to create a functional facility that was infused with the atmosphere of caring to honour the incredible legacy of June Calllwood. A caring that can be felt throughout—in every detail—the patient rooms, the materials, the gathering spaces, the garden, and of course, in the sliver courtyard.” 

In order to create a comfortable, home-like user experience, the embrace emerged as a unifying theme—one of warmth, intimacy, comfort, privacy, connectivity, and solidity. Similarly, the language of the quilt, a symbolic expression of the battle against HIV/AIDS, was a source of inspiration for the design.  

The architecture is a physical manifestation of the embrace in both the vertical and horizontal planes. The new 59,000-square-foot extension reaches over and around the existing heritage designated Victorian mansion, which has been restored by ERA Architects. The new addition—a robust, textured exterior— surrounds the central courtyard. Beautifully landscaped and alive, the courtyard is visible from every corridor and in-patient room. 

As one of the original mansions to be built along Jarvis Street, the retention of the existing 1875 building (known colloquially as the “Grey Lady”) maintains the original character of the street, while the addition introduces a dignified juxtaposition of the old and new. The façade, consisting of a palette of various brick, heavily tinted mirrored glass, and crust-faced limestone, is highly particularized and rich, and becomes the architectural manifestation of the quilt. 

For more information:

www.hariripontarini.com