Pug Awards: Vote on Toronto’s newest architecture

It’s time to vote. The Pug Awards want to know which new architectural additions to Toronto’s landscape are a big hit, and which are a big flop.

This years nominees for the best, worst and mediocre buildings include 34 residential and seven industrial buildings which were completed in 2009. Voters are encouraged to vote one of three ways: love it, like it or hate it. Voters can register on their website.

Starting Wednesday, The Pug Awards will host the first in a series of “Space Between Buildings” public forums at the Bata Shoe Museum where anyone with an opinion is invited to become part of the discussion with developers, architects and designers in order to keep them accountable to the city. The guests of honour include city councillor Adam Vaughan, Marianne McKenna of KPMB Architects, Elyse Parker from the City of Toronto, Gary Switzer of MOD Developments Inc and Ron Palmer of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, and the discussion will be moderated by John Bentley Mays, the Globe and Mail’s architecture columnist.

The Pug Talks panel on June 16 will consist of the members of the mayoral race: Rocco Rossi, Giorgio Mammoliti, George Smitherman and Joe Pantalone.

Voting on already finished projects isn’t where the Pug Awards starts and stops, they are also involved in the education of senior elementary students creating an awareness and appreciation for design and architecture. At Jessie Ketchum Public School and Queen Alexandra Senior Public School students have been working on designing a redevelopment proposal.

At the Design Exchange on June 1, students will present their completed proposal and winners will be chosen. The students will be honoured at the Pug Awards ceremony on June 16 at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Finally, the nominees:

Residential category:

NEO at 100 Yorkville
One Cole Condominiums at 263 Adelaide West
Plaza Royale at 455 Adelaide
Pure Spirit at the Distillery at 60 Richmond East Housing Co-Op
ReZen at 88 on Broadway
Rouge Bijou at 900 on Mount Pleasant
Sixtyloft
St. Gabriel Terraces
Success Tower at Pinnacle Centre
Summerside
the Arc
The Majestic
The Murano
The Russell Hill Seniors Residence
Toy Factory Lofts
Twenty Gothic
Zip at Battery Park

Commercial category:

Bay Adelaide Centre
Bloorview Kids Rehab
Harbour Light, Salvation Army
RBC Centre
Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning
Shops at Don Mills
Telus Tower at 25 York

Having trouble trying to decide? The Pug Awards has a handy guide of things to consider, such as design details, materials and the context in how it appears with the rest of the neighbourhood.