The 2012 ranking of architecture firms compiled by Building Design, the U.K.-based journal, places Diamond Schmitt Architects among the top 100 companies. Based on survey results provided by 1,400 architecture practices, Diamond Schmitt registers 91st among the largest architecture firms in the world.
"The resilience of the economy made Canada a great place to be in 2011," says Donald Schmitt, principal with Diamond Schmitt Architects. Twenty buildings designed by the firm opened in 2011, representing a total of 2.4 million square feet of space. Among these are La Maison Symphonique, the home of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence in Ottawa, and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute in Toronto.
The cultural facilities sector is particularly strong for the firm. The Burlington Performing Arts Centre also opened in 2011. Currently under construction and in design is the Mariinsky opera house in St. Petersburg, Russia, the St. Catharines Performing Arts Centre, the Regent Park Arts & Culture Centre, the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre and Ryerson Image Centre. The Building Design survey places Diamond Schmitt among the top ten architecture firms in the cultural building market sector, based on fee income. "Performing Arts venues in particular have enjoyed a renaissance in the Canadian market," adds Schmitt.
The firm is equally well represented in academic, healthcare, residential and commercial sectors. Current projects include the Sick Children's Hospital Research Tower and Bridgepoint Health in Toronto and The Global Innovation Exchange Building at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.
Diamond Schmitt Architects (www.dsai.ca) is based in Toronto with a practice that is worldwide. The firm has over 30 LEED-accredited architects and is a leader in sustainable design solutions.
