MEGAN TORZA
OAA, FRAIC, LEED AP BD+C
Partner, DTAH
Megan is an architect and urban designer whose professional development has been influenced by a strong personal interest in sustainability and adaptive reuse and the integration of contemporary architecture into historic urban fabric. Working with her clients as part of an integrated team, Megan merges architectural design with technical expertise to create unique building solutions that are practical and responsive to their context. She advocates for socially responsible projects that enrich the communities to which they belong.
She was fortunate early in her career to play a key role in the Artscape Wychwood Barns and Evergreen Brick Works projects, cementing her passion for community-based projects and meaningful public engagement. Both of these projects were originally contested sites and their contributions to the community were questioned by the local stakeholders, but through engagement and strong design vision, the project teams achieved consensus and are now celebrated as award-winning, inclusive public destinations.
Her socially-minded, contextually-sensitive portfolio has grown to include Niagara Falls Exchange: Farmers’ Market and Cultural Hub, the Baker District One Planet Living Redevelopment in Guelph, the award-winning entrance pavilion to Tommy Thompson Park, the revitalization of the northwest corner of Dufferin Grove Park, and the St. Andrew and Dane Avenue Child Care projects in Toronto.
Megan is former chair of the City of Vaughan Urban Design Review Panel and the Toronto Society of Architects. She has acted as a professional advisor for architectural design competitions, most recently the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, as well as numerous urban design awards, and was on the jury for the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument Competition, which demonstrates her ability to assess the merit of important city-building initiatives. She is a past guest lecturer and design critic at the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Toronto Metropolitan University.
OAA, FRAIC, LEED AP BD+C
Partner, DTAH
Megan is an architect and urban designer whose professional development has been influenced by a strong personal interest in sustainability and adaptive reuse and the integration of contemporary architecture into historic urban fabric. Working with her clients as part of an integrated team, Megan merges architectural design with technical expertise to create unique building solutions that are practical and responsive to their context. She advocates for socially responsible projects that enrich the communities to which they belong.
She was fortunate early in her career to play a key role in the Artscape Wychwood Barns and Evergreen Brick Works projects, cementing her passion for community-based projects and meaningful public engagement. Both of these projects were originally contested sites and their contributions to the community were questioned by the local stakeholders, but through engagement and strong design vision, the project teams achieved consensus and are now celebrated as award-winning, inclusive public destinations.
Her socially-minded, contextually-sensitive portfolio has grown to include Niagara Falls Exchange: Farmers’ Market and Cultural Hub, the Baker District One Planet Living Redevelopment in Guelph, the award-winning entrance pavilion to Tommy Thompson Park, the revitalization of the northwest corner of Dufferin Grove Park, and the St. Andrew and Dane Avenue Child Care projects in Toronto.
Megan is former chair of the City of Vaughan Urban Design Review Panel and the Toronto Society of Architects. She has acted as a professional advisor for architectural design competitions, most recently the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, as well as numerous urban design awards, and was on the jury for the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument Competition, which demonstrates her ability to assess the merit of important city-building initiatives. She is a past guest lecturer and design critic at the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Project Spotlight
TOMMY THOMPSON PARK PAVILLION
Located on Toronto’s waterfront in the Port Lands Precinct, Tommy Thompson Park is a unique urban wilderness minutes from downtown Toronto, located on a man-made peninsula known as the Leslie Street Spit. The Tommy Thompson Park Entrance and Pavilion establishes a new front door to the park that is welcoming, engaging, and ecologically sensitive to its context. Serving as a centre for discovery and education, the entrance pavilion form is a simple rectangle split into two halves, covered by an expansive roof. One-half houses all-gender, barrier-free, all-season washrooms, allowing people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the park year-round. The other half contains an administrative space that overlooks the multi-use trail entrance and supports on-site programs. The cantilevering roof shelters a large outdoor space for rest, informal gatherings, and educational programming.
The pavilion draws inspiration from the surrounding site to integrate and strengthen the identity of Tommy Thompson Park. The weathering steel of the soffit echoes the bright red dogwood underbrush surrounding the site, while the hand-chiseled concrete exposes locally sourced aggregates while deterring vandalism. The gabion screen displays and utilizes rubble from the Spit, including brick, concrete, steel, and plastic, sourced from the local shoreline. All materials and systems for the building were chosen for their sustainability and durability and are bird-friendly, vandal-proof, and require little to no maintenance. The project aims to enhance the existing conditions while respecting the deep history of the park and its users.
Tommy Thompson Park and the history of the Leslie Street Spit echo the history of urbanization in Toronto, and the park will become an important amenity as the Port Lands continue to develop into a new sustainable mixed-use community. The site’s history is reflected in the interpretive strata of rubble in the gabion wall, the details of the concrete, wood and steel used in the building’s construction and the details within the landscape. For a utilitarian park building commissioned by the City of Toronto, the project’s successful embodiment of this rich history is a unique achievement of architectural excellence.
TOMMY THOMPSON PARK PAVILLION
Located on Toronto’s waterfront in the Port Lands Precinct, Tommy Thompson Park is a unique urban wilderness minutes from downtown Toronto, located on a man-made peninsula known as the Leslie Street Spit. The Tommy Thompson Park Entrance and Pavilion establishes a new front door to the park that is welcoming, engaging, and ecologically sensitive to its context. Serving as a centre for discovery and education, the entrance pavilion form is a simple rectangle split into two halves, covered by an expansive roof. One-half houses all-gender, barrier-free, all-season washrooms, allowing people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the park year-round. The other half contains an administrative space that overlooks the multi-use trail entrance and supports on-site programs. The cantilevering roof shelters a large outdoor space for rest, informal gatherings, and educational programming.
The pavilion draws inspiration from the surrounding site to integrate and strengthen the identity of Tommy Thompson Park. The weathering steel of the soffit echoes the bright red dogwood underbrush surrounding the site, while the hand-chiseled concrete exposes locally sourced aggregates while deterring vandalism. The gabion screen displays and utilizes rubble from the Spit, including brick, concrete, steel, and plastic, sourced from the local shoreline. All materials and systems for the building were chosen for their sustainability and durability and are bird-friendly, vandal-proof, and require little to no maintenance. The project aims to enhance the existing conditions while respecting the deep history of the park and its users.
Tommy Thompson Park and the history of the Leslie Street Spit echo the history of urbanization in Toronto, and the park will become an important amenity as the Port Lands continue to develop into a new sustainable mixed-use community. The site’s history is reflected in the interpretive strata of rubble in the gabion wall, the details of the concrete, wood and steel used in the building’s construction and the details within the landscape. For a utilitarian park building commissioned by the City of Toronto, the project’s successful embodiment of this rich history is a unique achievement of architectural excellence.
